Americans: ‘Citizens of a Republic’

Quiz Question:
 Which treaty, signed in 1783, ended the Revolutionary War? 

            (a)The Paris Peace Treaty

            (b)The Treaty of Versailles

            (c)The Treaty of Ghent

            (d)The Treaty of Paris

Because of what is happening in this country at the Federal level, a review of the history of the Constitution and its 27 amendments—with an emphasis on the duties of each of the three branches of the government and the first ten amendments commonly known as The Bill of Rights—is appropriate.  

First and Second are the most quoted and are better known than the Constitution itself. At the same time, they are not well understood and have been open to many interpretations over the 236 years we have been governed by the laws laid down in the Constitution.  

We begin with the end of the Revolution, when the nascent nation was held together by the Articles of Confederation. 

The articles after that will look more closely at the seven articles that make up the Constitution, followed by a study of the first 10 amendments that constitute the “Bill of Rights.” The series will end with a discussion of Amendments 11 through 27. 

John Adams, when looking back on the Revolution remarked, “It was not the war itself, but the change in the sentiment of the people toward government that constituted the real revolution. They are citizens of a Republic, not subjects of a Monarch. They have taken control of their own society and posses rights.” 

THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

Before the Declaration of Independence was written, the second Continental Congress determined it needed a “Plan of Confederation.” On Nov. 17, 1777, it presented “The Articles of Confederation” to the states for ratification. Reflecting the colonies distrust of a strong central government, the plan had serious weaknesses, exemplified by Article 2, which states, “Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every Power, Jurisdiction and Right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States …”  

A few articles seem to delegate substantial authority to the central government to conduct the country’s affairs, as in the common defense and making foreign treaties. The weakness of this plan is that it had no way to enforce it. There was no national executive, no courts of law, no power to raise taxes or enlist troops and no power to compel the states to respect foreign treaties.  The articles were not ratified until March 1, 1781 (two years before the war ended).

After the Revolution ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783 it became increasingly clear that the Articles were not working. States ignored treaties, often didn’t bother to send delegates to the Congress and disregarded requests for money to fund the government. 

Trade disputes broke out among the states and began to break down the concept of a “league of friendship” outlined in the Articles. The government had no way to arbitrate disputes between the states.

States imposed tariffs on each other’s goods. New York, for example, had a tariff on goods crossing the Hudson River from New Jersey, and New Jersey had a tariff on goods from Pennsylvania. The British, in an attempt to weaken the new republic, played the states against each other. The prosperity of the individual states began to crumble and it wasn’t long before there was a nationwide depression. 

Massachusetts was among the hardest hit because of it had high taxes to pay off the state’s debts. The farmers in the western part of the state were the hardest hit with more than 4,000 farmers being prosecuted in Worcester County for debts in a two-year period. 

By 1786, former Continental Army Captain Daniel Shays, the fate of his farm hanging by a thread, had had enough. He and others decided to solve the problem the same way they had solved the problem of British taxation. Companies of men were organized and drilled with their rifles. 

When an angry company of rifle carrying farmers and other disposed persons showed up at County Court Houses, the judges left in a hurry. Shays’ Rebellion as it was called, quickly spread to other states including Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. 

When the government asked the states to contribute $530,000 to raise an army against Shays and his troops, only Virginia sent money. The other 12 ignored the request. 

Massachusetts secured the money through private donations and raised an army of 4,400 under the command of Major General Benjamin Lincoln. Daniel Shays attempted to storm the arsenal in Springfield, Mass., to access its 15,000 muskets and cannons but the defenders fired those cannons on the attackers and captured  a number of the assailants.  

Shays escaped, however, and a form of guerilla warfare continued into the spring 1787 when Shays was decisively defeated in a final battle in Sheffield, Mass.

Shays was not the only rebellious citizen. Disgruntled citizens from New Jersey to South Carolina fomented uprisings. It was these uprisings, and the weakness of the government under the Articles of Confederation, that made it clear they should be amended or, as some advocated, be completely rewritten. 

A worried George Washington asked the young and politically astute James Madison to urge the Virginia Legislature to call for a Convention of all the states. A meeting was called for Fall 1786 in Annapolis, Md. Only 12 delegates representing five states showed up. Madison persuaded them to call for another meeting in Philadelphia in May 1787.

Congress, concerned about losing what power it had, was not enthusiastic about another convention until Shays Rebellion threatened to become a Civil War. It then approved a second convention but stipulated that “the sole and express purpose” was to revise the Articles of Confederation. Privately, many did not agree that they could be revised and advocated creating a new government.

In future articles, we will look at the writing of the Constitution, at the men who wrote it, and the ideas that influenced them. Finally, we will examine the process of ratification, the Federalists, Anti-Federalists and a Bill of Rights.

Answer

(d) The Treaty of Paris -1783

(a) Ended WWII -1947

(b) Ended WWI – 1919

(c) Ended War of 1812 – 1814