Impact of the American Revolution Political and Social Equality

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Impact of the American Revolution Political and
Social Equality

• Jefferson influence from the Declaration of
  Independence All men are created equal
• New State Constitutions extended the right to
  vote, but some restrictions continued.
• People believed that they had the chance to
  become social equals to the elite.
• Revolution changes attitudes within the former
  colonies as well as severing our ties to Britain.

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Impact of the American Revolution Political and
Social Equality

• Veteran Officers hereditary Society of Cincinnati
  condemned as aristocratic.
• Loyalists lands confiscated US veterans given
  land bonuses.
• Public Education expanded.

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Impact of the American Revolution on Religion

• All citizens had to support the established
  church with taxes in most colonies before the
  Revolution.
• Thomas Jefferson thought that a partnership like
  this between church and state restricted
  religious freedom and gave the established church
  an unfair advantage.

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Impact of the American Revolution on Religion

• Virginia Statute of Religious Liberty separated
  church and state.
• Many other states begin to follow Virginias
  lead.
• Anglican Church, Church of England, becomes the
  Episcopal Church in America.

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Impact of the American Revolution on
African-Americans

• Blacks-equal more than 50,000 free blacks lived
  in America in 1780's
• Over 300,000 slaves in the South most Northern
  states freed the slaves.
• Courts began to favor lawsuits made by slaves
  southern states began to give free blacks right
  of trial by jury.
• Most African-Americans were still slaves.

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Abigail Adams Remember the Ladies . . .
Link to Biography http//www.whitehouse.gov/WH/gl
impse/firstladies/html/aa2.html
Link to Portrait http//www.firstladies.org/ABIGA
IL_ADAMS/FL.HTML
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Impact of the American Revolution of Women

• Women-status of women remained unequal.
• Abigail Adams
• denounced the lack of female equality.few
  property rights, no voting rights, a few
  academies began to admit women.

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Articles of Confederation Americas First
Constitution, 1781-1789
http//www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestone
s/articles/cover.html
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Articles of Confederation

• Written in 1777 John Dickinson approved 1781
• Alliance of independent states, Weak,
  decentralized
• Central government was in the form of Unicameral
  Congress
• Post office Set weights and measures system
• Could declare war/peace and appoint military
  officers
• Congress could not collect taxes or draft into
  the army

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Land Ordinance of 1785

• Western land divided into 36 square mile
  townships
• townships divided into 36 sections(640 acres1
  square mile).
• Townships had to set aside one section for
  support of education.

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Land Ordinance of 1785

• each acre sold for a dollar and sometimes as low
  as 10 cents.
• Squatters became a problem because the settlers
  were afraid that they were going to take over the
  land.
• Since this was a problem they passed a second
  land bill of 1787

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Land Ordinance of 1785

• The settlers are moving west in search of new
  land following the American Revolution.
• The confederation government had to come up with
  a plan for settlement

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http//www.exlaw.com/gallery/nword-1.jpg
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Northwest Ordinance

• Congress to divide the Northwest Territory into
  3 -5 separate states
• Once a territory had a population of 60,000 it
  could be admitted as a state equal to the
  original 13
• Prohibited slavery in Northwest Territory.
• This process used throughout US expansion to the
  West even after Confederation ended.

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Northwest Territory
http//www.ohiokids.org/ohc/history/h_indian/maps/
nwterrit.html
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Problems of the Confederation Era

• Revenue Problems
• Economic Depression
• Debts to former allies
• Border Problems with Britain and Spain
• Native Americans

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US-Spain Border Dispute
33rd Parallel
31st Parallel
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Daniel Shays and his men
Www.teachingcompany.com
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Shays Rebellion

• Massachusetts- 1786 and1787
• The rebels also protested taxes and court fees
  imposed by the state.
• Part of widespread discontent among small
  property owners

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SHAYS REBELLION

• Rebellion by farmers in Massachusetts against
  unsettled economic conditions and against
  politicians and laws which were grossly unfair to
  farmers and working people in general.
• They protested against excessive taxes on
  property, polling taxes which prevented the poor
  from voting, unfair actions by the courts, the
  high cost of lawsuits, and the lack of a stable
  currency.

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Shays Rebellion

• Enacted laws to reduce court fees and provide
  some relief for debtors
• support for strengthening the federal government,
  and helped lead the replacement of the Articles
  of Confederations, with the Constitution of the
  United States.

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Daniel Shays Rebellion
http//www.sjchs-history.org/Shays.html
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The Rebellion

• The rebellion started with simple petitions
• They called for paper currency
• Lower taxes
• Judicial Reform

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Shays Rebellion, 1787

• Shays lead 1100 men in attempt to take over the
  arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts.
• Caused by the rough economic conditions faced by
  Mass. Farmers who wanted reforms and issuance of
  paper money.

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Rebellion (cont.)

• On August 29, 1786, rebel mobs stormed the
  courthouse in Northampton to prevent the trial
  and imprisonment of debtors.
• In September 1786, Shays and about 600 armed
  farmers stormed the courthouse in Springfield.
  Governor Bowdoin countered with a militia of 4400
  troops.

http//www.shaysnet.com/dshays.html
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Rebellion (cont.)

• On January 25, 1787, Shays led 2000 rebels to
  Springfield, MA to storm the arsenal, but
  government forces of 1200 soldiers led by General
  Shepard quelled the uprising. The rebels were
  captured and sentenced to death for treason in
  February 1787, but they were later pardoned

http//www.shaysnet.com/dshays.html