Download Event Summary Analysis Articles of Confederation Gives Federal

Prompt: Analyze how the emerging conception of national identity and democratic ideals shaped religion, gender,
and culture in the late colonial through the antebellum period.
Context:
When America was first being settled, distinct cultural identities began to develop regionally. In New England, a
largely mercantile society formed with a large puritan influence. Further south, the Anglican Church was dominant. In
these southern colonies, slavery became central to their economy, and their culture reflected that.
Thesis:
At the beginning of the colonial period there was an increase in national identity that resulted in a more centralized
government and economy as the federal government gained power that the states had held before. This
centralization shaped the cultural landscape by bringing two cultures (the North and South) that had previously had
been relatively isolated from each other into close contact thus creating conflict with one another.
Time Period
Late Colonial Period to
Ratification of Constitution
(Chapters 4-6)
Events Related to Thesis
Event
Summary
Analysis
Articles of
Confederation
Gives Federal Government little
power, leaves most important
decisions up to individual
states.
By allowing each state to deal with their own individual affairs
it allows the 4 main cultural groups in the United States to
deal with controversial issues, such as slavery, in their own
ways, preventing inter-cultural conflict. Additionally, the
emphasis placed on the States demonstrates the lack of a
strong national identity, with people identifying more
with their individual state than the country as a whole.
Shay’s
Rebellion
A group of former Continental
Army soldiers, led by Shay,
rebel against Massachusetts
Government due to a poor
economy that left many farmers in
debt. Massachusetts was unable
to handle the revolt by
themselves, and had to request
outside help.
This event helped convince the Continental Congress that the
decentralized approach taken by the Articles of Confederation
wasn’t working, which lead to the beginnings of the making
of the Constitution.
Event
Summary
Analysis
Formation of
the Federalists
In response to the poor economy and
the political instability that was a result,
a new political party, called the
Federalists, formed. They believed
that a major part of the reason the
United States was experiencing so
much instability was due to the lack of
centralization, and wanted to fix this by
amending the Articles of Confederation
to give the Continental Congress more
power.
This was the first time that the United States had seen a
party which supported greater centralization of
governmental powers at the cost of regional (i.e. state)
power. Additionally, the Federalists were crucial for
causing the Constitutional Convention to actually write
the Constitution, rather than simply revising the Articles
of Confederation.
3/5
Compromise
One of the most important compromises
of the Constitution, this compromise
stated that, for electoral and tax
purposes, slaves counted as 3/5 of a
person.
This was the first national compromise on the issue
of slavery, and would set a precedent for the
compromises that would come later. Besides being a
milestone for the issue of slavery, it represents the
movement of America to a more centralized system of
government, which can lead to conflict between different
cultural groups, though in this case a solution was
reached through peaceful means.
Creation and
Ratification of
the
Constitution
The Constitution eventually replaced the
Articles of Confederation. The key
difference between the documents was
that in almost every area of government,
The Constitution gave the Federal
Government more power than the
The ratification of The Constitution signalled the
beginning of the general movement of the United States
towards a more powerful federal government at the
cost of individual states’ power. This trend would only
really come to an end with the death of reconstruction,
almost 100 years later. Additionally, it marked the
Ratification of Constitution
to 1800
(Chapters 6-7)
Articles.
1800 to Beginning of
Jackson’s Presidency
(Chapters 7-9)
Jackson’s Presidency to
End of Antebellum Period
(Chapters 10-12)
beginning of the dominance of the pro-centralization
Federalist in politics. Though there was an opposition
party, the Democratic-Republicans, they failed to gain
power until 1800. It is also notable that the parties were
very much divided along cultural lines, with the
Federalist gaining support from the mercantile
north, while the Republicans were supported by the
agrarian south.
Event
Summary
Analysis
War of 1812
This war, fought between The
United States and Great
Britain from 1812-1815, resulted
in stalemate. However, it was
significant because it led to a
great increase in national pride,
helping to further solidify the
national identity that was
developing.
The nationalism that resulted from the war helped to
temporarily put cultural differences at ease, which allowed the
Federalist party to collapse, resulting in the Republicans
becoming the only major national party. Even though the
Republican were theoretically against a centralized federal
government, the fact that they were the only national party in
combination with the absorption of those who were previously
loyal to the Federalists resulted in a more moderate party who
kept many of centralized policies of the Federalists, such as the
National Bank, which regulated the state banks, in place. This
led to an even greater level of centralization which wasn’t
challenged due to the nationalist pride at the time.
Second Great
Awakening
Along with the political and
cultural changes happening
during this period, there was
also a great religious upheaval
occurring. This revival, know as
the Second Great Awakening,
occurred nationwide.
The Second Great Awakening brought religion back into a
central role in the culture of America and to a degree, helped to
further unify America. However, the cultures of the north and
south were affected by the revival differently. In the north it led
to the belief that slavery was evil and immoral, and as such
must be stopped. In the south, however, it was noted that
there was slavery in the bible and as such was interpreted as
something that was condoned and even encouraged by
God.
Event
Summary
Analysis
Lowell factory
system
The Lowell Factory System was one of
the first systems for mass production
in the United States. It worked by
creating a production line where each
worker did one specific task over and
over again. It was also notable because
it made use of female labor because the
men were too busy tending the fields
and the like.
The Lowell Factory System, and industrialization in
general, had several important impacts on the United
States. The first key effect it had was that ruled slavery
completely out of the question in the northern states,
where the factories were. Additionally, it gave woman
jobs for the first time, which helped lead to the
feminist movement.
Seneca falls
convention
July, 1848- The first meeting in which
women's rights were discussed.
Elizabeth Stanton read “Declaration of
Sentiment” which described many of the
injustices faced by women at the time.
Put women's rights in the national spotlight. Promoted
transition out of republican motherhood and domesticity,
however there was no legislation as a result.
Rise of
Abolitionism
During the 1840’s to 50’s, the
abolitionist movement, which called for
the immediate freedom of all slaves,
began to gain some momentum in the
North. However, it still had a relatively
small following.
Though the actual size of the Abolitionist movement
was fairly small, its impact on northern culture was quite
large. It had a very loud political voice, so even if it
didn’t convince northerns to become full blown
Abolitionists, it did push northern culture to a more
anti-slavery attitude. This culture shift manifested
itself in the politicians that were chosen to
represent the north: the newly formed Republican
party, which was anti-slavery. This led to a fierce
political battle between now firmly anti-slavery northern
culture and pro-slavery southern culture as
centralization increased to the point where the nation
could only have one system.