Module 8 - HIS 210 - U.S. History through the Civil War - Textbook - LibGuides at Hostos Community College Library

Module 8: Governing the New Nation

Learning Outcomes

To understand the rationale behind the structure of the Articles of Confederation.
To understand the full extent of the difficulties that the nation faced during the 1780s, and be able to show how the structure of the national government under the Articles of Confederation made it impossible for the government to respond effectively to the problems caused by the nation’s debts.
To analyze how and why political leaders redesigned the government in 1787 and created the US Constitution.
To understand the major differences in the structure between the Articles of Confederation and the US Constitution.
To be able to articulate how the changes to the structure of the federal government under the Constitution helped to resolve the problems that the country was facing from the 1780s.

This portrait of Phillis Wheatley from the frontispiece of Poems on various subjects, religious and moral shows the writer at work.

Content

Introduction
After the Revolutionary War, the ideology that “all men are created equal” failed to match up with reality, as the revolutionary generation could not solve the contradictions of freedom and slavery in the new United States.
7.1 Common Sense: From Monarchy to an American Republic
While monarchies dominated eighteenth-century Europe, American revolutionaries were determined to find an alternative to this method of government.
7.2 How Much Revolutionary Change?
Elite republican revolutionaries did not envision a completely new society; traditional ideas and categories of race and gender, order and decorum remained firmly entrenched among members of their privileged class. Many Americans rejected the elitist and aristocratic republican order, however, and advocated radical changes. Their efforts represented a groundswell of sentiment for greater equality, a part of the democratic impulse unleashed by the Revolution.
7.3 Debating Democracy
The task of creating republican governments in each of the former colonies, now independent states, presented a new opportunity for American revolutionaries to define themselves anew after casting off British control.
7.4 The Constitutional Convention and Federal Constitution
The economic problems that plagued the thirteen states of the Confederation set the stage for the creation of a strong central government under a federal constitution. Although the original purpose of the convention was to amend the Articles of Confederation, some—though not all—delegates moved quickly to create a new framework for a more powerful national government. This proved extremely controversial.
Transcript of Articles of Confederation (1777)
After considerable debate and alteration, the Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777.
The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription
This text is a transcription of the Constitution as it was inscribed by Jacob Shallus on parchment. The spelling and punctuation reflect the original.

Attribution

U.S. History
Authors: P. Scott Corbett, Volker Janssen, John M. Lund, Todd Pfannestiel, Sylvie Waskiewicz, Paul Vickery
Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/1-introduction
Sections located at: 7 Introduction https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/7-introduction; 7.1 https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/7-1-common-sense-from-monarchy-to-an-american-republic; 7.2 https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/7-2-how-much-revolutionary-change; 7.3 https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/7-3-debating-democracy; 7.4 https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/7-4-the-constitutional-convention-and-federal-constitution
License: Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

Transcript of Articles of Confederation (1777)
Source: http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=3&page=transcript
Public Domain, The U.S. National Archives & Records Administration

The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription
Source: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
Public Domain, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

HIS 210 - U.S. History through the Civil War - Textbook

Attribution & Licensing

HIS 210 U.S. History through the Civil War

Module 8: Governing the New Nation

Learning Outcomes

Content

Attribution

HIS 210 - U.S. History through the Civil War - Textbook

HIS 210 U.S. History through the Civil War

Module 8: Governing the New Nation

Learning Outcomes

Content

Attribution

Learning Outcomes