7.1 Republicanism, Virtue, and Life under the Articles of Confederation, 1781-1788
Introduction - George Washington’s Republican Virtue: The American Cincinnatus
I. Articles of Confederation
1. With the articles, the thirteen states retained their own sovereignty.
2. The national government was a one-house Congress, in which each state had
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only one vote.
No president existed to enforce laws, and no judiciary existed to interpret the
laws.
Major decisions required the approval of nine states, rather than a simple
majority.
The national government only had powers related to war—the powers to declare
war and conduct foreign relations.
Congress could make money but not impose taxes or regulate commerce, and its
revenue came from the voluntary contributions of state governments.
Amendments to the articles never received enough votes to pass.
Although the articles made a strong central government impossible, they did
enable the states to surrender their disputed claims to western lands and give
them to the federal government—a major achievement.
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II. The West
III. Land Ordinances
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Ordinance of 1784
Ordinance of 1785 - Old Northwest
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
IV. Confederation’s Weaknesses
Reactions to Shay’s Rebellion (1786-1787): Shay’s Rebellion forced Americans to
ponder the meaning of the Revolution. Those who opposed the rebellion saw in it the
danger of placing too much faith in virtue as a foundation for republican government. But
for the farmers who took up arms against government, the rebellion demonstrated the
continuing validity of the right of revolution. Shays and his supporters also couched their
appeals in terms of republican ideals about the common good. Consider the different
reactions of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to the rebellion. Why do you
think Washington was so shaken by the rebellion? How do you account for Jefferson’s
greater sympathy for the rebels?
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A. In this letter to General Henry Knox dated December 26, 1786, George Washington
expressed his alarm over the uprising in western Massachusetts, lamenting that America’s
belief that virtue could provide a solid foundation for government may have been excessively
naive.
I feel, my dear Genl. Knox infinitely more than I can express to you, for
the disorders which have arisen in these States. Good God! who besides a tory
could have foreseen, or a Briton predicted them! were these people wiser than
others, or did they judge of us from the corruption, and depravity of their own
hearts? The latter I am persuaded was the case, and that notwithstanding the
boasted virtue of America, we are far gone in every thing ignoble and bad.
I do assure you, that even at this moment, when I reflect on the present
posture of our affairs, it seems to me to be like the vision of a dream. My mind
does not know how to realize it, as a thing in actual existence, so strange, so
wonderful does it appear to me! In this, as in most other matter, we are too slow.
When this spirit first dawned, probably it might easily have been checked; but it
is scarcely within the reach of human ken, at this moment, to say when, where,
or how it will end. There are combustibles in every State, which a spark might set
fire to.
B. From Paris, where he was serving as America’s minister, Thomas Jefferson wrote
to James Madison on January 30th, 1787, inquiring about his views of Shay’s Rebellion.
Jefferson offered his own preliminary assessment in which he expressed guarded
support for the rebels.
I am impatient to learn your sentiments on the late troubles in the Eastern
states. So far as I have yet seen, they do not appear to threaten serious
consequences...I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing,
and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful
rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the
people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render
honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to
discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of
government.
V. Nationalists of the 1780s
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HIST 220: MID-TERM REVIEW PART ONE
Essay: 3 options on exam, must write 1 (70 points)
The essay prompts will be drawn from the following units, specifically the big questions for each
unit, and the themes or historical periods that we discussed in each unit. If you come into the
exam having a good, well-reasoned, and detailed response to each of the two big questions,
you should do well on the essay section.
Unit 1: Beginnings - When did the American Experience begin?
...during the “New World” period, BCE to 1600
...during the “English America” period, 1607-1660
...during the “Anglo-America” period, 1660-1750
...during the struggles over slavery, party politics, and empire in places like New
York City, 1700s (see Lepore’s New York Burning)
….during the Seven Years War, the American Revolution, or the Early National
period
Unit 2: New Nation, 1763-1815 - Was the American Revolution a total break between
the colonies and the “Old World,” a “family quarrel” within the British world, or
something else? Consider the following chronological periods for help:
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The American Revolution Period, 1763-1783 (remember the three legs of
Britishness and the progression from the Stamp Act to Common Sense to the
Declaration of Independence)
The Revolution within the American Revolution (remember the mini-revolutions
and the supposed radicalization of the American people)
Founding a Nation, 1783-1789 (remember the idea of republican virtue and the
issues surrounding federal governance: Articles of Confederation, Constitution,
Bill Rights); also keep in mind the idea of American cultural identity
Securing the Republic, 1790-1815 (remember the political party formations,
economics, and and the relationship with Europe, specifically with England)
Identifications of People, Places, Events, Etc: 12 on exam, must write 6 (30 points)
Each identification should consist of a three to five sentence description of the term.
To receive all five points, you must describe the item (where appropriate mention
geographical place, date, and people, movements, etc. associated with it) and give its
historical significance – that is, its relationship to the themes, events, and issues we
have discussed in class (for example, what caused it?, what did it cause?, what larger
phenomenon does it reflect?, what long term consequences did it have?, etc.).
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