Wars in State Legislatures and Massachusetts

Key Focus Areas

• Groups supporting various fiscal policies
  • State sovereignty and power vs. national power and interest
  • Wealthy speculators vs. small businesses and farmers
• Efforts to regulate new federal and state governments

New State Governments

• Written Constitutions: Adopted as successors to colonial charters to regain legitimacy
• Factions: Contested forms of new state governments
  • John Adams: Advocated for checks and balances and separation of powers
  • Thomas Paine: Rejected need for checks and balances or separation of powers
    • Believed simplified government made for better understanding by regular people
• State Constitutions: Varied greatly
  • Connecticut and Rhode Island: Retained colonial charters sans Britain/King mentions
  • Pennsylvania and Georgia: Adopted models with no governor, only legislatures
  • Massachusetts: Required constitutional convention to resolve rejected government proposal
  • New York and Massachusetts: Followed Adams’ models with popularly elected governors, veto powers, and appointment abilities

Voting and Representation

• Property Requirements Lowered: For voting and office holding
• Annual Elections: Held to increase participation
• Legislatures Expanded: To be more representative
• Bills of Rights: Included to limit government power
• Religious Liberty: Guaranteed by 1784

Religion and Taxes

• Middle States: Too many religions to have state-established churches
• Southern States: Anglican churches lost state-supported status
• New England: Congregationalists’ state-supported churches, dissenters paid taxes but argued for separation
• Separation Argument: Thought to benefit both church and state

Liberal vs. Conservative Republicanism

• Liberals: Open government to all male citizens, invest in public education, support debtors
  • Radical Examples: NJ gave voting rights to some women; PA eliminated property qualifications for office holding
• Conservatives: Maintain limitations to educated/wealthy, avoid mob rule
  • Examples: SC barred 90% of white men from office

Economic Problems Post-Revolution

• 1770s-1780s: Significant inflation, rising prices, and economic depression
• Debt and Economic Depression: Contributed to French Revolution
• Trade Issues: British export duties on US rice, economic policies affected trade with other nations
• Credits and Debitor Struggle: Passed debtor relief at creditors' expense

Articles of Confederation

• Lacked Power to Tax: Resulted in economic struggles
• Accomplishment: Settlement process of the western US
• Land Ordinance of 1785: Surveyed land for sale; Public school funds
• Northwest Ordinance of 1787: Blueprint for territory to state transition, banned slavery in NW territory

Foreign Relations and Trade

• Mississippi River Access: Contested with Spain
• British Trade Restrictions: Contributed to economic struggles

Federal Government’s Struggles

• Massive Debt: Issued IOUs and bonds
• Inability to Tax: Resulted in economic instability, different state policies
• Credit Bubble Collapse: Resulted in economic depression

Solutions and Problems

• Speculators and Bonds: Bought bonds from people, pressuring states for hard currency repayment
• Debt Relief: Limited inflation with new paper money in some states
• Diverse Policies: Different states had varying policies, creating chaos

Effects

• Farm Foreclosures: Increased during economic downturn
• State Gov’ts Response: Generally inadequate