GOVT 2305: THE ORIGINS OF A NEW NATION: 1. MERCATILISM (1700s) Private business and economy should benefit the colonial masters the British Crown The British maintained strict control of import/export in the colonies The British transported to Europe, cheap labor and raw materials from the colonies And imported back the finished goods to the colonies at very high costs While Britain flourished, the colonies suffered economically The unwritten understanding between England/American colonies: WHILE the crown regulated trade, commerce and foreign policy, the colonies retained the right to levy taxes The political structures of England were transplanted to the colonies: (1) Royal Governors represented the King; (2) A Governor s Council served as a mini version of the House of Lords; and (3) The General Assembly was elected directly by the qualified voters and served essentially as the House of Commons * The colonies were not represented in the administrative political structure 2. THE SEVEN YEARS WAR (1756-1763) BRITAIN/FRANCE (Britain attacked disputed French positions in North America): At a huge cost to the British Crown (a debt of 130 million pounds) 1 P a g e
To pay for the war debts, the Parliament enacted the laws as follows: - SUGAR ACT in 1764: taxes on sugar, wine, coffee, and other products exported to the colonies - STAMP ACT (1765): requiring stamps for all documents including newspapers - QUARTERING ACT (1765): requiring the colonies to furnish barracks or private quarters within their own homes for British troops These acts angered the colonies, claiming that this was taxation without representation This resulted in wide protests, riots and boycotts: - The men formed the SONS OF LIBERTY and carried out riots in Boston, where the governor s home was burnt down - The women formed the DAUGHTERS OF LIBERTY, and instigated boycotts of everything from British products to all imports requiring stamps 3. FIRST STEP TOWARD INDEPENDENCE The Stamp Act Congress (1765) New York: attended by 9 out of 13 colonies, resulted: - the adoption of the document on Grievances with the Crown - the repeal of the Stamp Act - the revision of the Sugar Act by the British parliament But in 1767 the Parliament again enacted the TOWNSEND ACTS which levied import duties on tea, WHEN The colonies protested and boycotted tea; the British sent 4,000 troops to Boston = The Boston Massacre: 3 Americans were shot by British troops 2 P a g e
Subsequently in 1774, there was the formation of the Committee of Correspondence by the colonies: - to keep their protest movement organized; - to coordinate political action; - and keep one another informed of what was happening throughout the colonies - There was the Boston Tea Party which protested and destroyed tea at the harbor. - Coercive Acts (also known as Intolerable Acts-1774) which instituted British blockade of the Boston Harbor to last until the tea that was destroyed was paid for 4. THE FIRST AND SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS The first congress met in Philadelphia to discuss what to do about the Coercive Act: resulted in the Declaration of Rights and Resolves, calling for Parliament to recognize the rights of the colonists as British citizens The second congress: Locke s Social Contract influenced the drafting of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson: it was argued that King George III had provoked the colonists forcing them into independence John Adams supported Independence The 2nd Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1777 and it was ratified in 1781 as THE ARTICLE OF CONFEDERATION 5. THE ARTICLE OF CONFEDERATION Created a confederacy structure of government, which the national government derives all of its powers from the states 3 P a g e
The major flaws included: (i) there was no chief executive to execute the laws; (ii) no taxing power at the national government level; (iii) the central government had no power to regulate commerce; (iv) there was no judiciary to settle disputes; (v) the central government was too weak and states were entirely too strong refused to furnish the central government with tax money or provide support for an army (vi) The articles were practically immune from modification: it required 9 votes out of 13 States or colonies before modification or amendment Shays Rebellion (1786) Massachusetts, was an armed uprising by debt-ridden farmers who were frustrated with the state governments and called for the reform of the Article of Confederation A new constitutional Convention was inevitable 1787 6. THE VIRGINIA CONVENTION & PLAN (MAY 1787) Proposed by James Madison and introduced by Edmund Randolph (Virginia) Bicameral Legislature All Representatives/Senators apportioned proportionally based on population (proportional representation) Singular Executive 4 P a g e
7. THE NEW JERSEY CONVENTION & PLAN (JUNE 1787) Introduced by Williams Paterson (New Jersey) Unicameral Legislature Equal representation among states Plural Executive 8. THE COMPROMISE CONVENTION & PLAN (JULY 1787) Introduced by Roger Sherman (Connecticut) Bicameral Legislature - Senate: Equal representation; 2 from each state - House: Proportional representation based on population Singular Executive - Chosen by the Electoral College rather than popular vote - Electors appointed by the State Legislatures to represent the total number of Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, who represent the State at the US Congress, e.g. for Texas, 2+36= 38 electors Electoral College based on the 2010 Census - Total Electoral Votes = 538 Senators = 100 Members = 435 DC = 3 - Majority needed to win = 270 - Applicable 2012, 2016 and 2020 In case of a tie: House elects President and Senate Elects Vice Past cases of a tie: - 1801 Thomas Jefferson; 1825 John Quincy Adams; and 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes 5 P a g e
9. THE PHILADELPHIA CONVENTION (SEPT. 1787) Adopted and ratified the compromise plan, which is the present constitution in operation 6 P a g e