American Revolution The Postwar Period revised (1975)

e [Music] Yorktown 1781 the British surrender their hold over the colonies broken the goals of the Declaration of Independence signed 5 years earlier were [Music] realized a new era began the 13 states now independent of England and separate from each other promised New Opportunities soldiers returned to their trades determined to make a living debtors were released from prison as obligations to British merchants were forgotten canals and bridges were constructed roads were cleared Banks and houses of insurance were established and families were free to Homestead the frontier people were also free to support the religion of their choice as state after State abolished the practice of collecting taxes to support One Church throughout the states men were building governments based on the principle of Freedom not only for individuals but for their own States so strongly did they cherish Independence that many did not want to endanger it with any form of strong government so after 7 1981 the states were joined only by the Articles of Confederation it was little more than a league of convenience each state suspicious of centralized rule chartered its own course 13 separate sovereign states each with its own tariff and trade regulations and its own [Music] money busy with their own lives citizens failed to foresee the problems which would result from this new Independence the nation had a huge War debt to pay the Congress of Confederation was powerless to Levy taxes and the leaders of the individual states refused to give the money needed to pay back wages of the Revolutionary Army more economic problems followed businesses were hit by inflation as States printed more and more money to meet their debts the nation was in financial chaos the wheels of the Mills stopped turning as depression and poverty spread Farms were abandoned and taken over for debt the merchant added debt upon debt until he was forced to [Music] close abroad our trading patterns were disrupted merch mer farmers and fishermen who had depended on selling Goods in the British West Indies found that London had ordered those ports closed to American ships to retaliate some States including Massachusetts attempted to close their ports to British ships other states sent envoys to London to plead their case but the Americans were laughed out of the British Court this experience frustrated John Adams I am asked whether I represent one government or 13 and Thomas Jefferson declared we are the lowest and most obscure of the whole diplomatic tribe clearly the weak Confederation of States was not being taken seriously by foreign powers to some the Anan a strong central government that would do away with the States Jefferson even considered asking Prince Henry of of Prussia to accept an American [Music] Throne from Mount Vernon Washington tried for compromise he wrote a series of letters to the leaders of the various States the disinclination of the individual states to yield competent powers to Congress for the federal government will be our downfall as a nation we are either a United people under one head and for federal purposes or we are 13 independent sovereignties eternally counteracting each other in 1785 Washington called representatives of Maryland and Virginia to Mount Vernon to discuss a navigation and fishing dispute this meeting led to the conclusion that all states should meet to discuss commercial and terar of problems 13 states were invited to the Annapolis trade convention in 1786 only five sent Representatives here New York's Alexander Hamilton persuaded delegates to urge the Congress of Confederation to call a new convention for revising the Articles of Confederation in Massachusetts armed rebellion was the subject of a meeting Farmers made plans to storm the federal Arsenal at Springfield unable to pay debts and excessive taxes the farmers wanted weapons to defend their Farms against [Music] preditors led by Captain Daniel Shay a veteran of Bunker Hill some 2,000 Farmers tried to Route the state militia and seize the Arsenal their attack failed chay's Rebellion however alarmed men of wealth and property throughout the states they wanted a government strong enough to prevent such attacks and to restore economic and social order State leaders realized the articles of confeder ation were inadequate and responded to Alexander Hamilton's call for a new Convention of the states to meet in Philadelphia the following May and so in May of 1787 sand was spread on a cobblestone street in Philadelphia to quiet the sounds of wagons passing so as not to disturb the debate of the Constitutional Convention inside Independence Hall here men of property and influence gathered from every state except Rhode Island the average age was 42 they were mostly lawyers and young Merchants eight had signed the Declaration of Independence besides Hamilton this able group of men included Benjamin Franklin gor Morris Robert Morris John Dickinson William Patterson James Wilson John rutage Pierce but James Madison who was to become known as the father of the Constitution and George Washington unanimously chosen to preside over the convention on May 25th 1787 the convention began its work immediately the delegates argued their various ideas on how government should work Hamilton despised popular democracy he favored a centralized government run by the aristocracy George Mason of Virginia feared a strong national government would swallow up individual liberties William Patterson speaking for the smaller States proposed equal representation for all states Edmund Randolph of Virginia introduced a large state plan basing representation strictly on population this became the basis for debate and discussion as the delegates worked shaping and reshaping the plan for government differences were settled by compromise as many of the men realized the significance of the work before them gor Morris declared the whole human race will be affected by the proceedings of this convention Madison believed the work of the convention would decide forever the fate of Republican government [Music] at the end of 3 months's work 39 of the delegates signed the Constitution the long struggle for ratification lay ahead here was one of the greatest documents of all time it based the government on a system of checks and balances the states would retain their own governments but there would be a new central government with strong power yet subject to the people thus the document expressed a new political concept federalism America's contribution to the science of [Music] government when Washington left Mount Vernon to become the first president of the new nation in 1789 the revolutionary era [Music] ended out of the vision of Washington and other leaders ERS out of the call for rebellion and Liberty out of the unity achieved in the Declaration of Independence out of the suffering and sacrifice of 8 years of war out of the Troubles of s years without an effective central government came this enduring document an achievement of political philosophy and human rights the American Constitution n