Download File - VHS class of 2018

APUSH Part II Period III:
“Common Sense”- Thomas Paine January of 1776
Published in 1776, Common Sense challenged the authority of the British government and the royal
monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first
work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain.
“Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America. This new world hath been the asylum for the
persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe. Hither they have fled, not from
the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England,
that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants still.”
1. On the Legitimacy of the English Monarchy
England, since the conquest, has known some few good monarchs, but groaned beneath as much larger
number of bad ones, yet no man in his senses can say that their claim under William the Conqueror is a very
honorable one. A French bastard, landing with an armed banditti, and establishing himself king of England
against the consent of the natives, is in plain terms a very paltry rascally original. It certainly hath no
divinity in it. However, it is needless to spend much time in exposing the folly of hereditary right, if there
are any so weak as to believe it, let them promiscuously worship the ass and lion, and welcome. I shall
neither copy their humility, nor disturb their devotion.
2. On Governance from Abroad
It is repugnant to reason, to the universal order of things, to all examples from the former ages, to suppose,
that this continent can longer remain subject to any external power. The most sanguine in Britain does not
think so. The utmost stretch of human wisdom cannot, at this time, compass a plan short of separation,
which can promise the continent even a year’s security. Reconciliation is now a falacious dream. Nature hath
deserted the connexion, and Art cannot supply her place. For, as Milton wisely expresses, ‘never can true
reconcilement grow where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep.’
Every quiet method for peace hath been ineffectual. Our prayers have been rejected with disdain; and only
tended to convince us, that nothing flatters vanity, or confirms obstinacy in Kings more than repeated
petitioning—and nothing hath contributed more than that very measure to make the Kings of Europe
absolute: Witness Denmark and Sweden. Wherefore, since nothing but blows will do, for God’s sake, let us
come to a final separation, and not leave the next generation to be cutting throats, under the violated
unmeaning names of parent and child.
3. On the Cause of Revolution
O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of
the old world is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the globe. Asia, and Africa, have
long expelled her.—Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her warning to depart. O!
receive the fugitive, and prepare in time an asylum for mankind.
4. On America’s Natural Advantages and Continental Government
In almost every article of defence we abound. Hemp flourishes even to rankness so that we need not want
cordage. Our iron is superior to that of other countries. Our small arms equal to any in the world. Cannon
we can cast at pleasure. Saltpetre and gunpowder we are every day producing. Our knowledge is hourly
improving. Resolution is our inherent character, and courage hath never yet forsaken us. Wherefore, what is
it that we want? Why is it that we hesitate? From Britain we can expect nothing but ruin. If she is once
admitted to the government of America again, this Continent will not be worth living in. Jealousies will be
always arising; insurrections will be constantly happening; and who will go forth to quell them? Who will
venture his life to reduce his own countrymen to a foreign obedience? The difference between Pennsylvania
and Connecticut, respecting some unlocated lands, shows the insignificance of a British government, and
fully proves that nothing but Continental authority can regulate Continental matters.
5. On Religious Liberty
As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of government to protect all conscientious professors
thereof, and I know of no other business which government hath to do therewith. Let a man throw aside
that narrowness of soul, that selfishness of principle, which the niggards of all professions are so unwilling
to part with, and he will be at once delivered of his fears on that head. Suspicion is the companion of mean
souls, and the bane of all good society. For myself, I fully and conscientiously believe that it is the will of
the Almighty that there should be a diversity of religious opinions among us. It affords a larger field for our
Christian kindness; were we all of one way of thinking, our religious dispositions would want matter for
probation; and on this liberal principle I look on the various denominations among us to be like children of
the same family, differing only in what is called their Christian names.
Bonus Quote
Under our present denomination of British subjects, we can neither be received nor heard abroad; the
custom of all Courts is against us, and will be so, until by an independence we take rank with other nations.
These proceedings may at first seem strange and difficult, but like all other steps which we have already
passed over, will in a little time become familiar and agreeable; and until an independence is declared, the
Continent will feel itself like a man who continues putting off some unpleasant business from day to day, yet
knows it must be done, hates to set about it, wishes it over, and is continually haunted with the thoughts of
its necessity.
“Don’t turn back now”
“royal brute”
“Plain Truth”- Tory- Challenging and criticizing “Common Sense”
Anonymous- However most believe it was written by James Chalmers- Wealthy loyalist from Maryland.
“I have now before me the pamphlet entitled Common Sense, on which I shall remark with freedom and
candour…
Liberty, says the great Montesquieu, is a right of doing whatever the laws permit; and if a citizen could do
what they forbid, he would no longer be possessed of liberty, because all his fellow citizens would have the
same power. In the beginning of his pamphlet the author asserts, that society in every state is a blessing.
This in the sincerity of my heart I deny; for it is supreme misery to be associated with those who, to
promote their ambitious purposes, flagitiously pervert the ends of political society…
His first indecent attack is against the English constitution which, with all its imperfections, is, and ever will
be, the pride and envy of mankind. To this panegyric involuntarily our author subscribes, by granting
individuals to be safer in England, than in any other part of Europe. He indeed attributes this … to the
constitution: to such contemptible subterfuge is our author reduced.
I would ask him why did not the constitution of the people afford them superior safety in the reign of
Richard III, Henry VIII and other tyrannic princes? Many pages might indeed be filled with encomiums
[praises] bestowed on our excellent constitution by illustrious authors of different nations…
Until the present unhappy period, Great Britain has afforded to all mankind the most perfect proof of her
wise, lenient and magnanimous government of the Colonies, the proofs to which we already have alluded,
viz. our supreme felicity and amazing increase…
But, says the author, the most powerful argument is that nothing but independence (that is, a continental
form of government) can keep the peace of the continent, and preserve it inviolate from civil wars. I dread
the event of a reconciliation with Britain, as it is more than probable it will be foiled by revolt somewhere;
the consequences of which may be far more fatal than all the malice of Britain…
This piece [Common Sense], though it has taken a popular name and implies that the contents are obvious
and adapted to the understandings of the bulk of the people, is so far from meriting the title it has
attained, that in my opinion it holds principles equally inconsistent with learned and common sense. I know
not the author, nor am I anxious to learn his name or character…
It is the glory of a free country to enjoy a free press, and of this, that the sentiments and opinions of the
meanest are brought to view equally with those of the greatest… the rich and high born are not the
monopolisers of wisdom and virtue; on the contrary, these qualities are more often to be found among the
middling class in every country, who… in reality become better acquainted with the true interests of the
society in which they live.”
Canada will become a major base of operations for the British military for their forays into the colonies.
Benedict Arnold- attempted to capture Quebec and failed.
June 7, 1776 – Vote for Independence proposed by:
Lee Resolution: 1776
Acting under the instruction of the Virginia Convention, Richard Henry Lee on June 7, 1776, introduced a
resolution in the Second Continental Congress proposing independence for the colonies. The Lee Resolution
contained three parts: a declaration of independence, a call to form foreign alliances, and "a plan for
confederation." The document that is included on page 22 is the complete resolution in Richard Henry Lee's
handwriting.
On June 11, 1776, the Congress appointed three concurrent committees in response to the Lee Resolution:
one to draft a declaration of independence, a second to draw up a plan "for forming foreign alliances," and a
third to "prepare and digest the form of a confederation."
Because many members of the Congress believed action such as Lee proposed to be premature or wanted
instructions from their colonies before voting, approval was deferred until July 2. On that date, Congress
adopted the first part (the declaration). The affirmative votes of 12 colonies are listed at the right. New
York cast no vote until the newly elected New York Convention upheld the Declaration of Independence on
July 9, 1776.
The plan for making treaties was not approved until September of 1776; the plan of confederation was
delayed until November of 1777.
Declaration of Independence:
Preamble
Virginia: Thomas Jefferson
Statements of Rights
Mass.: John Adams
27 charges against the king
Penn.: Benjamin Franklin
Statement of freedom…and war.
N.Y.: Robert Livingston
all men are created equal
Conn.: Roger Sherman
Abigail Adams: letter- remember the women
In a letter dated March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams writes to her husband, John Adams, urging him and the
other members of the Continental Congress not to forget about the nation’s women when fighting for
America’s independence from Great Britain.
The future First Lady wrote in part, “I long to hear that you have declared an independency. 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 your 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 foment a
rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”
Choosing Sides:
Tories: (loyalists) 20% of the colonists in NY and NJ- mostly upper class
Many had their land confiscated for supporting the Crown:
Slaves: many escaped in response to Lord Dunmores offer of freedom
5000 helped the colonial cause
20,000 helped the British Most of which left the colonies after the war.
Native Americans- most allied with the British (Iroquois and Mohawks)
Joseph Brant…Native American name: Thayendanegea (born 1742, on the banks of the Ohio River—died
November 24, 1807, near Brantford, Ontario, Canada) Mohawk Indian chief who served not only as a
spokesman for his people but also as a Christian missionary and a British military officer during the American
Revolution (1775–83).
He fought for the British in the last French and Indian War (1754–63), and in 1774 he was appointed
secretary to Sir William’s successor, Guy Johnson. In 1775 Brant received a captain’s commission and was
sent to England, where he was presented at court.
On his return, Brant led four of the six Iroquois nations on the British side in the American Revolution. He
attacked colonial outposts on the New York frontier, skillfully commanding the Indian contingent in the
Battle of Oriskany (August 6, 1777) and winning a formidable reputation after the raid on the fortified
village of Cherry Valley, New York (November 11, 1778). Cooperating with British regulars and loyalists, Brant
brought fear and destruction to the entire Mohawk Valley, southern New York, and northern Pennsylvania. He
also thwarted the attempt of a rival chief, Red Jacket, to persuade the Iroquois to conclude a separate
peace with the revolutionaries.
Tale of Tape:
British:
Americans:
Population: 1 million
Home field advantage
Large: army/navy
Fighting for a cause
Prior experience
Distance
Torries: 20% of overall pop.
George Washington (realistic)
Hessians: German Mercs.
United varied groups because of shared
Hatred for the British.
The Howes: William and Richard.
William: Army
Richard: Navy
British leave Boston and invade NY.
Defeat for Washington on Long Island. Managed to escape by river jumping.
Nathan Hale: probably the worst spy ever.
Thomas Paine: redux (part II)
“The American Crisis” These are the times that try men’s souls.
Battle of Fort Ticonderoga: The Battle of Fort Ticonderoga was a military conflict between the Kingdom of
Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in North America during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
The year and date that the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga took place on Wednesday, May 10, 1775. The
battlefield in which the British and American Forces fought during the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga was
located on the shores of Lake Champlain on the border of New York and the Canadian province of Quebec.
The Battle of Fort Ticonderoga ended in a surprise victory for the American colonists.
The Battle of Fort Ticonderoga took place on Wednesday, May 10, 1775 at Ticonderoga, New York. The siege
of Boston had begun but the colonists were acutely aware that they needed firearms, munitions or cannon.
The fort at Ticonderoga, New York contained stores of such armaments. The location of Fort Ticonderoga
was also very important as its strategic position of control over the waterways to Canada could protect New
York and the New England colonies from British invasion from Canada.
Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold both realized that Fort Ticonderoga would be a relatively easy target for
the colonists. Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold shared command and with a band of 168 Green Mountain Boys
and New England militia, captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British in an early morning raid on May 10,
1775.
The rebels sneaked into the fort of sleeping troops and demanded its surrender. The garrison commander,
Captain William DeLaPlace, surrendered his sword and the fort to the rebels. Not one person was killed in
the daring dawn raid. Following the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, Colonel Henry Knox transported more than
60 tons of military supplies including 59 artillery pieces from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. Ticonderoga’s
cannon were placed on Dorchester Heights which had a commanding view of Boston. The threat of the
cannon forced the British to evacuate Boston on March 17, 1776 and the Continental Army entered Boston
the next day.
Significance of the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga: The significance of the conflict was that the cannons,
munitions and other armaments from Fort Ticonderoga were transported to Boston and used to fortify
Dorchester Heights and break the standoff at the Siege of Boston. The position of the fort itself was also
very important as it protected New York and New England from British invasion from Canada.
Capture of Crown Point, 1775
One day after taking Fort Ticonderoga, Ethan Allen sent a detachment of the Green Mountain Boys under the
command of Capt. Seth Warner to capture Crown Point, 15 miles to the north. Most of the main fort at
Crown Point had been destroyed in a fire two years earlier and the fort was maintained by a handful of
British troops, who surrendered without a fight.
Spoils of Battle
The Battle of Ticonderoga and Crown Point was the first clear American victory of the Revolutionary War.
Both captured forts held significant numbers of cannons and stores of ordnance. Some of the cannons
captured were turned over to Colonel Henry Knox, who used them in an assault that drove the British out of
Boston. The forts were also used as staging points for unsuccessful American campaigns in Canada by Heath
Schuyler, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold.
Washington’s success:
2 notable successes: Trenton and Princeton Both victories within an 8-9 day period: Huge morale boost.
General George Washington’s army crossed the icy Delaware on Christmas Day 1776 and, over the course of
the next 10 days, won two crucial battles of the American Revolution. In the Battle of Trenton (December
26), Washington defeated a formidable garrison of Hessian mercenaries before withdrawing. A week later he
returned to Trenton to lure British forces south, then executed a daring night march to capture Princeton on
January 3. The victories reasserted American control of much of New Jersey and greatly improved the
morale and unity of the colonial army and militias.
Benjamin Franklin’s recruits:
LaFayette: participates in the war effort. “adopted son”
Pulaski: Polish, cavalryman. Killed in Savannah, GA.
Kosciusko: Polish, abolitionist.
Von Steuben: Prussian, brought European military training to the continental army.
Saratoga: Turning point in the war, October 1777.
British General Burgoyne: Forced to surrender to Gates as Howe’s troops could not leave New York
unguarded due to Washington’s army in New Jersey.
Benedict Arnold: Major factor in the win. One of the most courageous and best Generals of the American
forces.
Victory impressed the French leading to the Treaty of Alliance 1778
Much needed supplies were soon available and Spain will eventually join the treaty.
Brandywine/Germantown: Two losses for Washington leading to the occupation of Philadelphia.
The Battle of Germantown
In July of 1777 British General William Howe started moving his forces toward Philadelphia in an effort to
seize the city that was serving as the revolutionary capital. Washington and the Continental Army had
suffered a couple of serious defeats in September of 1777, and then Cornwallis successfully marched into
Philadelphia and claimed it for the British, so American spirits were low. General Howe arranged for the
next move for the British, and he sent of his men off to Germantown.
With winter approaching, Washington felt he had time for one more attack, and with the British forces
spreading out, Washington thought his men might be able to overtake those at the garrison in Germantown.
While Washington’s plan was a brave one–and if successful, it could have made a huge difference in the war.
However, Washington did not accomplish his goal. He over-estimated his men’s preparedness, and the plan,
which required coordination among spread-out units, was plagued by incredibly foggy weather.
The men could not coordinate their movements because they could not see what was happening on the
battlefield. The British were again successful, assuring that Philadelphia would remain in British hands for
the remainder of the war.
Small Dog Found
After the battle, a small dog was found on the battlefield, and when the Americans capture the dog, they
saw from his collar that he belonged to General Howe. Washington’s men wanted to hold the dog in
retribution for their defeat at the hands of Howe’s men.
Washington saw the situation from a different view, and he arranged for a messenger to return the dog to
Howe with a two-line letter:
“General Washington’s compliments to General Howe, does himself the pleasure to return [to] him a Dog,
which accidentally fell into his hands, and by the inscription on the Collar appears to belong to General
Howe.”
While many of the stories about Washington’s character seem to have been created by his earliest
biographer, Parson Weems, this lovely story of kindness and gallantry is one that can be fully documented as
a draft of the note still exists. It is written in the handwriting of Washington’s aide-de-camp Alexander
Hamilton, and the note can be found is in the Washington Papers at the Library of Congress.
Molly Pitcher: Mary Hays loads cannon to continue the battle.
Monmouth: The battle demonstrated the growing effectiveness of the Continental Army after its six-month
encampment at Valley Forge, where constant drilling under officers such as Major General Friedrich Wilhelm
von Steuben and Major General Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette greatly improved army discipline and
morale. The battle improved the military reputations of Washington, Lafayette and Anthony Wayne but
ended the career of Charles Lee, who would face court martial at Englishtown for his failures on the day.
According to some accounts, an American soldier's wife, Mary Hays, brought water to thirsty soldiers in the
June heat, and became one of several women associated with the legend of Molly Pitcher. By the second
phase of the battle the temperature remained almost consistently above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and heat
stroke was said to have claimed more lives than musket fire throughout the battle.
Wilderness: Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Vincennes Illinois and Indiana. George Rogers Clark- Colonials captured
forts Britain had taken from the French.
“Not worth a continental”- paper money issued during the war that would be worthless if the war was lost.
In late-18th-century America, something of minimal value was often described as being “not worth a
continental,” which referred to the continental dollar, the American currency at the time of the revolution.
The continental was paper money.
The British grew increasingly frustrated. The loss at Saratoga was humiliating. Capturing the enemy's
capital, Philadelphia, did not bring them much advantage. As long as the American Continental Army and
state militias remained in the field, the British had to keep on fighting. And no matter how much damage
the British did to American cities or private property, the Americans refused to surrender. This was a new
type of war.
Having failed in the north, the British turned their attention to the south. They hoped to inspire Loyalist
support among dissatisfied Americans — a hope that was never realized. Fighting continued. The threat of
French naval participation kept the British uneasy.
n October 1781, the war virtually came to an end when General Cornwallis was surrounded and forced to
surrender the British position at Yorktown, Virginia. Two years later, the Treaty of Paris made it official:
America was independent.
Major Battles of the American Revolution
Date
Battle American Commander(s)
April 19, 1775 Lexington-Concord
British Commander
Capt. John Parker
Lt. Col. Francis Smith
June 17, 1775 Bunker (Breed's) Hill Gen. Israel Putnam and Col. William Prescott
Dec. 31, 1775 Quebec
Gen. Richard Montgomery
Gen. Guy Carleton
Aug. 27, 1776 Long Island
Gen. George Washington
Gen. William Howe
Oct. 26, 1776 White Plains
Gen. George Washington
Gen. William Howe
Dec. 26, 1776 Trenton
Gen. George Washington
Col. Johann Rall
Sept. 11, 1777 Brandywine
Gen. George Washington
Gen. William Howe
Sept. 19, 1777 Saratoga (Freeman's Farm)
Gen. Horatio Gates
Oct. 4, 1777
Germantown Gen. George Washington
Oct. 7, 1777
Saratoga
Dec. 5, 1777 White Marsh
Gen. Horatio Gates
Sept. 16, 1779 Siege of Savannah
March 29, 1780
Gen. John Burgoyne
Gen. William Howe
Gen. John Burgoyne
Gen. George Washington
June 8, 1778 Monmouth Courthouse
Gen. William Howe
Gen. George Washington
Gen. Benjamin Lincoln
Gen. Henry Clinton
Gen. Augustine Prevost
Siege of Charlestown Gen. Benjamin Lincoln
Sept. 28, 1781 Siege of Yorktown
Cornwallis
Gen. William Howe
Gen. Henry Clinton
Gen. George Washington and Gen. Rochambeau
Gen. Charles
What do we do now?
“state constitutions”- Written documents providing a paper trail: Colonies become states
Voting: property, men, white landowners
“bill of rights”: list of freedoms that it was expected for state governments to protect.
Legislature over government: bicameral, gives the people control
Slavery: some abolish, none south of Pennsylvania/ Mason-Dixon Line
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom: Thomas Jefferson
-worship anyway you choose, or not at all.
-not an Anglican state
Articles of Confederation: John Dickenson (firm league of friendship among sovereign states)
The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution of the United States. Stemming from
wartime urgency, its progress was slowed by fears of central authority and extensive land claims by states
before was it was ratified on March 1, 1781. Under these articles, the states remained sovereign and
independent, with Congress serving as the last resort on appeal of disputes. Congress was also given the
authority to make treaties and alliances, maintain armed forces and coin money. However, the central
government lacked the ability to levy taxes and regulate commerce, issues that led to the Constitutional
Convention in 1787 for the creation of new federal laws.
Was created just after the win in the Battle of Saratoga.
All states joined in 1781 but Maryland had stalled due to the issue of property west of App. Mountains.
3 early drafts, but the final draft accepted was written by John Dickinson.
2nd Continental Congress ran everything until it was passed.
-Only one branch, no executive branch
-cannot tax, states are expected to chip in
-no president
-no court system, no power to enforce laws
-could not regulate foreign trade
-To pass a law, 2/3 states have to agree
- to change A of C, all states must agree
- equality of states
DEBTS:
-states: owe to citizens
-domestic: owe to states
- foreign: owe to foreign nations that helped in the war
The Old Northwest: are right below the Great Lakes
L.O.- Land Ordinance of 1785- “township”
Jefferson’s proposal was much more orderly. He advocated the creation of a rectangular or rectilinear
system of land survey. The basic unit of ownership was to be the township — a six-mile square or 36 square
miles. (Jefferson had actually favored townships of 10-mile squares, but Congress believed those plots
would be too large and difficult to sell.) Each township was to be divided into 36 sections, each a one-mile
square or 640 acres.
A north-south line of townships was to be known as a range.
Borrowing from a New England practice, the Ordinance also provided that Section 16 in each township was
to be reserved for the benefit of public education. All other sections were to be made available to the
public at auction.
The Ordinance provided that sections be offered to the public at the minimum bidding price of one dollar
per acre or a total of $640. Jefferson and other members of Congress hoped that competitive bidding would
bring in receipts far in excess of the minimum amount. The meager treasury of the Confederation sorely
needed every dollar it could find.
The Ordinance of 1785 was landmark legislation. By preparing this means for selling Western lands, the
government introduced a system that would remain the foundation of U.S. public land policy until the
enactment of the Homestead Act of 1862. Modifications, however, would occur over the years as it became
apparent that $640 was more than many could afford and, similarly, that 640 acres was too large for most
family farms. Future legislation would keep the basic system intact, but reduce the minimum acreage
requirement.
N.W.O.: North West Ordinance- 1787- appoint a government
Great Britain had never owned any land in the Mississippi valley until France ceded the country following
their defeat in the French Indian War when the Peace Treaty of Paris 1763 was signed and Great Britain
received all French lands east of the Mississippi River. The American War of Independence began on April 18,
1775. Congress advised all the colonies to form governments and adopt constitutions for themselves. This
turned the British colonies into independent states - refer to Colonies to States.
During this period of dramatic changes in America and changing colonies into states there were a series of
State Land Claims. These claims for state land ownership were resolved but legislation was required to
provide for the rapid and orderly expansion of the new nation across the continent. This issue was addressed
by Congress in the Northwest Ordinance. By 1784 the states claiming western territory had given their land
to Congress. This vast possession of land stretched from the Lakes to the Ohio and from the Mississippi to
Pennsylvania.
Northwest Ordinance - Transfer of State Claims - 1784 Conditions
The lands passed over to Congress were given on certain conditions:
Condition 1: That the land should be cut up into states
Condition 2: That these states should be admitted into the Union (when they had a certain population) on
the same footing as the 13 original states
Condition 3: That the land should be sold and the money used to pay the debts of the United States
Note: The strip of land owned by Connecticut was offered to Congress in October 1789, but not accepted.
The land still belonged to Connecticut in 1785 but in 1786 it was again ceded, with certain reservations and
accepted by Congress.
Thomas Jefferson, who wanted to abolish slavery, was the principal author of the Ordinance of 1784. The
Land Ordinance of 1784 called for the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, north of the Ohio River and
east of the Mississippi River to be divided into ten separate states. The Ordinance of 1784 was enacted on
April 23, 1784 and adopted by the United States Congress under the Articles of Confederation. The Land
Ordinance of 1784 contained five important articles:
The 10 new states shall remain forever a part of the United States of America
The new states should shall bear the same relation to the confederation as the original states
Each of the new states shall pay their share of the federal debts
The new states shall, in their governments, uphold republican forms
After the year 1800 there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in any of the new states
The Land Ordinance of 1784 passed without the 5th clause concerning slavery and was in force for 3 years.
The Ordinance of 1784 was further augmented with the Land Ordinance of 1785 and superseded by the
Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
Northwest Ordinance - Land Ordinance 1785
The Ordinance of 1784 aimed to divide the lands into ten separate states. However, the 1784 resolution did
not define the mechanism by which the land would become states, or how the territories would be governed
or settled before they became states. The Ordinance of 1785 provided a mechanism for selling and settling
the lands because, under the Articles of Confederation, Congress did not have the power to raise revenue by
direct taxation of the people of the United States. the Land Ordinance of 1785 was designed to prepare the
land for sale by surveying it and marking it out into sections, townships, and ranges, and fixed the price per
acre. Over 75% of the land ultimately came under the rectangular survey that provided easily recognized
land descriptions and contributed enormously to the orderly occupation of the new lands of the United
States.
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 addressed the provision of government in the new territories. Congress
realized that this was necessary when a number of Revolutionary soldiers formed the Ohio Land Company,
and sent an agent to New York, where Congress was in session, and offered to buy 5,000,000 acres on the
Ohio River: 1,500,000 acres were for the Ohio Land Company and 3,500,000 for the Scioto Company.
Congress were pleased to sell so much land but as the purchasers were going to send out settlers, it became
necessary to establish some kind of government for them. On the 13th of July, 1787 Congress therefore
passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which ordered that:
Northwest Ordinance 1787: The whole region from the Lakes to the Ohio, and from Pennsylvania to the
Mississippi, should be called "The Territory of the United States northwest of the river Ohio."
Northwest Ordinance 1787: The territory should be cut up into not less than three nor more than five states,
each of which might be admitted into the Union when it had 60,000 free inhabitants
Northwest Ordinance 1787: Within the territory there was to be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude
except in punishment for crime
Northwest Ordinance 1787: Until such time as there were 5000 free male inhabitants aged over 21 years old
in the territory, it was to be governed by a governor and three judges. They could not make laws, but might
adopt existing laws in the states.
Northwest Ordinance 1787: After there were 5000 free male inhabitants in the territory the people were to
elect a house of representatives, which in its turn was to elect 10 men from whom Congress was to select 5
to form a council
Northwest Ordinance 1787: The house of representatives and the council were then to elect a territorial
delegate to sit in Congress with the right of debating, not of voting
Northwest Ordinance 1787: The governor, the judges, and the secretary were to be elected by Congress
Northwest Ordinance 1787: The council and house of representatives could make laws, but must send them
to Congress for approval
Northwest Ordinance 1787 - Slave Soil
The Northwest Ordinance was only a few months old when South Carolina ceded her small strip of country
west of the mountains with the express condition that it should be slave soil. Then in 1789 North Carolina
ceded what is now Tennessee on the same condition. Congress accepted both and out of them made the
"Territory southwest of the Ohio River." in which slavery was allowed.
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Foreign Problems: Not impressed with the new American government
Britain: still occupying forts in the Northwest, so they were active on American soil: Refused to let America
trade with any British affiliated country.
Spain: controlled everything West of the Mississippi and Florida
Some settlers contemplated Spanish citizenship; no idea where the borders were.
John Jay: His most important actions again involved relations with Spain. In 1786 Jay asked Congress to
allow him to surrender American claims to the free navigation of the Mississippi–which Spain controlled from
New Orleans–in exchange for a satisfactory commercial treaty. This request met intense opposition from the
southern states and precipitated a dispute within Congress that led many national leaders to wonder about
the durability of the American union.
Barbary Pirates:
Barbary Wars, 1801–1805 and 1815–1816
The Barbary States were a collection of North African states, many of which practiced state-supported
piracy in order to exact tribute from weaker Atlantic powers. Morocco was an independent kingdom, Algiers,
Tunis, and Tripoli owed a loose allegiance to the Ottoman Empire. The United States fought two separate
wars with Tripoli (1801–1805) and Algiers (1815–1816), although at other times it preferred to pay tribute to
obtain the release of captives held in the Barbary States.
The Barbary Wars
The practice of state-supported piracy and ransoming of captives was not wholly unusual for its time. Many
European states commissioned privateers to attack each others’ shipping and also participated in the
transatlantic slave trade. The two major European powers, Great Britain and France, found it expedient to
encourage the Barbary States’ policy and pay tribute to them, as it allowed their merchant shipping an
increased share of the Mediterranean trade, and Barbary leaders chose not to challenge the superior British
or French navies.
Prior to independence, American colonists had enjoyed the protection of the British Navy. However, once the
United States declared independence, British diplomats were quick to inform the Barbary States that U.S.
ships were open to attack. In 1785, Dey Muhammad of Algiers declared war on the United States and
captured several American ships. The financially troubled Confederation Government of the United States
was unable to raise a navy or the tribute that would protect U.S. ships.
In contrast to the dispute with Algiers, U.S. negotiations with Morocco went well. Moroccan Sultan Sidi
Muhammad had seized a U.S. merchant ship in 1784 after the United States had ignored diplomatic
overtures. However, Muhammad ultimately followed a policy of peaceful trade, and the United States
successfully concluded a treaty with Morocco in 1786. However, Congress was still unable to raise enough
funds to satisfy the Dey of Algiers.
In an attempt to address the challenge posed by the Dey of Algiers, Thomas Jefferson, then U.S. Minister to
France, attempted to build a coalition of weaker naval powers to defeat Algiers, but was unsuccessful.
However, the Kingdom of Portugal was also at war with Algiers, and blocked Algerian ships from sailing past
the Straits of Gibraltar. As a result, U.S. merchant ships in the Atlantic Ocean remained safe for a time and
temporarily relieved the U.S. Government from the challenges posed by the Barbary States.
In 1793 a brief Portuguese-Algerian truce exposed American merchant ships to capture, forcing the United
States, which had thus far only managed to conclude a treaty with Morocco, to engage in negotiations with
the other Barbary States. In 1795, The U.S. Government dispatched diplomats Joel Barlow, Joseph
Donaldson, and Richard O’Brien to North Africa and successfully concluded treaties with the states of
Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. Under the terms of these treaties, the United States agreed to pay tribute to
these states. The treaty with Algiers freed 83 American sailors.
The adoption of the Constitution in 1789 gave the U.S. Government the power to levy taxes and to raise and
maintain armed forces, powers which had been lacking under the Articles of Confederation. In 1794, in
response to Algerian seizures of American ships, Congress authorized construction of the first 6 ships of the
U.S. Navy. In 1801, the Pasha of Tripoli, Yusuf Qaramanli, citing late payments of tribute, demanded
additional tribute and declared war on the United States. The United States successfully defeated
Qaramanli’s forces with a combined naval and land assault by the United States Marine Corps. The U.S.
treaty with Tripoli concluded in 1805 included a ransom for American prisoners in Tripoli, but no provisions
for tribute.
In 1812, the new Dey of Algiers, Hajji Ali, rejected the American tribute negotiated in the 1795 treaty as
insufficient and declared war on the United States. Algerian corsairs captured an American ship several
weeks later. In accordance with an agreement between the Dey and British diplomats, the Algerian
declaration was timed to coincide with the start of the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States.
The war with Britain prevented the U.S. Government from either confronting Algerian forces or ransoming
U.S. captives in Algiers. Once the Treaty of Ghent ended war with Britain, President James Madison
requested that Congress declare war on Algiers, with Congress authorizing the use of force on March 3, 1815.
The U.S. Navy, greatly increased in size after the War of 1812, was able send an entire squadron, led by
Commodore Stephen Decatur, to the Mediterranean.
When the U.S. naval expedition arrived in Algiers, a new ruler, Dey Omar, was in power. Omar wished to
restore order after several years of political instability and was acutely aware that he could no longer count
on British support against the Americans. Decatur had already defeated two Algerian warships and captured
hundreds of prisoners of war, and was in a favorable position for negotiation. Dey Omar reluctantly accepted
the treaty proposed by Decatur that called for an exchange of U.S. and Algerian prisoners and an end to the
practices of tribute and ransom. Having defeated the most powerful of the Barbary States, Decatur sailed to
Tunis and Tripoli and obtained similar treaties. In Tripoli, Decatur also secured from Pasha Qaramanli the
release of all European captives. The U.S. Senate ratified Decatur’s Algerian treaty on December 5, 1815.
Dey Omar repudiated the treaty, but another U.S. squadron arrived after a combined Anglo-Dutch
bombardment of Algiers, and U.S. commissioner William Shaler dictated terms of a new treaty which
contained essentially the same provisions as the old one. Shaler concluded his negotiations on December 23,
1815, but the Senate, owing to an accidental oversight, did not ratify the treaty until February 11, 1822.
The Barbary States, although they did not capture any more U.S. ships, began to resume raids in the
Mediterranean, and despite punitive British bombardments did not end their practices until the French
conquest of Algeria in 1830.
Annapolis Convention-1786 The Annapolis Convention was a meeting of 12 delegates from five states (New
Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia) that called for a constitutional convention. The
formal title of the meeting was a Meeting of Commissioners to Remedy Defects of the Federal Government.
The defects that they were to remedy were those barriers that limited trade or commerce between the
states under the Articles of Confederation.
The commissioners felt that there were not enough states represented to make any substantive agreement.
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and North Carolina had appointed commissioners who failed
to get to the meeting in time to attend it, while Connecticut, Maryland, South Carolina and Georgia had
taken no action at all.
The Annapolis Convention issued a call for another meeting of all of the states which was sent to Congress
and to the states. It expressed the hope that more states would be represented and that their delegates or
deputies would be authorized to examine areas broader than simply commercial trade. The direct result of
the report was the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. The Annapolis Convention was held at Mann's Tavern,
where George Washington often stayed when visiting Annapolis.
Pleading for a Federal Constitution: November 5, 1786
In a letter to James Madison not long after the Annapolis Convention adjourned, George Washington pleaded
for a new and stronger federal government. "The consequences of a lax, or inefficient government, are too
obvious to be dwelt on.-Thirteen Sovereignties pulling against each other and all tugging the federal head,
will soon bring ruin on the whole."