Origin of U.S. Government Queen Anne Through The Articles of Confederation
Queen Anne
Queen Anne 1702-1714 Under Queen Anne, England, Scotland, and Ireland became one country. Act of Settlement and Act of Succession banned Catholics from the throne & bypassed James II s family in the inheritance; Crown goes to descendents of James I in Hanover, a German kingdom England, under John Churchill, stops France
Points about British Colonial Govt. Travel time and distance from London made it hard for the kings to regulate the colonies The distance, the slow contact time, and the years of royal neglect due to Civil War and Wars with Spain and France gave the colonists an independent mind set. English legal custom and precedent was also adapted and modified in colonial practices, furthering the sense of independence Status as Religious outcasts makes independent
Points about British Colonial Govt Many of the colonies were established as an escape for the religious persecuted so their sense of loyalty to the king was not as great Georgia was set up as a refuge from debtor s prisons the sense of loyalty to the king may have been less intense
British Colonial Government Lower House Controls Taxes Independent Judiciary Elected Executives or Governors were more responsive to the people than appointed governors The legislatures eventually learned to use taxes and spending to control the king s governors
The Hanovers George I and George II were German by birth, upbringing and outlook. They were not very interested in British domestic affairs unless they impacted the navy or army which were used to fight France and protect t he Kingdom of Hanover; cabinet government develops George III was the first Hanover born in Britain
George III 1760 1815 25 when he became king Was determined to rule domestic and international affairs for Britain. He was confronted with peace, massive war debts, and an attitude about his duty to govern. He used patronage to buy the support of the Parliament for his policies
George III cntd TO pay for the past wars, his Parliaments imposed various taxes and trade restrictions on the colonies in lieu of their legislatures doing so. Boycotts ensued. To help the East India Company, Parliament lifted the Tea Tax which sparked the Boston Tea Party and then t he closure of Boston.
The Revolution Colonists independent mind set collided with King George III s desire to rule and the need to reduce Britain s war debt. Taxes were passed without colonists being allowed to vote on those who passed them. Boycotts were partially successful, but they only strengthened the king s resolve to rule without opposition.
The Revolution Independence was declared July 4, 1776. Fighting had begun a year before at Lexington and Concord the shot heard around the world. Fighting Lasted for about five to six years. The Battle of Yorktown finally ended British resolve to fight France and Spain joined the fight against Britain.
Freedom At Last Treaty of Paris officially ended the war. Articles of Confederation were drafted as the new government. The new country was broke. Farmers were going broke. Inflation was rampant; most of the states had their own currency as well as the national currency The States argued amongst themselves:
Freedom At Last In Mass. Farmers were unable to pay taxes Farms were being confiscated for back taxes and auctioned W/o a farm, a person could not live. Daniel Shay lead a revolt that swiftly put down
Constitutional Convention: Why Shea s Rebellion sparked fear amongst leading figures of the time, such as George Washington, that the country was descending in anarchy and chaos. The primary cause was too weak a national government.
George Washington
Constitutional Convention: The Framers 55 delegates sent to patch up the Articles of Confederation. The delegates tended to be: Rich or well off Well educated White men Most had been involved in public service Religious several were preachers Many were lawyers How did this impact the document created?
The Convention George Washington was President of the Convention The Hero everyone trusted. Held in Philadelphia Private/ secret sessions everyone knew about They were to patch things up but. Who was not there?
James Madison
Constitutional Convention: James Madison Known as Father of the Constitution Kept detailed notes of what was proposed and said in a specially devised shorthand Proposed the Virginia Plan which became a starting point basis for the new Constitution. Helped write The Federalist with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton: These 85 essays explained how the government would work and convinced many people to support ratification of the Constitution.
Constitutional Convention Madison proposed the Virginia Plan or large state plan. Bicameral Legislature House of Rep. and Senate House of Rep would be popularly elected - representation was to be based on a State s population or contributions to the national government. Senate would be selected by the House from lists of people provided by State Legislatures this would give the state s direct voice in the national government President and Supreme Court would be chosen by the Congress and have a veto Little States objected to the loss of power and fear coercion by the big states.
Constitutional Convention New Jersey or Little State Plan This plan called for a unicameral legislature where each state would have equal power 1 state one 1 vote. Called for plural executive the administration would not have executive power concentrated all in one person or office Big States Objected
Compromises: Connecticut or Great Compromise To form a union the Framers agreed to a bicameral legislature called Congress. In the SENATE, each state would equal having 2 votes 2 senators from each state.the senators were to be chosen by the state legislatures so the state govt. had a direct voice in national govt. (Today we choose senators by direct popular election) House of Representatives was to have representation based on a state s population. A census would be taken every ten years. What issue or problem did this compromise bring up?
Compromises: Connecticut or Great Compromise To form a union the Framers agreed to a bicameral legislature called Congress. In the SENATE, each state would be equal 2 senators from each state, so the states were equal the senators were to be chosen by the state legislatures so the state govt. had a direct voice in national govt. (Today we choose senators by direct popular election) House of Representatives was to have representation based on a state s population. A census would be taken every ten years. What issue or problem did this compromise bring up?
Great Compromise Offered by Roger Sherman. He had been at the 2 nd Continental Congress, helped draft the Articles of Confederation. He was a big proponent of State s Rights
3/5 ths Compromise 3 out of every 5 slaves would be counted for representation. A similar formula was used for American Indians. The issue of counting those held as slaves was important because if you counted those held as slaves, it boosted the South s political power while weakening the North s power. Offered by James Wilson, one of the most prominent legal scholars of his time, later a supreme court justice
Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise The new nation needed to regulate trade between the states and internationally. The South feared export taxes on tobacco would be used to pay for the new government. Also South feared interference with the slave trade In exchange for regulating interstate commerce, the following were required by the South. No export taxes Treaties were to be approved by a 2/3 rd vote of the Senate No interference with the slave trade for 20 years
Other Issues The President would be chosen by the Electoral College Why not popular election? Voting rights would be set by the states.
Ratification Anti-Federalists were those opposed to the new Constitution because it created too strong a national government Federalist supported Ratification. The Federalist was written to convince the people of New York to support the Constitution Was the ratification process easy? A lack of a Bill of Rights caused many to object to the Constitution: B of R was promised if it was approved
Bill of Rights