Toward the Constitution?

Question

How was Pennsylvania's constitution unusually democratic for the time?

Answer 1

i will asume you are on chapter 3 lesson 1 so i will do you a favor i`ll give you the answers for the hole chapter hows that lol.
Chapter 3: Toward the Constitution

The former colonists were now on their own as a new nation. Cautiously, the thirteen states joined together under a weak government. Having just fought a war over individual freedoms, the states were reluctant to surrender hard-won rights to their own central government. Could the new nation succeed--separate as states, but together as a country?

Lesson 1: Roots of Government

THINKING FOCUS
What major ideas went into the shaping of the new American government?

KEY TERMS
constitution
federal
confederation
executive
legislature

Benjamin Franklin wore a rustic fur hat when he arrived in Paris in 1776 as the representative of his new nation. The Parisians saw Franklin as a self-taught frontiersman, and he charmed them with his witty conversation. Considered something of a curiosity, he was followed by crowds throughout Paris. Poets wrote flattering rhymes in his honor. And French shopkeepers sold snuffboxes and other trinkets bearing his portrait.

To the French, Franklin stood for a new citizen of the world--the American. During his long life he worked as a printer, author, inventor, philosopher, scientist, and diplomat. More than anything else, Franklin was a patriot, one of the first to dream that the colonies could become one nation.

In July 1775--a full year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence--he presented to the Second Continental Congress a plan of government called "The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union." Most delegates to the Congress considered Franklin's proposal for a unifying central government too radical for the time. Many people still hoped that the colonies could settle their disputes with Britain and be left to rule themselves, individually.

Visions of a New Government

Franklin's ideas circulated throughout the colonies during the Revolutionary War as the colonists thought about creating a government. "We have it in our power to begin the world over again," Thomas Paine, the author of the pamphlet Common Sense, wrote enthusiastically.

An Age of Reason
Franklin and Paine, as well as Thomas Jefferson, were greatly influenced by the revolutionary ideas of the Enlightenment--the philosophical movement taking place in Europe at that time. Its most important idea was that people could approach religious, social, political, and economic issues through reason and science. This meant that people should not follow authority blindly. Instead, progress and a better life for both individuals and society--were possible through putting thoughts into action. According to Enlightenment thinkers, the right of people to revolt against oppressive authority followed from the use of individual reasoning.

Enlightenment thinkers in the American colonies were excited. Here they were, the first people in history to have the chance to create an entirely new government based on Enlightenment principles. But what form should the new American government be given in order to serve the different needs and desires of people in 13 separate colonies?

New World Possibilities
Today it is difficult to appreciate just how rare republicanism, or government based on the consent of the people, was in the late 1700s. At that time, kings and emperors ruled most of the world. The only models for republics were a few small countries such as Switzerland, Holland, and the city-states of Italy.

A group of George Washington's officers wanted him to become King of America. Imagine what our nation would be like now if the patriots had chosen to have a monarch! At the creation of an entirely new government, almost anything was possible. The familiar shape of the United States map in the Atlas on page 702 of A More Perfect Union might even have been different if Great Britain's colonies in Canada had accepted a U.S. invitation to agree "to this confederation, joining in the measures of the united states" to become additional states.

The English Heritage
Even though they rejected the idea of having a monarchy, Americans did look to England for ideas for their new political system. Their English tradition had given the colonists a respect for government based on legal documents. In addition, many English writers of the time lent their voices to Enlightenment ideas. Americans naturally tried to adapt English tradition to suit their new country.

England did not have a single written constitution, or document that defined its fundamental principles of government. But several historical documents contributed to English political structure. One such document was the Magna Carta of 1215. English nobles had won from King John the right to trial by people of a rank equal to their own. This early law formed the basis of what we know as trial by jury.

In 1689, the English Bill of Rights further limited the power of the monarchy and increased Parliament's say in ruling the country. Parliament gained the right to approve plans to spend money, and the king was forbidden to keep a standing, or permanent, army.

The English settlers had brought the idea of constitutional government to the New World. Before the Mayflower landed in 1620, 41 of the men on board had agreed to abide by certain rules for the general good of all. This Mayflower Compact was the most basic form of a constitution.

As Americans prepared to set up their own government in the late 1700s, they wanted a single document that would spell out their rights in clear terms. They hoped that by defining clearly their governing principles they could avoid the kinds of problems that had troubled the American colonies--such as the disputes they had had with the King and English Parliament.
* How did Americans hope to improve upon the English tradition of constitutional law?

One Nation United

In 1775, the delegates to the Second Continental Congress still represented 13 separate colonies. When John Adams said "our country," he meant his own state of Massachusetts. But in declaring their own independence, the states took a risk as one nation together. The concept of "Union" began as a military necessity, the united effort needed to defeat Great Britain--the greatest military power of the time. Soon the shared experience of fighting the Revolution would more closely bind the colonists.

Strong or Weak Government?
In June 1776--just a few weeks before the Declaration of Independence would be signed--the Second Continental Congress appointed a committee to write a blueprint for a new government. Thirteen members were chosen--one from each "state," as the former colonies now called themselves.

A month later the committee presented a draft calling for a federal government, to be given a strong central authority by the states. They used Franklin's old title: "Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union." As members of Congress debated, disagreements surfaced. Delegates feared a tyrannical national government might be too much like a monarchy. They therefore proposed that the new government be a confederation--a loose alliance of states.

The delegates argued about how to structure a congress. If the new congress were to represent the people of the new nation, large states should have more representatives. But as Roger Sherman of Connecticut argued, "We are representatives of states, not individuals."

After over a year of debate during which war raged, the Second Continental Congress adopted a list of thirteen items in 1777. Article III of the Articles of Confederation described the states' new relationship:

The said states hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other for their common defence, the security of their Liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretence whatever.

Each state would have equal power in the new congress. There was no national executive--that is, no one person in the government was given administrative authority. And there was no national court system.

Colonial Experiences
Based on their experience as colonial subjects of Great Britain, Americans were afraid of a centralized government. They were especially suspicious of any strong executive, such as the governor appointed by the king for each colony. Tensions often flared between these royal governors and many of the elected legislatures responsible for making some of the laws within the colonies. In New Jersey, for example, Governor William Franklin was imprisoned during the Revolutionary War because of his staunch Loyalist sympathies. Ironically, he was the son of patriot Benjamin Franklin.

In their first attempts at representative government, the colonists made sure that their local governments were strong. Throughout New England, local government took the form of town meetings--annual gatherings called to establish rules for each community. Although the New England colonies had elected legislatures, such as the Great and General Court of Massachusetts, the people felt that they had additional control over their daily lives through participation in their town meetings. These annual town meetings still go on today.

In Virginia, laws were passed by the elected members of the colony's legislature, which was called the House of Burgesses. But Virginia law was also made at the local level by justices of the peace who met in county courts.

Disputes over Western Lands
In November 1777, the Second Continental Congress presented the Articles of Confederation to the states. For the Articles to go into effect, all 13 states would have to approve them. But long-standing disputes over western lands delayed the Articles' passage.

The old colonial charters had granted states such as Massachusetts and the Carolinas all the land stretching westward from the Atlantic Ocean. Virginia's charter mentioned land to the northwest as well. New York's land claims stretched from the Great Lakes south to Georgia. Look at the map on page 86 of A More Perfect Union to find land claimed by more than one state.

The states that lacked such western lands were not willing to let these claims stand. They argued that the western lands were "wrested from the common enemy by the blood and treasure of the thirteen states." Therefore, the states as one union should share the frontier territory.

Maryland refused to approve the Articles unless all western lands were ceded, or transferred, to the central government. In 1781, after New York and Virginia agreed to the cession of their lands, Maryland accepted the proposal for a new government. The Articles were finally approved.
* What issues contributed to the reluctance of Americans to establish a strong national government?

Emergence of State Governments

After declaring independence from Great Britain, the states tried not only to establish an effective national government. Each had to set up its own new government also. This was indeed an exciting time a chance to develop plans for the future. "We are," said Benjamin Franklin, "on the right road to improvement, for we are making experiments."

Republicanism in the States
Speaking to a state convention--made up of former members of the Virginia House of Burgesses--James Madison praised the emerging republican governments. "I go on this great republican principle, that the people will have the virtue and intelligence to select men of virtue and wisdom."

All the new state governments had elected legislatures. Republicanism demanded that the representatives had to be close to the voters who elected them. In most states, representatives had to stand for election annually. They had to live in the community they represented and have a stake in it by owning property there.

The state legislatures were usually more powerful than the executives of the states, the governors. In more than half the states, the legislature chose the governor, making him accountable to the wishes of the representatives.

Variety Among the States
Although the early state constitutions shared features of republicanism, some were more creative than others. Only Connecticut and Rhode Island kept their original colonial charters, after omitting references to the King and Parliament.

In 1776, Pennsylvania's new constitution eliminated the state executive so that there would be no governor at all, and established a unicameral, or one-house, legislature. Supporters of this constitution saw no need for an upper house--like the House of Lords in the English Parliament--to represent the wealthier people of the community. Pennsylvania, along with North Carolina, dropped any requirement for owning property in order to vote--a radical concept for the time.

Conservative political leaders were appalled by these democratic innovations. They succeeded in 1790 in replacing the first Pennsylvania constitution with a more moderate one.

Massachusetts established a two-step procedure for democratically adopting a new government. In the first step, a special convention gathered to write a constitution. In the second step, all Massachusetts voters--not just members of the state legislature decided whether to approve their new constitution. Massachusetts' constitution, approved in 1780, stated that all men were "born free and equal" and it was used in a 1783 court case to outlaw slavery in that state.

The creation of the early state constitutions was a critical step in the evolution of a successful national government. Through their state governments, Americans learned more about the workings of republicanism as well as about ways to improve their national government.
* Predict which aspects of the early state constitutions would eventually be adopted for the national government.

Review

1. Focus: What major ideas went into the shaping of the new American government?

2. Connect: Why were one-year terms for political offices thought to be a way to avoid a tyrannical government?

3. Political Systems: How was Pennsylvania's constitution unusually democratic for the time?

4. Critical Thinking: Why would a politician like John Adams refer to his home state of Massachusetts as "his country"?

5. Writing Activity: Imagine that you represent Maryland in Congress in 1781. Prepare a brief speech arguing against approval of the Articles of Confederation while states still hold western land.

UNDERSTANDING PRIMARY SOURCES
Reading Abigail Adams's Letters

Here's Why
Primary sources are the raw materials of history. Any document of daily life--a news article, a personal letter, even a laundry list--provides information about how people lived. Knowing how to use such primary sources is one way to get a view of individual people and events of the past.

In this chapter you read about the roots of our nation and how men like Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and John Adams shaped our government. Primary sources are extremely useful because they give us a record of events by people who were there, and in their own words.

Suppose you wanted to get a closer perspective on the personal lives of the people affected by events in this chapter. Reading letters written by John Adams and by his wife Abigail Adams would provide that information.

Here's How
In order to use a particular item for historical information, you need to evaluate it as a primary source. Below is a letter that Abigail Adams sent her husband in 1776. Ask the following questions to determine the accuracy and usefulness of this document.

1. Who was the writer? Abigail Adams educated herself by reading literature and history. She was a woman who took an active interest in her husband's work. Since women of that time did not vote or work outside the home and usually did not attend political meetings, this letter does not present the ideas and feelings of the average woman of that time.

2. When was the letter written? Notice that Adams wrote her letter in the same year that the Declaration of Independence was signed. It gives the reader a unique look at the issues that were being discussed. As a primary source, the letter provides more detailed information about the decisions involved in producing the Declaration than a document written many months or years later.

3. Why was it written? The letter reveals that Abigail Adams hoped to convince her husband that he should create a certain kind of policy. She wanted him to grant rights to women, to "remember the ladies," and to treat women as friends rather than as possessions.

4. What difficulties does this source present? Some sources present difficulties because they are incomplete or because they require special knowledge in order to be understood. In Adam's letter, the language may prove difficult. Look up the words instigate, tyrannical, and vassals in the dictionary. When you examine primary sources, you need to determine if the vocabulary or spelling were common for that time period. In this case, the vocabulary that Adams uses is an indication of how well-educated she was.

Abigail to John

March 31, 1776

I long to hear that you have declared an independencey--and, by the way, in the new code of laws, which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than [were] you ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to [instigate] a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation. That your sex are naturally tyrannical is a truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute. But such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of master for the more tender and endearing one of friend. Why, then not put I tout of the power of the vicious and the lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity. . . ? Men of sense in all ages abhor those customs which treat us only as the vassals of your sex. Regard us then as beings, placed by providence under your protection, and in imitation of the Supreme Being make us of that power only for our happiness.

Try it
Now read the letter that John Adams sent to Abigail on April 14, 1776. Following the steps outlined above, answer the following questions. What is his first response? What does he think about his wife's concern for women's rights? Do you think that he shares her opinions? What does he mean when he says "We have only the name of masters . . . ?" Compare John Adams's letter with Abigail Adams's. What do you think about the roles of men and women during that time?

John to Abigail

April 14, 1776

As to your extraordinary code of laws, I cannot but laugh. We have been told that our struggle has loosened the bands of government everywhere. . . . Depend upon it, we know better than to repeal our masculine systems. Although they are in full force, you know they are little more than theory. We dare not exert our power in its full latitude. We are obliged to go fair and softly, and in practice, you know, we are the subjects. We have only the name of masters, and rather than give up this, which would completely subject us to the despotism of the petticoat, I hope General Washington, and all our brave heroes, would fight. . . .

Apply It
Ask your parents, grandparents, or other older relatives for a letter they have saved. Read through it several times. Look for information in the letter that helps you to learn about the writer and about the person being addressed, as well as about any event to which the letter refers.