The American Revolution Flashcards
What did Thomas Paine mean by republicanism?
‘The public good or the good of the whole.
It implied a form of government which represented the whole people.
Why can it be said that America was well suited to republicanism?
- By 1763, clonal assemblies had substantial powers and white men could vote.
- The Sons of Liberty helped to raise political consciousness of America Generally.
- The Committees of Safety in 1774-5 brought many new men into politics.
What did colonial assemblies reconstitute themselves after British authority collapsed in 1774-5?
They reconstituted themselves as provincial conventions.
American leaders wanted to establish a legal foundation for them, they wanted to maintain the rule of law and prevent civil disorder.
What resolution did congress adopt from John Adams in May 1776?
The resolution called on states that did not have permanent constitution based on popular sovereignty to adopt one.
Between 1776 and 1780, how many states adopted new constitutions?
All but two - Rhode Island and Connecticut who only revised their colonial charters.
Who were the elitists?
Men who had led assemblies.
What did the elitists believe?
They believed that a government should maintain liberty, but also preserve order.
Feared that too much democracy would lead to an unstable government and eventually anarchy.
Wanted people to chose the people to govern.
What sort of government did the elitists envision?
Franchise being limited to property holders.
Right to vote to be exercised infrequently.
Bicameral legislature - one representing the people and the other the elite.
Governors to have wide powers.
What did the democrats want from the new government?
A broad franchise ( but not for slaves or women ).
No/low property requirements for office.
Unicameral legislature - didn’t see the need for an aristocratic second chamber.
A weak executive.
What similarities did the new state constitutions have?
Sovereignty resides with the people.
Concerned about the separation of powers.
Bicameral legislature - lower house to directly represent the people and the upper house to represent the elite.
Property ownership was required to vote.
Qualifications for office remained the same as during colonial office.
Every state - apart from Pennsylvania - had a governor.
Which states decided to put a unicameral legislature in their constitution?
Pennsylvania and Georgia.
What was the role of the governor like in the new state constitutions?
There was a deep suspicion of executive authority.
Ten states set one-year terms for governors.
Governors were little more than figure heads.
Where the new constitutions considered to be democratic?
No, the constitutions reflected the 18th century belief that political rights should be confined to property holders.
In some states property qualifications for office were so high it excluded all but the very wealthy.
(Elites remained in power in South Carolina and Virginia).
The proportion of elite men in office dropped by what by 1783?
In 1783, old elite families in the legislature dropped from 46% to 22%.
What was arguably the main division in American politics?
Arguably the main division was between agrarian ( localist ) interests and commercial (cosmopolitan) interests.
Who were the cosmopolitans?
They came from mainly commercial areas.
In the south they were large property owners.
Most lived along navigable river.
They were wealthy and had wide interests and experience, as well as a broader outlook than their fellow citizens.
What did the cosmopolitans support?
They supported an activist government and conservative monetary policies.
Who were the locality?
They were predominantly rural.
They owned small property.
Lived in remote areas.
Had narrower intellectual, economic and social horizons.
They were suspicious of government, banking and urban interests.
Between 1775-78, what were the states in control of?
Finances, trade and economic policy - along with other social issues.
What problem did New York face in 1777?
Struggled to assert authority over the area.
Two New York counties (Gloucester and Cumberland) formed themselves into the separate state of Vermont
How did the war cause financial issues in the 1780s?
Financial problems were severe, states had to increase taxation.
States were forced to finance the war by issuing paper money - this led inevitably to inflation.
What was Jeffersons Act for Establishing Religious Freedom (1786)?
It prohibited all forms of state intervention in religious affairs.
Stopped people from suffering a formal disadvantage because of their religion.
What was stated in the articles of confederation?
Congress would act as the central government - whatever the size of the population they would have one vote.
Congressmen elected annually and limited to three terms in six years.
No provisions for a national executive or judiciary.
Congress could declare war. raise an army, borrow and issue money, conclude treaties, apportion common expenses amongst states and regulate Native American affairs.
Treaties needed the approval of at least nine states.
The Articles could not be amended without the consent of all 13 states.
Power not specifically granted to the confederation were reserved to the states.
The articles of confederation did not give congress the power to…
Levy taxes, regulate trade and enforce financial requisitions.
