Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 1:33 pm Post subject: Getting to a Constitution...
Read “America in Crisis” and “Prelude to the Convention”(pp. 9–21 in the packet)
Write on the following topics (or use them as a starting point for a substantive conversation about the reading):
1. What were the prevailing forces at play before the constitutional convention? What kind of personalities were there? What was the mood? Why?
2. What was the crisis facing America? Make a list of the problems that the country faced. What are the possible solutions?
Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 6:56 pm Post subject: America in Crisis
After reading the first chapter of the reading, I come to realize that I think the biggest problem in America at this time was a lack of unity. Of course there were other problems, like the tariffs and trade restriction, but I think that these other problems came from the lack of unity amongst states. Barbash writes, "The states were in control, and, having thrown off one central government, the Crown, they were loath to replace it with another by granting Congress authority to cope" (32). Because of their previous experience with British rulership, Americans didn't want a big source of power over them. They wanted to be governed by and identify with their state. "When Jefferson spoke of 'my country' he meant the commonwealth of Virginia, not the United States" (Barbash, 33). This is where lack of unity became a problem. Since people were so focused on their their state, the country as a whole stared to collapse: the value of the American dollar decreased, trading taxes between states where high, and there was little the government could do to change anything.
Before the constitutional convention the country was in chaos. The country not only had problems with Britan but it also had majors problems internally. All the states had different laws and bodies of government. They were basically separate countries but they were not even countries that had good relationships, they were countries that were trying to get the best for themselves and did not seem to care about anyone else. The U.S. had huge debt mostly to England but they could not pay it because the states refused to pay and the U.S. was not able to make them pay taxes because the Congress had absolutely no control over any of the states. I think there were two main opinions or sides before the constitutional convention. People who believed that a stronger federal government should not be created because they had just overthrown one: the British government. "But the states were in control, and, having thrown off one central government, the Crown, they were loath to replace it with another by granting Congress authority to cope." (32) and the other side was that things had gotten so bad someone needed to take control again. Washington had this opinion, that a strong government needed to be formed to help the government. He was afraid that "people might believe he actually wanted republican government to fail, and that he had some nefarious motive for wishing it." (23 Prelude to the Convention)
Problems countries faced:
1. enormous debt-could be fixed by paying federal taxes
2. every state had its own laws and was basically its own country-make a stronger Congress which they started to do
3. Shay's Rebellion-mainly happened because so many people were in debt and their land was being taken away-would probably improve with stronger central government and federal taxes
4.Congress did not have a permanent place to meet which made it even harder for them to have any power- agree on a mutual place to build a Congress building where they meet once in a while
I agree with what Natalie is saying. I'd also like to add that acting on and instilling fear was a major component in the context of the actions of 18th century Americans. For example, in reading about the Shays' Revolution, it becomes clear that establishing fear in ones rivals was a rudimentary tactic for victory. "Congress, with no army and no money, was unable to stem the rebellion and looked on helplessly while a militia financed by businessmen finally put it down. The fear instilled was profound..." (The Constitution, 13).
Just to add this on, the concept of self (and in this/some particular cases) communal preservation was also apparent. It was explicitly outlined by the divide between those who had paper vs. hard money. "Of course those who were forced to use paper money or lose their land regarded their opponents as selfish aristocrats, antidemocratic, the old struggling to preserve itself." (The Constitution, 12).
Both of these concepts have remained a component of American culture, and are still prevalent in a modern setting. ALTHOUGH, the ways in which they are enacted are quite different from hundreds of years ago, they are still present in America today
I definitely agree with Natalie's point about the lack of unity within the country, but I also think a lot of America's problems steemed from a sense of superiority that the rich had versus the poor. Once a group of people who wouldn't have normally spoken up began to fight for their rights it became clear that there would be a power struggle within the country. Another factor was the fact that American's didn't know what to do with their new found freedom once they declared their independence which only complicated matters. "Because of the Revolution, all this was changing. For the first time ordinary people began participating in politics,..."(pg.10) thus creating new found tensions with their inability to accept the world for how it once was.
In response to the three of the four points listed above I would like to say the following:
1. I think that the usage of federal taxes during this time period would've only hindered Americans especially if they still had to pay taxes back to Britain.
2.I think a stronger Coungress would've been helpful, but I also feel as though America needed one point person to ensure that the country was progressing and that with each state's various laws a common set of laws would've eased tension between fighting states.
3. Shay's rebellion reminds me of the Recession and how so many homes are being foreclosed on right now. Even in today's government we have yet to find a way to prevent the poor from loosing their property in the event of an economic downturn.
Like Christian and Natalie I agree that the lack of unity in within the states was a problem. However I think that their previous relationship with the British, like Natalie mentioned, was the main problem, while the lack a unity was just a product of that bad relationship. I realize that very few people in the U.S. wanted to let the government have power, but they suffered because of that. It caused a large gap to begin to form between the states and the government as a whole. I think that if the government had the correct amount of power, the lack of unity could have been avoided, along with all of the other problems that Barbash wrote about.
Along the same lines, the issue with trading arose because, "Congress was could do nothing, for it was denied the power to regulate commerce." (Barbash 35) Because the lack of government presence, the states that basically controlled all of the trade ports along the Atlantic could raise prices at will. These prices made it extremely expensive for other states who did not control a port. This also goes along with Natalie's point that states only looked after themselves instead of the country
From the reading of America in Crisis
1. The Congress was so helpless that it could do nothing to solute the conflict over land, trade and debt...The Confederation Congress's trouble in leading the states together and forming a "real country" was the biggest crisis that America faced. Natalie's point makes a lot of sense to me because at that time, when the country (maybe not a "real country" yet) just stepped out of the war, conditions for each state was different. Some states were in heavy debt while others may be not much damaged. To pay off the national debt means some states must sacrifice more than they actually owed. "But the states were in control, and, having thrown off one cetral government, the Crown, they were loath to replace it with another by granting Congress authority to cope." (32). It is very understandable that when the nation is in war/crisis, the states tend to bind together and fight against the enemy. Problems that the country faced to unite:
1). debt from the war
2). land issue among states
3). slave trade issue
4). conflict over trade
5). hard money/paper money
Before there was a constitution the country was divided. Even after the constitution was ratified the country was in arms over whether or not to stay loyal to the crown. During the revolutionary war people who had never set foot in Britain fought for the crown and people who lived most of their lives there fought for a Sovereign United States. Does the milo academy teach U.S. history?
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