Colonial Experience and Social Movements

Colonial Experience and Social Movements

• New arrivals in North American colonies shifted diversity, introducing many slaves.
• By 1750, the colonies held 1.7 million people, surpassing Spanish and French colonies in growth.
• Ensured a persistent demand for enslaved labor.
• Slavery existed in all 13 colonies.
• "Creole" slaves, born in the American colonies, spoke English.
• African slave arrivals posed the risk of slave revolts.
• American colonies uniquely practiced chattel slavery, making slavery hereditary, rare to free slaves, and commonly associating people of African descent with slavery.
• Enslaved people were exposed to physical and sexual violence.
• Northern colonies let enslaved people work as craftsmen and artisans.
• Chesapeake colonies featured large, independent tobacco plantations.
• The Stono Rebellion in South Carolina involved 20 enslaved Africans stealing guns, killing a store owner near the Stono River Bridge, creating a flag, and chanting "liberty" towards Florida.
• They burned plantations, killed 20 whites, and recruited other slaves along their path.
• A militia formed near Charlestown and violently suppressed the Stono Rebellion, killing the men involved.
• The Stono Rebellion led to increased slave supervision in the Carolinas.
• The New York Conspiracy of 1741 resulted in 100 African deaths amid fears of a planned rebellion.

Colonial Society in the 18th Century

• The family economy revolved around subsistence farming, where crops were grown for family use, not commercial sale.
• An increase in children provided additional labor on family farms.
• Women bore approximately 7-8 children on average, but not all survived.
• Gender roles assigned women to indoor tasks and men to outdoor labor.
• Urban areas contained high poverty and opulent merchants, representing a blend of the poorest and wealthiest individuals.
• Racial diversity was a common trait.
• The wealthy disproportionately benefited from the transatlantic economy.
• Gentility, a lifestyle centered on purchasing goods and displaying manners, defined social status; manhood was measured by purchasing power, offering social mobility, rather than ancestry.

Colonial Taverns

• Taverns and brewhouses were among the earliest establishments.
• Alcohol was safer to drink than water.
• Beer was consumed more regularly.

Colonial Governments

• Each of the 13 colonies maintained its own government.
• These governments comprised an executive branch (the governor) and a bicameral legislative branch with upper and lower chambers.
• They managed taxes, regulated slavery, issued currency (primarily paper money), and addressed citizen petitions.
• However, these governments were not truly fair or democratic, mainly serving wealthy white men.
• Voting was conducted orally, requiring voters to publicly declare their choice in front of candidates.

Events in Britain

• Absolutism, the belief in the monarchy's absolute rule, was prevalent.
• Many, including monarchs, believed in divine right.
• King James I and King Charles I sought to expand their power over Parliament by limiting parliamentary sessions, requesting more tax funding, and opposing self-government in the colonies.
• King Charles I's movement away from predestination caused conflict with the Puritans.
• The English Civil War (1642-1651) pitted royalists against parliamentarians.
• Parliamentarians won, abolished the monarchy, and beheaded King Charles I.
• Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan, attempted to reinstate predestination and Puritan teachings as laws, including abolishing Christmas.
• The Restoration period saw Parliament restore the monarchy.
• King Charles II reclaimed the throne.
• King James II succeeded Charles II after his death.

Colonial Reactions?

• Salutary Neglect was an unofficial British policy of relaxed trade regulations and government oversight of the North American colonies from the late 1600s to mid-1700s, providing the first taste of self-rule.
• King James I aimed to punish the Puritans through the Dominion of New England.
• New Englanders largely favored self-government.
• King James II merged New England colonies into a single administrative unit, imposing restrictions due to their Puritan beliefs and advocacy for self-government.
• The Glorious Revolution: Parliament invited James II's daughter Mary and her husband William to become the new monarchs, rejecting absolutism.
• No Catholic monarch has since ruled England.
• The English Bill of Rights established a limited monarchy, requiring regular parliamentary sessions and royal assent to parliamentary bills.
• The monarchy had to respect the liberties of the English people.
• Effects on the colonies: the Dominion of New England ended; Protestants were emboldened; colonists and Parliament held diverging views on self-government and rights.
• The colonists deemed their colonial governments equivalent to Parliament.

Mercantilism

• Colonies served the mother country under mercantilism, as Britain adopted the Navigation Acts.
• Effects included limiting trade to British ships, restricting goods to be shipped only to and from Britain, and limiting tobacco and rice markets.
• There was expanded the number of ports.
• Colonists were expected to purchase British goods.
• Strict rules fostered a thriving black market.

The Enlightenment (1700s)

• The Enlightenment was a transatlantic intellectual movement grounded in logic, reasoning, and science.
• It led to advancements in physics, medicine, philosophy, and government.
• The upper class experienced the greatest impact.
• Ben Franklin, born in Boston in 1706, became a printer, writer, and inventor of bifocals.

Effects of the Enlightenment

• Lead toward knowledge and reasoning, instead of the emotional and religious driven Great Awakening
• Isaac Newton established the laws of gravity.
• John Locke proposed unalienable rights (life, liberty, and property) and the social contract theory (exchanging rights for government protection).
• Adam Smith critiqued mercantilism in "The Wealth of Nations" (1776), advocating for free markets and labor, ultimately giving rise to capitalism.
• Libraries offered free access to knowledge.
• Hospitals experimented with new treatments.
• Deism emerged as a non-Christian philosophy, suggesting religion should adhere to reason and logic, with Ben Franklin as a notable proponent.

The Great Awakening

• A transatlantic Protestant revivalism movement emerged in the 1730s and 40s.
• Revivals transcended gender, class, and race, unlike the Enlightenment, which mainly affected upper-class white men.

The French and Indian War and the Shaping of an American Identity

• The American identity began solidifying as colonists recognized disparate treatment by Parliament and different values from the British.

An Age of Empires

• Past Wars for Dominance: Britain was victorious in both King William's War and Queen Anne's War (Britain vs. Spain & France).
• These military campaigns revealed the colonies' military weakness, requiring British assistance.
• Colonies resented funding these wars.

Ohio River Valley

• The Ohio River Valley became a contested territory by the mid-1700s, with the colony of Virginia, Pennsylvania, France, and the Iroquois all claiming it.
• It was ideal for farming and fur trade.
• The French, asserting ownership, built forts to keep the English out and signed treaties with local Native tribes.
• Virginia sent 21-year-old George Washington with 100 men to monitor French activity and negotiate peacefully.

Fort Necessity

• Washington defied orders, attacking French soldiers and killing 13 of them.
• Anticipating retaliation, Washington hastily constructed Fort Necessity.
• About 200 soldiers were with Washington; 600 French soldiers and 100 of their allies retaliated, ultimately overrunning Fort Necessity and burning it down.
• Washington surrendered.
• The defeat at Fort Necessity sparked the French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years’ War), a struggle for land and power among empires: Britain, Portugal, and Prussia vs. France, Spain, and the Austrian Holy Roman Empire.

The First Acts of War (1755-1756)

• Fort Necessity ignited the fighting in North America.
• The Albany Plan of Union, Benjamin Franklin's proposal for colonial unity, failed.
• British and Colonial Troops began to unite to fight.
• General Edward Braddock was dispatched to lead Virginia militia to attack Fort Duquesne - an important French fort.
• Native Americans launched a surprise attack on Braddock, resulting in his death.

French and Indian War (1754-1760)

• French and Shawnee, Delaware, and Ohio Seneca allies achieved early victories.
• The British struggled without many native allies.
• British and colonial troops suffered from disorganization and cultural differences, differences in fighting styles, food cultures, accents, dialects, and British arrogance.
• William Pitt, a British politician, directed resources to the colonies, enlisting an additional 2,000 British soldiers and funds.
• Willian asks the colonies to recruit an extra 20,000 soldiers.
• By 1758, the Iroquois joined the British, capturing Fort Duquesne.
• Fighting in North America ended by 1760.

Writs of Assistance, 1760-1761

• Parliament attempted to halt illegal trade with France through search warrants used to find smugglers.
• James Otis argued in the Massachusetts Supreme Court was unconstitutional.
• The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in agreement with the Writs.
• Parliament was treating colonists unfairly.

Seven Years’ War Ends

• Britain emerged as the victor.
• France ceded land claims east of the Mississippi River, including the Ohio River Valley.
• Spain ceded Florida to Britain.

Tensions Rising

• British felt colonists under contributed during the war. (At times colonial soldiers would just leave if they weren’t getting paid)
• Some colonies refused to send troops and money as well as were still trading with France.
• Colonists weren’t paying taxes directly to parliament and were expected to provide British Soldiers with food, water and shelter.
• The Colonists had a 2 million pound debt by the end of the war while Britain had a 132 million pound debt

King George III

• Ascended the throne in 1760.
• He removed those who opposed his decisions and sought a firmer grip on foreign territories, including the thirteen colonies.

Pontiac’s War

• The power dynamic shifted in the Ohio River Valley.
• Native Americans used to play the French and English off one another.
• Neolin, a Delaware, urged tribes to unite and fight the British, beginning attacks on British forts.
• Native Americans seized British forts in the Ohio River valley.
• The British used biological warfare (smallpox blankets) against Native Americans.

Effects of Pontiac’s War

• The British government negotiated with Native American tribes, granting them the Ohio River valley.
• King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763 to keep colonists along the east coast.
• Parliament decided to station British soldiers in the colonies.

Toward Revolution (1760-1776)

• Formal break with Britain

The Sugar Act, 1764

• Parliament needed revenue for “defending, protecting, and securing” territories
• Imposed a tax on sugar, molasses, and rum.
• It introduced complex shipping requirements with authorities searching ships for smuggling.
• Smugglers would be tried in Canada before an English judge.

The Stamp Act

• The first direct tax on the American people covered legal documents, newspapers, land deeds, wills, college diplomas, etc.
• This act affected everyone in contrast to the Sugar act
• Questions arose about representation and colonial self-government under constitutionalism ("no taxation without representation") since Parliament lacked colonial representatives.
• Patrick Henry coined the phrase “no taxation without representation.”

Boston Rising

• Boston became radicalized as a key port.
• It felt harsh effects from the Sugar Act.
• Many businesses closed and unemployment rose.
• Resistance to English; The Loyal Nine, a group of 9 artisans and business owners incited people to drive out the stamp distributors.
• Andrew Oliver, a stamp distributor, fled the city after his home and business were destroyed by a mob.
• The Sons of Liberty, a political organization favored for petitions and demonstrations, was led by Samuel Adams.

Growing Unity

• There was growing Unity amongst the colonists as well as unification of ideas.
• John Locke & republicanism were expressed with unalienable rights; life liberty and property.
• Republicanism, a sense of civic duty to avoid moral corruption, meant the people were responsible for holding their government accountable
• The Stamp Act Congress where 9 of 13 colonies sent representatives, showed unity. They drafted the declaration of rights of the Stamp Act Congress.
• They agreed to a non-confrontational strategy and boycotted British goods
• In 1776 Parliament agreed to repeal the Stamp Act and passed The Declaratory Act - an affirmation of the right to legislate over the colonies

New York and the Quartering Act

• The colonists previously had to provide housing to troops + firewood, food, candles, & drink under the original Quartering Act.
• Colonial legislatures would have to fund housing for soldiers under the New Quartering Act.
• Colonial legislatures lacked authority to manage their budgets; they felt it was an attack on their ability to self-govern.
• Parliament passed the New York Suspending Act, suspending New York’s legislature until they complied with the quartering act.
• New York eventually complies so they can get their government back

The Townshend Act

• Named after Charles Townshend
• Townshend wanted to tax imports from the colonies because he believed that the colonies would see the Townshend Act as an external tax and that they would comply.
• A widespread tax was put in place on glass, paint, lead, paper, & tea.
• Samuel Adams drafted the Circular Letters; petitions surrounded colonial legislatures, expressing disapproval of the Townshend Acts.
• There was a Boy Cot as well as people were tarred and feathered

Customs Racketeering in the Townshend Acts

• By forcing colonial governments to pay royal officials, Townshend undermined colonial authority.
• British soldiers seized American ships if anyone was suspected of smuggling.
• Ships were seized (customs racketeering = legalized piracy)
• John Hancock was fined 13x more than usual while the Townshend Acts was repealed except for the tax on tea.
• Lord North would lead the appeal and place marshall law

Allies in Britain and Loyalists in the Colonies

• Loyalists or “tories” in the colonies supported Parliament and defied boycotts and spy on their neighbors.
• Wilkesites supported the colonists in Britain. They were named after John Wilkes (argued against George III, that people in Britain were taxed too much, etc)
• Wilkes returned to London to serve in Parliament after getting selected.

Women in Colonial Resistance

• Middle and upper-class women led the non-importation strategy by making up for missing goods.
• Spinning bees brought women together to make cloth.
• Daughters of Liberty: They designed/signed petitions and organized political rallies during political activism.
• Increase in engagement by women in politics.

Enslaved in the Colonies

• Observers noted the hypocrisy of seeking liberty and representative government while maintaining slavery, particularly among free black people and Quakers.
• Somerset v. Stewart: A Massachusetts slave, James Somerset, was taken to England, and while he was there he ran away and then recaptured. Some Quaker abolitionist sued for his freedom and won. The judge said that slavery was never authorized in England and Wales.
• Petitions for freedom continued, but most failed.

The Boston Massacre

• Boston was placed under martial law after the Townshend law for tarring and feathering
• There was lots of tension as there were 4,000 British soldiers at the customs house who nobody wanted there.
• The Boston Massacre took place on March 5 when a mob began to build at the customs house led by Crispus Attucks.
• Soldiers fired into the crowd who then villainized the British from propaganda.
• Soldiers who were on trial were defended by John Adams to prove to the crown that there could be order and fair trial in Boston. He believed everyone had the right to a fair trial.
• Adams ended up clearing 6 of the soldiers with 2 Guilty.

The Tea Act

• The British East India Company had a monopoly over the “staple” of tea facing bankruptcy with a Parliament bailout.
• The Tea Act is NOT a tax on tea; removes the tax that was placed on tea by the Townshend Acts.
• Tea became cheaper.
• There were only 5 people who could actually sell tea to colonists; tied to the BEIC.
• The Boston Tea Party began in December 1773 when Bostonians demanded that the harbor turn away ships.
• To prevent this, 50 dressed as mohawk indians while 8,000 bostonians destroyed 90,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor. ($1.7 million today)

The Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)

• Closed Boston’s Harbor and ended regular sessions of the Massachusetts colonial government.
• People charged with murder while enforcing royal authority would be tried in England by an English judge.
• The governor could seize any private building to house soldiers.
• "The Murder Act” - permitted any person charged with murder while enforcing royal authority would be tried in England by an English judge
• Colonists were shocked by the coercive acts.
• Twelve of the thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia and formed the Continental Congress (56 delegates).
• They stated that the colonies did not have to obey the Coercive Acts and would obey the boycott until relations improved.

Preparing for Rebellion

• Continental associations enforced the boycott
• Continental associations would use intimidation and violence to force people to participate in the boycott
• The first battle of the American Revolution begins in April: The Battle of Lexington and Concord. A militia confronts the British soldiers at Lexington. They were able to stop the British soldiers from taking supplies from Concord.
• Under the second Continental Congress they called for a seize fire in Boston, a repeal of the coercive acts, and a guarantee of their rights as Englishmen via the Olive Branch Petition.
• Battle of Bunker Hill: British troops were sent to force the colonists outside the area. They were victorious, however they lost more men.

Common Sense

• Colonists hesitated to call for independence, however, once Thomas Paine releases “Common Sense” things began to change.
• He derides/criticizes monarchies as a form of government and argued for liberty or freedom for the colonies and prophesied greatness for the colonies.
• Before the revolution ⅕ men read common sense, causing colonial independance.

Declaring Independence

• The first colonies to declare independence were Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
• Under pressure from the people, the 2nd continental congress forms the Declaration of Independence with main writers include: (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Ben Franklin)
• They listed their grievances and emphasizing equality, justice, liberty, and self-fulfillment, inspiring groups to fight for these principles.

The American Revolution

• Loyalists or Tories supported Britain. They feared insurrection and chaos as well as financial instability from the revolution.
• Patriots or Whigs supported the revolution and mobilized support across the country.
• The African Americans mostly favored the British.
• 20% of the white population opposed independence with New York and New Jersey the highest.

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Americans had a Home-Field Advantage using Guerrila Warfare while the British had a population advantage (11 mil to 2.5 mil).
• The British had the World’s Largest Navy and Best Professional Army and would hire German Hessians (paid mercenaries).
• The British had growing debt and a frustrated population

George Washington

• He served in the French and Indian war alongside the rebuilt English to rebuild his reputation and served in the Virginia House of Burgesses.
• Washington was chosen to be commander of the Continental Army, respecting soldiers and leading them with dignity.
• Build up a continental army with limited supplies - that can outlast the British.

Revolution in the North

• The British aimed to capture the middle colonies and isolate New England.
• The British captured New York City the day after the Declaration of Independence was signed, arriving in New Jersey and taking Boston and Philadelphia.
• George Washington and many of the patriots flee to Pennsylvania
• Washington crossed the Delaware River, doing a sneak attack on the British soldiers posted in Trenton.
• Marquis de Lafayette: Sent to the colonies to see the area out of France’s curiosity, the battle of Saratoga (a major American victory) shifted France’s perspective and led them to support the Americans.

An International War

• France recognized American Independence and foreign Generals were recruited such as from Prussia, General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuban.
• Friedrich kick started the US army when the US military standard method of drills was understandable for relatively untrained men; leading many battles and securing independence.
• The Spanish and Dutch would indirectly support the Americans.
• Countries supported the Americans out of hatred not ideals.

Revolution in the West

• Cherokee raids broke out in the Carolinas for encroaching on their land.
• The Americans retaliated by burning down Cherokee lands and settlements.
• Some Native Tribes were supplied by the British - encouraging them to attack Americans on the frontier.
• American defiance of the Proclamation of 1763 as Americans make inroads in parts of Tenesse and Kentucky and parts of the Frontier.

The War Moves South

• The British believed that there were more loyalists in the South than anywhere else.
• The British seized Charleston (the most important port of the South) before moving North.
• Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation offered freedom to enslaved people if they fought with Britain only in Virginia to instibalize the region. After his proclamation, about 1000 slaves ran away from their owners and joined the British.
• The Philipsburg Proclamation freed slaves who fought with the British-issued in New York. Roughly 100,000 black people escaped and joined the British.
• Battle of Yorktown : General Cornwallis surrendered

Treaty of Paris

• Negotiated by John Jay, John Adams, and Ben Franklin
• Great Britain Recognizes American Independence- and withdraws all royal troops.
• Great Britain cedes ALL land east of the Mississippi River.
• Great Britain cedes Florida back to Spain.

How Revolutionary was the American Revolution?

• Government Framework was changed, rejecting Monarchy and switching to a new style of government
• The Articles of Confederation was put in place as a weak and ineffective government.
• Rejection of Mercantilism and struggle without the British money
• Inspiration of the Declaration of Independence

White Men

• New opportunities for Social Mobility through land ownership - the US Continental Army promoted people to join by land offering.
• Many speculators will by a bunch of land at once and prevented farmland form opening up
• Distribution of Wealth remained unchanged with poor people still poor, rich people still rich.

White Women

• Many women served as “Camp Followers” during the Revolutionary War. (cook, mend/wash uniforms, etc, for the soldiers).
• Deborah Sampson disguises herself as a man to fight in the war. She would fight in skirmishes and treat her wounds to not be discovered.
• Women have extra responsibilities, running the farm and businesses and managing the household while the men are away.
• Perceptions on Women Changing with people began to see them as more intelligent and capable for more than her husband and children.
• Schools will open for women
• Independence of Women - Abigail Adams's Plea

Enslaved and Free Black People

• Slavery was maintained in clear contradiction to liberty and equality however there was maintained equality for free black people.
• Segregation lead to limited employment opportunities as well as barred blacks form serving in certain militias
• During the war, Washington had a ban on free black men serving in the military. However, they would fight in segregated units
• With the revolution, the abolition movement took shape "Society for the Relief of Free Negros Unlawfully Held in Bondage" ( the first abolition society to form - in Pennsylvania).
• Society for the Relief of Free Negros Unlawfully Held in Bondage - the first abolition society forms in Pennsylvania
• Phillis Wheatley: Enslaved but had learned how to read and write and published a book which made a profit.
• Prince Hall: Born enslaved but set free in 1770, formed the first all-black masonic lodge.

Native Americans and Loyalists

• Native Americans lost land to emboldened Americans.
• The Iroquois Confederacy fell apart due to divisions during the American Revolution.
• Washington and the continental army would kill many of the Iroquois who were fighting with the British. ( roughly 4,000 iroquois and 40 settlements)
• Some Native Americans stayed to live amongst whites, but most moved out further west in fear.
• Free black people and loyalists flee the new country either to Britain, Canada, or the Carribbean. (estimate of 80,000 people left)

Experiments in Government

• The Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution

Transitions from Colonies to States

• Drafted state constitutions: EX: Massachusetts, those were important.
• They would outline what the rights are as citizens for each one of these states and called for regular elections.
• Having each state will have a state government that is bicameral limits the power of the governor and they limit the power of the governor by ensuring that they have term limits, ensuring that the governors do not only appoint the judges
• The number of representatives increases and the country become more democratic.
• There are still property requirements for voting men but the number of that they would have slightly dropped but did not terminate
• 3 states will allow black men with land the right to vote: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York
• By the 1820s-30s, three states removed that right to vote

A New Federal Government

• The founders had two fears: centralized authority (1 person or 1 group having too much power), mob rule democracy (too much power in the hands of the people) . Moderates vs. Radicals
• Moderates wanted a stronger central government. Belief that the government would advance commerce and business, protect property
• Radicals - Weaker, hands off government. Belief in localized democracy
• The articles were drafted by 1777 and ratified by 1781- a confederation of states - inspired by the Iroquois Confederacy - a Firm League of Friendship.

Articles Outlined

• It was one branch (nonbicameral Congress) elected by state legislatures (1 state = 1 vote)
• Congress could not enact a tax without EVERY state’s approval.
• Congress could not regulate interstate or overseas commerce.
• Required 7 states to pass minor legislation but 9 states to declare war, approve treaties, and coin money
• No executive or judicial branch

America Under the Articles

• 43 million Dollar Debt
• Because all of the states could not agree on a tax, there was not a federal tax
• The government prints money (continentals) which quickly lose confidence and value.
• There is nothing of value backing up the continentals currency so they print 241 million dollars' worth which value drops by 98%
• States will be left to support their own finances without any support from the federal government
• Each state will have its currency and implement their taxes.
• Britain decides if they cannot trade with all of America instead of with them individually then they will not trade at all.

The Confederation and the West

• The US doubles in size as The Claims of the Western Lands without any system to deal with claims.
• Congress would reclaim some authority and get these states to give up land claims.
• The ordinance of 1785 established procedures for surveying and claiming land.
• Northwest Ordinance of 1787: Congress outlined a series of steps on organizing the Northwest territory,
• All new and old states are equal according to the northwest ordinance which would banned slavery from the northwest territory

Shays’ Rebellion, 1786-1877

• The Articles of Confederation’s biggest failure - Took place in Massachusetts
• The Massachusetts government levied high taxes to pay state debt, hurting small farmers, particularly those in western Massachusetts.
• Farmers do not have enough money to pay the tax.
• Daniel Shays, a former revolutionary war Captain AND small farmer would take over courthouses with his farmer buddies.
• Shays and the rebels had to be taken down with the help of a state militia.
• Daniel Shays was arrested.
• In New York City, there was a riot by New York Revolutionary War veterans.
• This showed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation

The Philadelphia Convention

• Delegates from every state except Rhode Island met in convention.
• Rhode Island feared a centralized government so only 55 delegates.
• Delegates averaged in their 30s-40s, and wealthy with half being lawyers who needed a stronger federal government.
• Private affair kept from public eye met for 4 months

Small v. Large States

• James Madison proposed the Virginia Plan with a bicameral legislature with proportional representation (equivalent to the amount present in the population) while the smaller states dislike this plan.
• The New Jersey Plan was a plan from the representatives of the smaller states in a single chamber with each state having an equal vote.
• The Great Compromise: a bicameral legislature with a lower chamber of proportional representation and an upper chamber with equal representation ( aka today this is known as the house of representatives and the senate - gives congress more power and and created a new presidency

The Issue of Slavery

• 1777 and 1784, Northern states (New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, & Connecticut) placed limits on slavery.
• They began to limit how many slaves someone could own or limits on how long somebody could be enslaved ex: no more than 10 years.
• Eventually, these limits would limit them to abolishing slavery altogether.
• Southern states in response , already had a smaller population and they began to fear having less political power and demanded the enslaved count in the census. - northern people did not agree with this and argued that enslaved people were property.
• ⅗ Compromise- Representation in the House of Representatives would be based upon the entire free population, plus ⅗ of the enslaved population.
• The slave trade could be abolished by 1808 to motivate southern states so to bring as many slaves as possible.
• There was a fugitive slave cause that required states to return runaway slaves

Constitution of the United States

• Approved on Sept 17, 1787, they would have a more powerful government over the state governments.
• Congress had the ability to lay and collect taxes, pass legislation, and regulate commerce.
• Military that use can be used against states or foreign enemies.

Principles of the Constitution

• Republican Democracy or Representative Democracy. (To this day, we as states are republics, however, we still vote for people to represent us).
• Federalism Between National and State Governments.
• The Constitution can be changed through constitutional amendments. It must first be approved by Congress and then ratified by ¾ of the state governments.

The Struggle for Ratification

• They needed 9/13 states for the constitution to go into effect, however, the founders wanted all of the states to eventually ratify it
• Federalists - supported a strong central government, ratifying the U.S constitution ( it consolidated federal power). They believed the Constitution would advance the economy, protect property rights, and promote religious freedom.
• Antifederalists supported more power to the states. Were mainly farmers who wanted a weaker government in order to protect individual rights and local governments + spread protestantism. They economic, racial, and religious diversity. centralized authority.
• The Federalists were on a campaign to ratify the constitution through The Federalist Papers, written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison.
• George Washington and Benjamin Franklin (the influencers of the late 1700s) endorsed the constitution
• The Antifederalists did not have any influencers
• Virginia eventually ratifys by June 1778 with New York eventually joining as well
• The 9th state to finally ratify the constitution out the 13 th being New Hampshire because the smaller states ratified the constitution first.