American civilization 17.20.2011

The King forced the Americans to enter into a war because they wanted to declare their independance. Then there was the American revolution but the war itself is called the war of independance. Britain thought that the British colonies would be easy pickens. But, actually, it was not that easy. British had to use the Gorilla tactic. Between 1775-1783, there was the revolution. In 1777, articles of Confederation were written. They were properly ratified in 1781. Those articles were actually a weak document. In it, the President had no power. Moreover, in those articles, the Congress had no ways to tax in a direct or undirect way the population, but How they would pay all the public infrastructures needed ( the services)? Britain didn't want to give up its meal ticket ( the colonies were lucrative) and they were sure it would be easy to beat them ( most powerful navy, economy, nation, military and Colonists didn't have a proper government). Furthermore, communication was hard in the " USA" and each state had different ideas. In the American colonies, there were still people who were loyalists ( tories) to the MotherCountry ( Britain). Colonies had problems with Native Americans whereas Britain was going on well with them ( Native Americans helps British to check the respect of the imaginary line to control the colonists). But, Britain didn't know what kind of conviction the colonists had. France and Spain help the colonists ( sheet with the dates).

Important dates : August 1781, 1782 ( try to write a kind of peace treaty), 1783.

What did the Americans win concretely ?

By 1784, USA was a nation and in the Treaty of Paris, there were certain bounderies that were set : All lands from the Atlantic to the Mississippi river was for America exept Florida and Louisiana ( For Spain). During this war , 25 324 American soldier and civilian were killed. Americans won a considerable debt ( war debt, foreign). With ending up this war, there was still the problem of the articles of the confederation, an organization was needed. With the articles of confederation, most power went to the states ans it was a problem between the 13 colonies had different currencies for example. Economically, it was a real mess, a shamble. It also creates tensions between different classes : merchants, farmers, the working class, the landed gentry...From 1783 to 1789 : Confederation Era. By 1784, USA went through a deep economic depression as nothing was organized. There were a lot of financial burdens among the colonies. In Massachusetts, there was an event in 1786 with Daniel Shay. He was an army veterant and he rebelled against the Massachusetts' government. In MS, men couldn't vote if they didn't have a certain amount of land or property, this angered many former veterants who fought and who couldn't even vote. With thousand other veterants, farmers or working class men, he demonstrated in Boston. The proptestors brought munitions so there was a real fight between them and the milicia. The rebellion ended and government was ready to hear protestors' demands then. This was one the first steps to the Bill of rights. Without this, USA would have been a mobocracy ( rebellions all the time).

May 1787 : Delegates met in Philadelphia, every states were represented exept Rhode Island because it didn't want to overthrow the establishment. This meeting was the Constitutional Convention. At the Continental Convention, a lot of things were debated such as representation. Slavery was another high topic and the third theme was the kind of President to have. Roger Sherman was from Connecticut and he proposed a Great Compromise ==> Bicameral legislation with an upper House ( Senate with two reprensentants from each state) and a lower House ( Hpuse of representatives, based on population). James Madison proposed a strong central government ( This was the Virginia Plan). NY's governer suggested ( Morris) that the President could be directly elected by the people. What about slaves ? They would be counted as 3/5 ( three fifths) of a person. The men who wrote the Constitution recognized that it might need to be changed. Constitution of the USA : a " living document". The final version of this Constitution was voted the 17^th September of 1787. It was written with several principles and especially the sepration of power. Their inspirational sources were philosophers ( the ones of the enlightenment period) and democratic English principles. Human reason was supreme also. The Foundig Fathers were concerned with a more perfect union ( compromise, debates). They wanted to make sure that the government was restrained with checks and balances particularly. Madison wrote the Constitution, he was one of the 55 men who attended the Constitutional Convention. Constitution : 7 articles with 27 amendments ( nowadays). Then ,there was the Bill of rights ( with 10 amendments, also written by Madison).

Federalists : Jay, Hamilton and Madison wanted a strong central government.

Antifederalists : Samuel Adams, Clinton and Henry.

The Constitution couldn't be ratified because of these two different groups. The federalists published 85 articles in local newspaper under the name of PUBLIUS. It became the " federalist paper". On 21^st of June of 1788, the Constitution was ratified. The 4^th of February of 1789, George Washington was elected as the first President. He took office the 30^th of April. On 15^th of December of 1791, Bill of rights were pub lished. In 1790, the first census was taken : 3,929,425.