1. Govt. gets its authority
from the citizens.
2. A selfless, educated
citizenry.
3. Elections should be
frequent.
The
“Virtuous
Republic”
4. Govt. should guarantee
individual rights &
freedoms.
5. Govt.’s power should be
limited [checks & balances].
6. The need for a written
Constitution.
7. “E Pluribus Unum.” [“Out of
many, one”]
8. An important role for
women  raise good,
virtuous citizens.
[“Republican Womanhood”].
TTTo
To what extent did
Republican ideals take
hold in American culture
and politics following the
revolution?
Republican Ideals
Equality
Freedom
Consent of the Govern
(State Sovereignty)
I. Cultural
Equality
A. Changed old medieval cultural ways
1. No Titles (Mr. + Mrs. Reserved by the wealthy now used by
common men + women)
2. No Orders (Masters became bosses, no indentured
servitude)
3. Inheritances (no more primogeniture where the eldest son
is entitled to the land)
4. Religious Reform (Separation of church and state)
Freedom
1.End of the Slave Trade (1774,
Requests made during the 1st Continental
Congress. Some states abolish it)
2. Anti-Slavery
Society (1775,
Quakers establish the first abolitionist
movement)
Self Government
1. State Constitutions
In 1776, the 2nd Continental Congress
encouraged states to create their own
Constitutions. (Constitutions are contracts
= consent of the govern).
II. Political
Est. of the Articles of
Confederation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Ratified in 1781
Strong States rights
Weak central government
No executive or judiciary
No power to tax
1 state = 1 vote
Unicameral legislature
8. Nine of 13 vote on bills
9. Unanimous (13/13) vote on amendments
10. Can make treaties
11. Can establish Post Offices
Strengths of the Art. of Confed.
1. Ended the American Revolution
2. Land Ordinance of 1785 (Land
sales to pay off debt)
3. Northwest Ordinance of 1787
(Territorial rules for admittance into the
Union = Statehood)
Weaknesses of the Articles
1. Poor foreign relations (some states ignore
treaties)
2. Britain- disputes over Canadian border
3. Spain – closes water rights on the
Mississippi River.
4. France – demands repayment for war
loans and restricts trade in the West
Indies.
Weakness
5. Internal Rebellions
Shay’s rebellion. The Confederate
government relied on the Massachusetts
militia to suppress the rebellion. The militia
was paid for by Boston merchants.
Results / Effects
The Constitutional
Convention 1787