Westward Expansion and the Early United States Government
Articles of Confederation
1781-1789 (First Form of Government)
1781 – Final Victory at Yorktown | 1783 – Treaty is signed. Considered the extreme opposite of a monarchy, the Articles of Confederation established a central government significantly weaker than the states. This national government (unicameral) consisted solely of Congress (no executive or judicial branches), a one-house legislative system. Each state had one vote (despite potentially sending multiple representatives). While small farmers generally approved of the Articles, figures like Hamilton found them problematic.
Funding the army proved difficult, as states contributed funds at their discretion. The lack of uniform currency hindered interstate commerce, further complicated by interstate tariffs. Ultimately, the Articles were deemed too weak, requiring 9 out of 13 votes to pass laws.
Differences Between Articles and the Constitution
- Articles: 9 of 13 votes needed to pass a law
- Constitution: 51% of vote (in each chamber of Congress)
Additionally, a 2/3 vote of the Senate is required to ratify any treaty.
Timeline
- 1785: Increasing dissatisfaction with the Articles leads to the Mount Vernon Convention (organized by Hamilton).
- 1787: The Constitutional Convention convenes in Philadelphia. Initially intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, the delegates ultimately draft an entirely new governing document.
- 1788: The Constitution is completed in September, followed by a year-long debate. Delaware becomes the first state to ratify.
- 1790: The First Census is conducted.
Economic Compromises
- Fugitive Slave Law: Free states were obligated to return fugitive slaves to the South, though this law was not strictly enforced.
Constitutional Convention
Fifty-five delegates from all states except Rhode Island assembled, chosen by their respective state legislatures. James Madison, considered the “Father of the Constitution,” served as secretary. George Washington presided over the convention, with notable figures like Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and George Mason (who ultimately did not sign) also in attendance.
Agreements
- A consensus emerged that the Articles of Confederation needed replacement.
- Delegates agreed the new government should have a chief executive and elected officials.
- They concurred on the principle of popular sovereignty, where ultimate authority resides with the people.
- Agreement was reached on a three-branch government with a system of checks and balances.
Disagreements
- The Great Compromise: This debate centered on representation in the legislature, with large states favoring population-based representation (Virginia Plan) and small states advocating for equal representation for all states (New Jersey Plan). The Connecticut Compromise proposed a bicameral legislature incorporating elements of both plans.
- The 3/5 Compromise: This controversial compromise determined that slaves would count as 3/5 of a person for purposes of representation and taxation.
- Economic Compromises: Disagreements arose over commerce, taxation, and the slave trade.
Economic Issues
- Paper Money: The conventions at Mount Vernon and Annapolis addressed the implications of a uniform currency.
- British Imports: The influx of British goods into the US market posed a challenge.
- North-South Divide: The Southern states’ reliance on an agrarian economy contrasted with the North’s industrialization, leading to conflicts over tariffs. This North-South tension persisted until the Civil War.
Western Expansion
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone, an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman, became one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Overcoming resistance from Native American tribes like the Shawnee, Boone blazed his Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap in 1775. This route through the Appalachian Mountains connected North Carolina and Tennessee to Kentucky. Boone’s exploits made him a legend, inspiring countless tall tales and works of fiction. His adventures, both real and mythical, shaped the archetypal Western hero in American folklore.
Jedediah Smith
was a hunter, trapper, fur trader, trailblazer, author, cartographer and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the American West Coast and the Southwest during the 19th century. First white man to travel all the way to California. Smith was the first United States citizen to explore and eastwardly cross the Sierra Nevada and the treacherous Great Basin. The path that he used became the main route used by pioneers to travel to the Oregon Country. Surviving three massacres and one bear mauling, Jedediah Smith’s explorations and documented discoveries were highly significant in opening the American West to expansion by white settlers and cattlemen
-Lewis + Clark expedition 1804-1806
was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific coast undertaken by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, it was led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
one goal was to find “the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce. gained an understanding of the geography of the Northwest and produced the first accurate maps of the area.documented unknown natural resources and plants. The expedition recorded more than 200 plants and animals that were new to science and noted at least 72 native tribes
-Louisiana Purchase 1803
Acquisition from france, 828,000 square miles territory of Louisiana for 15million dollars. Jefferson made this purchase to remove france’s presence in the region and to protect both US trade access to the port of New Orleans and free passage on the Mississippi River. Largest territorial gain in us history stretching from miss river to rocky mountains, it doubled the size of the US.Considered one of jeffersons greatest contributions to the united states.
-Donner Party (cannibalism)
The Donner Party was a group of 87 American pioneers who in 1846 set off from Missouri in a wagon train headed west for California, only to find themselves trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada. The subsequent casualties resulting from starvation, exposure, disease, and trauma were extremely high, and many of the survivors resorted to cannibalism.
-What was it like for pioneers and families going west? What went wrong?
Pioneer settlers were sometimes pushed west because they couldn’t find good jobs that paid enough. Others had trouble finding land to farm. With more and more people from Europe moving into the eastern states, crowding was sometimes a problem. Still others wanted to move from their homes in the east because they didn’t like the new industries and the developing cities. The biggest factor that pulled pioneers west was the opportunity to buy land. Pioneers could purchase land for a small price compared to what it cost in states to the east.
-What was life like on a plantation?
The slaves had hard work to do, they had to get up at 4am to bring crops in from the plantations and they only had a 15 minute break. If they were late for work they would have been whipped. They worked very long hours, even the young children had to work long hours as well. The women what are pregnant had to work in till the baby is born. If the slaves didn’t work hard enough they would be whipped by the overseer. At the end of the day, the slaves still had to do chores for the slave owner.