American Society After the Revolution

What is a republic, anyway? a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law

Striving to Achieve Equality After the Revolution people reject anything aristocratic or related to privilege The appearance of equality as important as its actual achievement Elimination of primogeniture Lowering of property requirements for voting in some states, but not universal manhood suffrage

African Americans Slavery was the greatest contradiction to republicanism They used the same rhetoric as whites reminding them constantly that they had the same natural rights as whites

Benjamin Banneker A free and educated Black, He challenged the idea that African Americans were intellectually inferior He was a great scientist and intellectual

Slavery: Demands vs. Reality Some Southerners wanted to manumit their slaves, but the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, and the movement West, offered too much promise of profit African Americans demanded the same rights and liberties as whites By 1800 slavery was becoming non-existent in the North Yet, even in states where they were “free” they were denied the rights to vote and serve on juries and in the army

Women during the Revolution Volunteered Raised money Took care of farms and businesses in husband’s absence Picture: Molly Pritcher – helped on the battlefield

Republican Mothers Women began to demand more equality in the home More women were granted divorce based on cruelty of husbands Women were charged with raising virtuous, future members of the American republic. In light of this role, women demanded access to formal education New schools developed, but they taught women how to be good mothers and wives, not how to be intellectuals and independent thinkers.

Articles of Confederation Written by the various states, this became the form of government in 1781 The states did not want a national government that would limit their liberties The Articles only provided for a legislative, not a judicial or executive branch Each state had one vote 2/3’s of states required to pass laws Amendments required a unanimous vote

Powers Under the Articles Declare war Make treaties Manage indian affairs Maintain an army and navy Coin and borrow money Establish a postal service What is Missing?? The power to Tax The power to regulate commerce/trade

Major Problems Under the Articles No Money Inflation (paper money with no hard currency) Tariff wars between states Jealousy and quarreling among the states (like they were countries) Foreign affairs in shambles Disrespect from other countries Debtor-Creditor conflicts

Shays’ Rebellion, 1786-1787 The Rebellion started with petitions to the government for paper currency, lower taxes, and judicial reform. People who were unable to pay their debts with hard currency were taken to court and then placed in jail. Daniel Shays of Massachusetts assembled a group of about 1,500 other veterans from the Revolutionary War to prevent the court from sitting.

Shays’ Rebellion, 1786-1787 There were various skirmishes in Mass. From Sept – Feb Shays’ men were put down – 20 were sentenced to death. Only 2 hung for their role – the others were pardoned by the governor, John Hancock Shays' Rebellion is considered the one of the leading causes in the formation of the United States Constitution.

"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of the government.“ Thomas Jefferson, 1787