The Constitution: Elites and the People / Waves of Revolution

Question 1

French Revolution

Answer 1

• French elites were hoping to negotiate with the King saw how valuable it’d be to have the support of the people
• Developed slogan: “liberty, equality, and fraternity” - inspired French peasants and working class… vague description
• Reform movement demands: sought written constitution that defined and limited the powers of the monarchy
• Through a series of negotiations, the French King agreed to a number of demands:
• Developing elements of a meritocracy and writing a constitution
• Elite reformers had believed these would lead to progress
• The French poor however, had not seen their lives improve; for them, the reform was not done

The Jacobins emerge as the leader of the French poor; given the greater inequality, the Jacobins claimed they would not stop until they achieved economic equality

Word of reform in France reaches French San Domingue; public discourse in San Domingue is filled talk of liberty and equality… the enslaved are inspired

In 1791, slaves on a sugar plantation rise up and rebel… this would become known as the Haitian revolution
- Rebellion began on a sugar plantation by a man named Boukman who led these enslaved people who rose up against their French
- In one month, they had killed two thousand white people and completely destroyed sugar plantation on the northern part of the island; standard was to destroy the plantations… number of enslaved deaths far outpace those of whites

“Age of Reason” in France; aimed to consolidate power while fending off an international war… postponed elections, but abolished slavery in France and anywhere in the French empire, including San Domingue… despite fending off war, the Jacobins send an army of 7,000 to San Domingue to free the slaves

Question 2

Toussaint L’Ouverture

Answer 2

• Leads only successful slave revolution; Toussaint was an educated man and a exceptionally skilled leader; regularly displayed legendary acts of heroism on the battle
• By 1795, Toussaint had led massive slave armies against the French, the Spanish (invading from the West), and British
• French colony of San Domingue was free from slavery
• Doesn’t declare independence from France given relationship with Jacobins
• Aimed to free all enslaved; aimed to start rebellions in other parts of the Caribbean and the US

Question 3

Alien and Sedition Acts

Answer 3

• John Adams asks Congress for allocations to raise an army; Congress, controlled by Federalists, approve the request
• Republicans, fearing the Federalists had raised an army for the purpose of invading Republican states (conspiratorial thinking)
• The response by Federalists was the Alien and Sedition acts; capitalized on Anti-French sentiment

Alien Act:
- 1. Changes naturalization laws to take 14 years; knew immigrants voted Republican
- 2. Gave the President power to expel any immigrant
Sedition Act:
- Made it a federal crime to criticize the federal government; goal is to lock up Republican newspaper editors

Question 4

Kentucky and VA Resolutions

Answer 4

Two southern Republican states issued resolutions against these acts:

VA Resolution
- Anonymously written by James Madison, it says that if the federal gov’t is attempting to take away an individual’s rights, the state has to protect the individual from the federal gov’t
KY Resolution
- Anonymously written by TJ… same as VA, but goes further to say the Alien and Sedition acts were unconstitutional
- VA and KY mobilized their militias against the Federalists