Quiz n°3

Question 0

What happened during the 2nd Continental Congress?

Answer 0

It invited the states to adopt constitutions, because the old colonial charters were full of references to the King and to Parliament, which were obviously not adequate. All the states created new political structures, except two states : Rhode Island and Connecticut (they already enjoyed republican governments). All the states had insisted on having written the Constitution, as opposed to the British Constitution which is not written. On top of this, eight states Constitutions had a Declaration of Rights. These declarations usually affirmed freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press.

Question 1

When did the second Continental Congress take place?

Answer 1

In May 1776

Question 2

Which Declaration of Rights was the most influencial one? And who wrote it?

Answer 2

The most influencial of these Declarations of Rights was the Virginian Bill of Rights, written by George Mason, because it was the one which was the “blueprint” of all the other Bills of Rights

Question 3

What were the articles of the Constitution?

Answer 3

It was the first Constitution of the US, approved in 1777

Question 4

What did the articles of the Confederation stated?

Answer 4

• guarded the sovereignty of the states
• there was only one legislative body which consisted in representatives selected annually by states legislaters. Each state possessed only one vote and there was no independant executive, no veto over legislative decisions
• denied Congress the power of taxation and the national government could obtain funds only by asking for voluntary contribution for the states
• Amendments to the articles requirend consent from all 13 states

Question 5

When were the Departments of War, Finance and Foreign Affairs created ?

Answer 5

In 1781

Question 6

What was the Northwest ordonnance?

Answer 6

The Northwest ordonnance authorized the creation of 5 territories (within the Northwest territories). The territories will become the future states : Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. Each territory would be ruled by a governor. When the population of each territory had reach 60 000 individuals, the territory could write a Constitution and then petition for statehood. The Northwest ordonnance also outlawed slavery in these future states.

Question 7

Who were the nationalists?

Answer 7

As revolutionnary optimism seemed to had let place to pessimism and doubt in the U.S., a group of men (nationalists) emerged, they promoted ideas on how to save the Confederation : Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Robin Morris are at the head of the nationalist movement. These people started a conservative movement to rewrite, to overhaul the Constitution as early as 1786. One event helped them a lot to change the public’s opinion : Shays’ Rebellion

Question 8

What was Shay’s Rebellion?

Answer 8

it was an armed resurrection led by Daniel Shays, a farmer, in western Massachusetts. Debt-ridden farmers took their arms in order to prevent their lands to be ceased from the authorities for failure to pay their rent, to prevent foreclosure. The Massachusetts governor dispatched the states militia in January 1787, in order to diperse the rebels; more than 1000 people were arrested. Nationalists used this rebellion to call people for a change of the Constitution.

Question 9

What was the Virginia Plan?

Answer 9

James Madison pushed forward a framework for a new system : the Virginia Plan. The Virginia Plan called for a strong executive, two legislative Houses, a number of representatives proportionnal to the states’ population. Small states were against this plan because they wouldn’t have many representatives since they were small.

Question 10

What was the New Jersey Plan?

Answer 10

The New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral legislature, one vote per state, increased national power among which the power to raise taxes and the power to regulate trades. But nationalists fear that one vote per state would favor states at the expense of men.

Question 11

What was the 3/5 clause(/rule)?

Answer 11

This rule stated that one slave would equal to 3/5th of a person where determining representation for the federal government.

Question 12

What was the Fugitive Slave clause?

Answer 12

It assured the returned of fugitive slaves to their owners.

Question 13

When was the Constitution signed?

Answer 13

On the 17th of September 1787, the Constitution was signed by 39 men. The Constitution had to be ratified by the State. Only 9 states needed to ratify the Constitution, but it proved to be very difficult. (They pretended that as it was a new Constitution, all the 13 states did not need to ratify the Constitution; only when it needed to be amended that all 13 states would be obliged to be involved)

Question 14

Who were the federalists? (Federalist Party)

Answer 14

FEDERALISTS

leaders: Hamilton, John Adams
values:
- associated with the aristocracy and the “rich, the able and the well-born” (in the words of Hamilton).
- freedom rests on deference of authority.
support base:
- financiers
- manufacturers
- merchants
economic policy: encouraged development of industry
political solidarity: alliance with Great Britain
vision of federalism: strong central government at the expense of states

Question 15

Who were the republicans? (Democratic-Republican Party)

Answer 15

REPUBLICANS

leaders: Jefferson, Madison
values:
- associated with the masses.
- freedom rests on the right to stand an opposition to government.
support base (unusual alliance):
- wealthy southern planters
- ordinary farmers
- urban artisans during French Revolution
economic policy: encouraged development of agriculture
political solidarity: revolutionary France
vision of federalism: weak central government in favour of strenghtening states

Question 16

What was the first party system?

Answer 16

Federalists vs. Republicans, 1790s-1810s
Federalists, led by Hamilton and Adams, wanted a powerful national government to push for aggressive economic development
Republicans, led by Jefferson and Madison, wanted a small national government to leave the citizens mostly free of taxation or government interference
Federalists controlled government through 1790s, Republicans dominated after 1800; Federalists disintegrated as a national party after War of 1812

Question 17

What and when was the proclamation of neutrality?

Answer 17

In 1792-1793 a war broke out bewteen France and Britain. Washington, in April 1793, issued a proclamation of neutrality. This proclamation of neutrality committed the United States to be friendly and impartial towards both sides of the war. However this proclamation violated the Treaty of Alliance (Franco-American alliance) of 1778. As a result of this proclamation of neutrality, both the English and the French responded by seizing American ships. Between 1793 and 1794, around 6,000 American ships were ceased

Question 18

What was Jay’s Treaty (1794)?

Answer 18

The seizure of the American ships was one more element in the struggle, and Whashington in order to appease these tensions sent to Europe John Jay, Chief of Supreme Court, to negotiate with the British and the negotiations gave Jay’s Treaty (1794).
With Jay’s Treaty, the British agred to withdraw troops from the North West, and Americans gained limited rights to trade with the colonies. Jay’s Treaty was higly unpopular throughout the American population : it was seen as a step in the direction of an Anglo-American alliance. It allowed Americans to avoid the war with GB for another 15 years. In the same spirit, in 1795, the Americans signed a new treaty with the Spanish : Pinckney’s Treaty, to resolve border dispute with Spain in the Spanish borders.

Question 19

In the 1790s, what were the US’s unresolved issues?

Answer 19

• the presence of British troops in the West
• the illegal seizure of the American ships
• the closure of British colonies to American merchants (American can not trade witht he British colonies)
• the question of the American pre-revolutionnary debt

Question 20

What was the XYZ Affair?

Answer 20

The XYZ Affair was the result of seizing of the American ships by France. Adams sent Charles Pinckney to France, in order to restaure diplomatic relations with France. However the French refused to receive the minister. They accepted if only the Americans gave a large bribe. This affair was made public in the states under the name of XYZ Affair. It was made public by accident. And the American public discovered not only the bribe the Americans refused to give to the French but also the contents of the injuries said towards the Americans from the French.

Question 21

What was the Quasi-War?

Answer 21

After the XYZ Affair, president Adams decided to declare war to France. However war was never declared, the president couldn’t declare war, only Congress could. From 1798 to 1800, there was a naval undeclared war which took place in the Atlantic (Quasi-War). It ended in 1800 with the Convention of 1800. The Americans, at that date, negotiate the annulment of the Treaty of Alliance with France.

Question 22

What were the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798?

Answer 22

In the Summer of 1798, conservative federalists took advantage of the anti-French hysteria to push Congress to write a series of acts -> Alien & Sedition Acts. The objective was to supress political dissent and to prevent the growth of the Republican party. The direct target of the Alien Act were the new immigrants who could contaminate Americans with revolutionnary ideas. And in order to repress these immigrants, the length of time, during which they had to live in America to get the nationality, was increased. They also authorized the detention of ennemy aliens in war time.
And it especially outlawed wrtiting, printing or uttering “false scandalous and malicious” statement against the government or the president. It became a crime punishable of 2 years of emprisonment -> 15 indictments and 10 guilty verdicts. This Act was deliberately targeted to political oppositions, and to Republicans in particular.

Question 23

What were the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions?

Answer 23

These resolutions were written by Madison and Jefferson. They were anonymously written and secretly presented to the legislative of Kentucky and Virginia. The resolutions argued that the Sedition Act violated the first amendment of the Constitution regarding freedom of speech. These resolutions also argued that member states of the Union had the authority to nulify acts of Congress which were unconstitutional.

Question 24

STRICT CONSTRUCTIONISM vs LOOSE CONSTRUCTIONISM ?

Answer 24

• Strict constructionism : ceux qui prônent une lecture littérale de la Constitution (partie prit par Jefferson and Madison).
• Loose constructionism : ceux qui pensent qu’il faut interpréter de manière un peu “lâche” (loose) la Constitution. -> “elastic clause”. (partie prit par Hamilton)

Question 25

Who were the presidents of the United States from 1789 to 1817?

Answer 25

George Washington 1789-1797
John Adams 1797-1801
Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809
Madison  1809-1817
All 4 presidents (except for John Adams), are elected for two mandates.