Download Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic

CHAPTER 7
Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic,
1770-1796
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After you read and analyze this chapter, you should be able to:
1.
Cite how Americans of the late eighteenth century chose to define a good citizen in a republic and
how their colonial experiences influenced the outcome of state constitution writing and the
organization of a central government under the Articles of Confederation.
2.
Explain why some political leaders believed the Articles of Confederation hindered national
growth and prosperity and describe the alternative they proposed.
3.
Describe the struggle over how powerful the national government ought to be and demonstrate
how the Constitution of the United States mirrors that struggle.
4.
Compare the arguments and methods employed by Federalists and Antifederalists in their struggle
over ratification of the Constitution.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I.
America’s First Constitutions
A. The State Constitutions
1. There was disagreement over who “the people” were.
a) Pennsylvania eliminated property requirements and gave the vote to all white
males.
b) Maryland kept property qualifications for voting and even higher property
requirements to serve in office.
2. Disagreement also existed on how much power elected officials should have.
a) Pennsylvania gave ALL power to them by having a unicameral legislature and no
governor.
b) Maryland kept a governor and a two-house legislature, one higher than the other.
3. The other states fell between these two extremes of democracy (Pennsylvania and the
more conservative Maryland).
a) New Jersey gave the vote between 1776 and 1807 to women with property.
4. A new set of constitutions beginning in the 1780s expanded the powers of state
governments and restricted voting and officeholding to property holders.
a) On the other hand, checks and balances and bills of rights restricted the powers of
state governments.
B. The Articles of Confederation
1. Establishing a national government took six years.
a) John Dickinson drafted a proposed constitution in 1775.
b) Congress revised his draft in 1775-1776 by reducing the powers of the national
government.
c) The states took up the proposal in 1777 but could not come to agreement until
1781.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
74
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
2.
II.
Features of the Confederation government:
a) It consisted of only a unicameral legislature in which each state had one vote.
b) It could not tax or regulate trade.
c) Slaves were to be counted in full for tax purposes (i.e., as people rather than as
property).
3. Quarrels over control of the Northwest Territory delayed ratification of the new
government until 1781.
a) Maryland refused to ratify by arguing that the lands there should belong to the
government.
b) Virginia and the other states holding land claims finally renounced them in order
to achieve ratification.
Challenges to the Confederation
A. Depression and Financial Crisis
1. A postwar depression affected the entire country.
a) The economic downturn affected all classes.
b) England barred American products and limited American ships in its Caribbean
colonies.
c) The value of paper money plunged.
2. Robert Morris proposed a tariff on imported goods to pay off foreign loans taken by
the government.
a) The states, particularly Rhode Island, refused.
B. The Northwest Ordinances
1. To raise money, the government decided to sell land in the Northwest Territory.
a) The Ordinance of 1784 mandated creation of five new states in the region.
b) The Ordinance of 1785 set up a system for selling the land to private individuals.
c) The Ordinance of 1787 prescribed the number of people required for statehood
and banned slavery in the region.
C. Diplomatic Problems
1. Trouble flared with the British.
a) In the Northwest Territory, they refused to vacate their forts, and they armed the
region’s American Indians.
b) Ambassador John Adams could not win trade concessions from them.
2. Spain barred Americans from the Mississippi River.
a) Negotiator John Jay was unable to win access.
3. Barbary pirates seized American ships and crews.
D. A Farmers’ Revolt
1. The farmers of western Massachusetts were deeply affected by the postwar economic
depression.
a) Farmers protested rents, land prices, heavy taxes, debts, high judicial fees, and
the failure of central governments to provide protection from Indian attacks or
frontier bandits.
b) The state legislature refused to pass stay laws to give them temporary relief or to
print more paper money.
c) The legislature also raised taxes.
2. Western farmers closed local debtors’ courts and freed imprisoned debtors.
a) The state government broke their movement (Shays’ Rebellion) by using military
force.
E. The Revolt of the “Better Sort”
1. Critics of the Articles of Confederation government believed that the United States
faced a grave crisis.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
75
They cited the weak government, the quality of Congress’s members, diplomatic
problems, and Shays’ Rebellion.
b) The critics were often members of the elite.
2. Leading Virginians convened a meeting at Annapolis to discuss trade problems and
other conflicts among the states.
a) Their real purpose was to lay the groundwork for creation of a stronger national
government.
b) The delegates convinced Congress to call a convention in Philadelphia in 1787 to
discuss trade between the states and governmental reform.
III. Creating a New Government
A. Revise or Replace?
1. The delegates at Philadelphia first had to choose between revision and rejection of the
Articles of Confederation.
2. The Virginia Plan called for rejecting the Articles and for creating a stronger
government.
a) It provided for three branches of government, each checking and balancing the
other.
3. The delegates differed over representation in Congress.
a) Large states favored the Virginia Plan: (1) two houses and (2) the number of
members based on a state’s population.
b) Small states favored the New Jersey Plan: (1) unicameral and (2) each state has
the same number of members.
c) The Great Compromise provided for: (1) a two-house legislature, (2) membership
in the lower house based on a state’s population, and (3) membership in the upper
equal for each state.
d) How to elect members of Congress was also settled by compromise: (1) upper
house to be elected by state legislatures and (2) the lower by each state’s eligible
voters.
e) The Three-Fifths Compromise settled the conflict over how to count slaves and
allowed the slave trade to last 20 more years.
B. Drafting an Acceptable Document
1. The concept of checks and balances guided the assignment of powers to the president
and Congress.
2. The Electoral College compromise solved the controversy over participation by
ordinary voters in electing the president.
IV. Resolving the Conflict of Vision
A. The Ratification Controversy
1. To win ratification, supporters used several tactics.
a) They called themselves Federalists.
b) They ratified conventions in each state.
c) Approval by only nine states was necessary for adoption.
2. Local conditions often dictated positions for and against the Constitution.
a) Voters in states with strong economies tended to be against it.
b) Voters in small, weak states tended to be in favor of it.
c) Urban residents tended to be in favor of it; backcountry and rural inhabitants
were more likely to oppose it.
3. Antifederalists argued the country was not in crisis; Federalists were elitists; the
Constitution would lead to tyranny and had no bill of rights.
B. The Federalist Victory
1. Local conditions proved important in securing approval of the Constitution.
a) Small states quickly ratified it (except for Rhode Island).
a)
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
76
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
Washington’s influence was decisive for Virginia’s approval.
Federalist agreement to add a bill of rights to the Constitution helped secure
ratification in many states.
C. President George Washington
1. Washington established two important precedents.
a) He advocated the use of a simple title to address the president.
b) He held Cabinet meetings.
Competing Visions Re-emerge
A. Unity’s Achievements
1. Congress created a federal judicial system.
a) The Judiciary Act of 1789 created federal courts and spelled out the powers of
the Supreme Court.
2. To finance the government, Congress approved import duties.
3. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution.
B. Hamilton’s and Jefferson’s Differences Emerge
1. Hamilton and Jefferson had vastly conflicting ideas about the future course of
American society.
a) Hamilton envisioned an economy rooted in manufacturing and commerce.
b) Jefferson wished to preserve America as an agricultural society.
2. They and their followers split into the first political parties: the Federalists and the
Republicans.
C. Hamilton’s Economic Plan
1. Hamilton proposed that the government redeem its notes by paying the current holders
full face value.
a) Jefferson’s followers opposed the plan as rewarding unscrupulous speculators,
but Congress approved it.
2. Hamilton proposed that the government assume responsibility for the states’ debts.
a) Selection of the site of the national capital resulted from the controversy over this
proposal.
3. Hamilton next secured creation of a national bank.
a) “Strict construction” versus “broad construction” of the Constitution emerged as
another difference between Jefferson and Hamilton.
4. Hamilton suggested customs duties and government subsidies to stimulate the
development of manufacturing.
D. Foreign Affairs and Deepening Divisions
1. The French Revolution presented America with a difficult foreign affairs problem.
a) At first, most Americans supported the Revolution, but sentiment swung against
it because of the Reign of Terror and when France went to war against the rest of
Europe.
b) France expected America’s support against England under the terms of the treaty
between France and the United States.
2. France attempted to build support in the United States for its cause.
a) Completely disregarding President Washington, Genet attempted to recruit
Americans to fight for France.
b) Washington proclaimed American neutrality in the war between France and
England.
E. More Domestic Disturbances
1. Hamilton’s Federalists argued that the republic was in danger from Jefferson’s
Republicans.
2. In the wake of the French Revolution and British interference in the west and on the
seas, organizations rose up to make demands on the government.
b)
c)
V.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
77
a)
F.
G.
The Democratic-Republican societies and pro-French political groups most
worried President Washington.
b) Washington blamed them for the ill-fated Whiskey Rebellion.
The Jay Treaty (1794)
1. Britain agreed to evacuate the western forts and granted small trade favors to America
in the West Indies.
2. The United States agreed to see that all prewar debts to British merchants were finally
paid.
3. Jay, however, abandoned America’s demand for freedom of the seas and conceded the
British navy’s right to remove French property from any neutral ship.
4. The overwhelming backlash against the treaty weakened the prestige and authority of
the Washington administration.
5. In the Northwest Territory, Anthony Wayne defeated the Indians at the Battle of Fallen
Timbers.
a) The Indians ceded title to lands in Ohio in the Treaty of Grenville.
Washington’s Farewell
1. Washington chose retirement over a third term.
a) In his Farewell Address, he warned against the growth of political parties and
involvement in foreign affairs.
IDENTIFICATIONS
Identify the following items and explain the significance of each. While you should include any
relevant historical terms, using your own words to write these definitions will help you better remember
these items for your next exam.
1.
Alexander Hamilton
2.
The Federalist Papers
3.
farthing
4.
unicameral
5.
bicameral
6.
Bill of Rights
7.
John Dickinson
8.
Articles of Confederation
9.
proportional representation
10. ratification
11. speculator
12. redeem
13. Robert Morris
14. tariff
15. depression
16. Northwest Ordinances
17. Treaty of Fort Stanwix
18. Hopewell Treaties
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
78
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
19. John Jay
20. Barbary pirates
21. squatter
22. stay laws
23. Daniel Shays
24. Shays’ Rebellion
25. nationalists
26. James Madison
27. Virginia Plan
28. New Jersey Plan
29. veto
30. Great Compromise
31. Three-Fifths Compromise
32. executive powers
33. Electoral College
34. discretion
35. ratifying conventions
36. Mercy Otis Warren
37. Federalists
38. Antifederalists
39. despotism
40. fait accompli
41. protégé
42. cabinet
43. Judiciary Act of 1789
44. civil liberties
45. subsidy
46. free trade
47. Federalists faction
48. Republicans
49. faction
50. sectionalism
51. fiscal
52. inequities
53. implied power
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
79
54. strict constructionist
55. broad constructionist
56. capital
57. French Revolution
58. Reign of Terror
59. Prussia
60. Edmund Genêt
61. neutrality
62. repudiation
63. Democratic-Republican societies
64. Whiskey Rebellion
65. Treaty of San Lorenzo
66. envoy
67. Jay’s Treaty
68. partisan
69. Battle of Fallen Timbers
70. Treaty of Grenville
71. market economy
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
Select the correct answer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
The conventional eighteenth-century American view of republican government included all of the
following concepts EXCEPT
a.
ultimate power to rule rests with the people.
b. a monarchy is a desirable form of government.
c.
those who govern are elected by those who are governed.
d. those who govern represent the interests of those who elected them.
The Articles of Confederation government was a weak one because it
a.
did not have the power to tax.
b. had a two-house legislature but no executive branch.
c.
was forbidden to wage war.
d. failed to obtain title to the Northwest Territory.
The Northwest Ordinances had the effect of
a.
extending the size of the original thirteen states.
b. developing the procedure for creating new states.
c.
pushing the last vestiges of British authority from the Northwest.
d. weakening the national government’s authority.
The fact that the Barbary pirates could kidnap Americans and sell them into slavery demonstrated
that
a.
George Washington was correct in urging Americans to stay away from involvement in
European affairs.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
80
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
b. foreigners would take action against American provisions for slavery in the Constitution.
c.
Spain would not protect American shipping on the Mississippi River.
d. the Articles of Confederation government was very weak.
5. The concept of checks and balances was embraced by the Constitutional Convention as a way to
a.
prevent abuses of power by any group or individual.
b. keep Congress subordinate to the executive branch.
c.
make certain the president was subordinate to the military.
d. help the North balance its small slave population against the South’s far greater number of
slaves.
6. The Great Compromise resolved the differences between the New Jersey and Virginia plans
principally through the use of
a.
a bicameral legislature.
b. a constitutional monarchy.
c.
a bill of rights.
d. virtual representation.
7. The Three-Fifths Compromise
a.
authorized three-fifths of the voters of each state to cast ballots in presidential elections.
b. refers to the fact that only nine of the states were required to ratify the Constitution for it to
be adopted.
c.
permitted slaves to be counted for purposes of representation in Congress.
d. was rejected by the southern states because it did not allow all slaves to be counted in
calculations of the number of a state’s representatives in Congress.
8. The Electoral College method of electing the president
a.
was created to prevent the possibility of a tyrannical president.
b. suggests that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention believed fervently in
democracy.
c.
made it impossible for an uneducated person to vote in elections.
d. took direct voting for this office away from the voters.
9. Those who favored adoption of the Constitution called themselves Federalists because
a.
the term had been a popular one during the Revolutionary War because it was applied to
patriots.
b. they knew that opposition to a strong national government was widespread.
c.
it was a meaningless term—and therefore would not cause alarm among opponents of the
Constitution.
d. the central government was called the federal government.
10. In the battle to ratify the Constitution,
a.
those who supported ratification were always in the clear majority.
b. supporters of ratification argued that the country faced grave crises.
c.
opponents of ratification were more likely to be holders of great wealth.
d. the promise to limit the importance of the Electoral College was often useful in winning
support for ratification.
11. As a consequence of the differences between Hamilton and Jefferson,
a.
two great political divisions (or parties) developed.
b. the national capital was established at a southern location.
c.
the competing doctrines of strict construction and broad construction emerged.
d. All of these
12. In addition to encouraging commerce and manufacturing, Hamilton
a.
attempted to establish a hereditary presidency.
b. hoped to replace George Washington as president.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
81
c.
favored close ties with Britain.
d. opposed the addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution.
13. Washington’s reaction to the Whiskey Rebellion indicates that he
a.
favored a national government strong enough to enforce its policies.
b. was tired of controversy and would not run again for office.
c.
decided that the English were again provoking trouble in the country’s frontier regions.
d. sympathized with Shays’ Rebellion.
14. By the time that George Washington retired, the
a.
United States faced grave tensions with its old ally, France.
b. United States rejected the treaty negotiated by John Jay.
c.
government conceded defeat to the whiskey rebels.
d. South decided to secede from the United States under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson.
15. In his Farewell Address, Washington warned his fellow citizens about the dangers from
a.
an industrial economic policy.
b. Hamilton’s economic theories.
c.
internal riots and rebellions.
d. political parties.
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1.
Americans in the late eighteenth century believed that government must be kept weak in order to
prevent the rise of tyranny and to guarantee the rights of the people. Show how the governments
they formed embodied these beliefs.
DEVELOPING YOUR ANSWER: At the state level, several of the constitutions adopted during
the 1770s and 1780s reflected the prevailing fear of strong government. Pennsylvania, for one,
decided not to have a governor because of the belief that concentrating too much power in one
man’s hands was dangerous. In Massachusetts, the state constitution incorporated the idea of
checks and balances, so that no branch of government could become too strong. Many states
adopted bills of rights to guarantee such fundamental rights as freedom of speech and assembly
and trial by jury. Such guarantees were adopted to prevent the government from trampling on the
rights of the people.
At the national level, the Articles of Confederation government was purposely made impotent. As
in Pennsylvania, there was no executive branch. The government could not tax. Passing a tariff
required the unanimous consent of all the states.
Although the Constitution of the United States provided for a much stronger government, it also
reflected the contemporary fear of too much power in the hands of the government. The authors of
the Constitution relied on checks and balances—of which you can provide as many examples as
possible—to prevent any branch of government or any official from becoming too powerful.
Furthermore, they agreed to the addition of the Bill of Rights, which, like the states’ bills of rights,
guaranteed the fundamental freedoms against the incursions of government.
2.
Without major compromises, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention undoubtedly would
have failed to create a new government. Identify the major compromises they agreed to and
explain the necessity for each.
DEVELOPING YOUR ANSWER: The compromises that you should explore in your essay are:
a.
The Great Compromise proposed by Roger Sherman of Connecticut
b.
The compromise over how senators and representatives were to be chosen
c.
The Three-Fifths Compromise
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
82
3.
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
In 1787-1788, a great debate on whether to approve the Constitution or to reject it absorbed the
energies of many Americans, with Federalists arguing in favor and Antifederalists against. Which
side of the debate would you have supported had you been present at the time? Why?
DEVELOPING YOUR ANSWER: If you choose to argue as a Federalist, then you should explain
why you would have believed the Articles of Confederation provided for an inadequate
government. Discuss specific economic and diplomatic problems that the government it created
could not handle, as well as Shays’ Rebellion as an example of how society seemed to be falling
apart. Finally, explain why the government proposed by the new Constitution would be more
likely to handle economic, diplomatic, and social problems successfully and how it would not
trample on the rights of the people despite Antifederalist warnings that it would.
If, on the other hand, you decide to argue the Antifederalists’ case, then you should explore the
dangers that the Constitution posed to the rights of the people because of its excessive
concentration of power. Then, too, you will want to argue that there really was no great economic,
diplomatic, or social crisis as the Federalists insisted, that they were elitists, and that the absence
of a bill of rights proved that they were not sensitive to the likelihood that a strong government
would sooner or later trample on the rights and liberties of the people.
4.
Summarize the parts of Hamilton’s economic program and demonstrate how they reflected his
vision of how the United States ought to develop.
DEVELOPING YOUR ANSWER: By describing each element of Hamilton’s program in turn,
you will be able to discuss his belief that America ought to become a commercial and
manufacturing nation, and that the national government ought to become as powerful as possible.
To achieve these goals, Hamilton sought to:
5.
a.
Establish the nation’s reputation for being a good credit risk—by paying off bonds issued in
bygone years at their face value to current holders
b.
Increase the power of the new national government—by paying off even the debts owed by
the states
c.
Add to the prestige of the national government by building close ties between the country’s
wealthy people and the government—through creation of a national bank
d.
Help manufacturers—through customs duties and government subsidies to business
Although geographically far from Europe, the United States found that it was difficult to avoid
controversy with foreign nations. Describe America’s problems with other countries during the
1780s and 1790s.
DEVELOPING YOUR ANSWER: During the 1780s, the United States faced difficulties with two
nations still present on the North American continent: England, because of continued occupation
of forts in the Northwest and because the British armed the Indians there; and Spain, which barred
American access to the Mississippi River, a vital artery for travel and commerce. The difficulties
with England were compounded by its refusal to grant trade concessions to America, a problem
that made it more difficult for the country to climb out of its economic depression.
For the 1790s, you must demonstrate how the French Revolution confronted the United States
with the issue of whom to support, France or England, or whether to remain neutral. In addition,
you should discuss other sources of tension with England and how the Washington administration
sought to resolve them in Jay’s Treaty.
MAP EXERCISES
To answer the following questions, consult the opening map in Chapter 7 in your textbook.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
1.
Did the battle over ratification of the Constitution hearken back in any way to such earlier
controversies as the ones associated with the Regulators and the Paxton Boys?
2.
How did the inhabitants of the regions in which Shays’ Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion
occurred regard the proposed Constitution? Does any common thread unite them with the
prerevolutionary era groups mentioned in the previous question?
3.
Where was sentiment in favor of ratification strongest?
83
INDIVIDUAL CHOICES
Alexander Hamilton
To answer the following questions, consult the Individual Choices section at the beginning of the
chapter.
1.
How was Alexander Hamilton’s life a tale of rags to riches?
2.
Who was the most important mentor in Hamilton’s life?
3.
Why do you think that Hamilton was not happy with being just a gentleman but also wanted to be
a statesman?
4.
Explain some of the ways in which Hamilton influenced our national government. Which one of
his contributions was most important? Why do you think so?
5.
Why was Hamilton called the architect of American industrialization? As you do more reading
about this time period, think about what evidence you find to support this assertion.
INDIVIDUAL VOICES
Examining a Primary Source: Alexander Hamilton Envisions a
Prospering America
To answer the following questions, consult the Individual Voices section at the end of the chapter.
1.
Identify the Report on Manufacturing. Why was it a significant document?
2.
Hamilton was well aware that the need for the national government to support manufacturing was
still disputed. Why do you think he begins with the claim that most people now support this type
of government involvement in the economy?
3.
What arguments do you think Jefferson or Madison would use to defend the superiority of
agriculture over manufacturing or commerce?
4.
What were some of the “embarrassments” suffered by Americans during the war?
RUBRIC: As you complete the following rubric distinguishing between the arguments of the
Federalists and the Antifederalists, think about why the Federalists and the Antifederalists believed so
strongly in their opposing views.
AREAS OF
DISAGREEMENT
FEDERALISTS
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
ANTIFEDERALISTS
84
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
ANSWERS TO MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
1.
b.
Because this statement is not true, it is the correct choice. In a republic, there is no
monarchy, because of the belief that power should derive from the people rather than from a king
or queen. See page 182.
a.
Because this statement is true, it is not the correct choice. Republican theory specified that
power emanates from the people. See page 182.
c.
Because this statement is true, it is not the correct choice. Republican ideology holds that the
people elect those who are to govern. See page 182.
d. Because this statement is true, it is not the correct choice. Individuals elected to office in a
republic are expected to represent the interests of those who chose them. See page 182.
2.
a.
The Confederation government could not tax; it had to rely on the states for funds and had
no means to compel them to make contributions. See page 185.
b.
It had a unicameral legislature and no executive branch. See page 185.
c.
There was no such prohibition. In fact, after it went into operation in 1781, the
Confederation government continued to prosecute the war against Great Britain until the peace of
1783. See page 185.
d. In order to secure ratification of the Articles of Confederation, states with claims in the
Northwest Territory ceded them to the new government. See page 186.
3.
b.
The ordinance of 1784 allowed for five new states to be created in the Northwest Territory,
and the ordinance of 1787 prescribed the number of people required to apply for statehood. See
page 188.
a.
The original states that had claims to the lands covered by the Northwest Ordinances had
already ceded them to the government. See pages 188.
c.
The British remained in their forts in the Northwest despite their commitment in the Treaty
of Paris to surrender them to the United States. See page 188.
d. Organizing the Northwest Territory was one of the successes of the national government
under the Articles of Confederation. Furthermore, it provided a way for Congress to raise money.
See page 188.
4.
d.
America’s inability to cope with the Barbary pirates is another example of the weakness of
the government under the Articles of Confederation. For the government’s impotence in foreign
affairs (including the Barbary pirates problem), see page 190.
a.
Washington did not make this recommendation until he delivered his Farewell Address in
1796; the Barbary pirates seized and sold American sailors into slavery as early as the 1780s.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
85
b. The Constitution, with its recognition of slavery’s existence, was written in 1787, while
Barbary pirates had seized American sailors and sold them into slavery before then. See page 190.
c.
The problem with the Barbary pirates occurred along the coast of North Africa, far from the
Mississippi River. See page 190.
5.
a.
See pages 193-194.
b. Each branch is the equal of the other; and each can check and balance the other. See pages
193-194.
c.
The president is the commander in chief of the military, but Congress has the power to
declare war and to raise an army. See pages 193-194.
d. “Checks and balances” refers only to the three branches of the federal government under the
Constitution. See pages 194-195.
6.
a.
The New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral legislature in which each state had equal
representation, while the Virginia Plan envisioned a bicameral legislature with representation
calculated on the basis of population. The Great Compromise established a bicameral legislature,
with equal representation in the upper house and representation based on population in the lower.
See pages 194-195.
b.
The new government was a republican one, and republics do not have monarchs.
c.
The omission of a bill of rights in the original Constitution occasioned widespread
opposition to its adoption. See pages 196-197.
d. The lower house was to be elected by the population at large, thereby providing actual
representation as opposed to virtual representation. See pages 194-195.
7.
c.
See pages 194-195.
a.
The voters were not to participate in direct election of the president; only a very small
number of electors (the Electoral College) were to elect the president. See pages 194-195.
b. It refers to the method by which slaves were to be included in a state’s population count for
the purpose of determining the number of representatives to which it was entitled in the House of
Representatives and for purposes of taxation. See pages 194-195.
d.
8.
The southern states accepted the compromise. See pages 194-195.
d.
Instead of the voters at large, electors chosen by each state were to vote for the president.
See page 195.
a.
Its purpose was to exclude direct participation by the people in the election of the president.
See page 195.
b. On the contrary, by opposing direct participation by the people, it revealed their skepticism
about democracy. See page 195.
c.
9.
The Electoral College system did not establish qualifications for voting. See page 195.
b.
Those who favored strong state government and weak national government had taken the
term during the Revolution. It was now adopted by those who believed the very opposite. See
page 196.
a.
During the Revolution, the term connoted opposition to strong central government. See page
196.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
86
Chapter 7: Competing Visions of the Virtuous Republic, 1770-1796
c.
It had a specific meaning, one that was designed to allay the fears of those who opposed
ratification. See page 196.
d. The central government during the Revolution was referred to as the Confederation. See
page 196 for the term’s connotations.
10. b.
See pages 196-197.
a.
Supporters and opponents were often evenly matched. See pages 196-197.
c.
Wealthy men of commerce, for example, often supported ratification. See pages 196-197.
d. The Electoral College did not figure as an issue of great significance during the debate over
ratification. See pages 196-197.
11. d.
a.
Because a, b, and c are true, this is the correct choice. See pages 201-202.
Although this statement is true (see pages 201-202), it is not the correct choice.
b. Although this statement is true, it is not the correct choice. The Jeffersonians agreed to
support Hamilton’s proposal that the federal government assume the debts of the states, in return
for moving the capital to the area between Maryland and Virginia. See pages 201-202.
c.
Although this statement is true, it is not the correct choice. The two doctrines emerged as a
consequence of Hamilton’s proposal to establish a national bank. See pages 201-202.
12. c.
See pages 202-203.
a.
Hamilton’s grand vision for the nation did not include creation of a monarchical presidency.
See pages 202-203.
b.
There is no evidence for this. See pages 202-203.
d. As a staunch supporter of the Constitution, who wrote part of The Federalist Papers,
Hamilton voiced no opposition to the Bill of Rights. See pages 196 and 202-203.
13. a.
He was determined to demonstrate the government’s ability to enforce even its unpopular
laws. See pages 205-207.
b. The battle over Jay’s Treaty and mounting criticism helped him decide to limit his service as
president to two terms. See pages 205-207.
c.
The opposition among Pennsylvania’s farmers to the tax on whiskey was purely home
grown. See pages 205-207.
d. His decision to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion shows that he had no sympathy for revolts
by western farmers. See pages 205-207.
14. a.
Washington’s decision to adhere to a policy of neutrality resulted in a diplomatic crisis with
France. See page 207.
b.
The Senate had narrowly approved it. See pages 207-208.
c.
Washington smashed their uprising. See page 207.
d.
There is absolutely no evidence for such.
15. d.
Washington warned against the development of political parties. See pages 207.
a.
See page 207.
b.
See page 207.
c.
See page 207.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.