Term Paper on "Revolutionary America"

Term Paper 8 pages (2441 words) Sources: 2 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Revolutionary America

Describe Shay's Rebellion and the influence it had on the ratification of the Constitution

The Shay's Rebellion can be considered to be an important moment in the history of the young Confederation struggling to face up to the challenges of the post revolutionary war effects. It was a rebellion started off in Massachusetts which spread across the region in an attempt to enable the break away from the old system of debts, taxes, and levies which impoverished the peasants and the small merchants.

The main causes of the rebellion were in fact related to the issue of taxes and the historical background of the post revolutionary situation. More precisely, after the independence from Great Britain the colonies had to adapt to a different economic system which was clearly not dependent on the British mercantile system (Jenkins, 1997). At the same time though, the war of independence had put an important strain on the economic situation of the colonies which had to pay the war debts that followed the confrontation with the British forces. Therefore, one of the most important causes of the rebellion was the fact that "states like Massachusetts attempted to pay off their creditors by raising taxes and implementing import duties on all incoming goods. These taxes would be a cause of contention because Americans hated taxes, particularly direct taxes. In fact, taxation was one of the leading causes of the American Revolution" (Brainard, 2005).

Another major issue which stirred up the discontent of the poor population in the state was the fact that taxes and levies were imposed on them without any clear justification. In this sense, there were two forces which opposed in Massachusetts. On the one hand, there was the small peasantry which was struggling to pay the taxes and have a decent living; "New England's merchants and shippers, in contrast, had wide-ranging, dynamic mercantile interests and more cosmopolitan social relations" (Calliope, 2008). Therefore, from this point-of-view, there was a clash not only in terms of the real life of the people but also in terms of the way in which the two sides viewed the economic development of the society. Thus, while the farmers were more agrarian, the merchants had a more liberal and mercantile means of viewing the development of the states.

The rebellion started in 1786 when groups of farmers were organized by Daniel Shay, one of the leading figures in the Revolutionary war. The main goal of the gatherings was to "march upon the hated debtors' courts and force them to postpone their business" in the sense that these institutions forced them to pay extra taxes and levies regardless of their financial possibilities. (Brainard, 2005).

The climax of the rebellion was the march towards "the government arsenal at Springfield in January 1787, the only means of standing off troops who were advancing from Boston under General Benjamin Lincoln. At the arsenal, the defending militia commanded by General William Shepard unexpectedly fired their cannons into the ranks of the advancing rebels, killing four and wounding 20" ((Brainard, 2005). Following this failure, the rebellion was losing its momentum and the revolutionary forces became isolated and dispersed. Some of the prominent faces of the rebellion were tried for treason.

Despite the failure of the rebellion, it did have benefic effects, especially for the drafting of the Constitution. In this sense, a new governor was chosen, one who enjoyed the popularity of the people and represented their immediate interests. At the Convention held in Philadelphia however, the example of the rebellion was presented as a clear case and reason for a strong central government that would be able to foresee such acts of mutiny and react to them in a more conclusive manner. At the same time, it pointed out the failure of the present system in dealing with discontent farmers and the population as a whole.

Thoroughly study the Constitution and discuss the extent to which it is democratic and the extent to which it is not.

The text of the United States Constitution is viewed as one of the most democratic texts in the history of the study of the forms of government. It points out precisely some of the basic elements of the democratic system. Nonetheless, the initial text of the Constitution failed to address certain aspects in terms of rights for the people.

First, one can notice the clear delimitation of the powers in the state. In this sense, there is the legislative, the executive, and the judicial powers that share their attributions. In totalitarian states or in regimes which are not built according to the principles of democracy, this delimitation is not visible; even if in the constitution of the respective state, there is the mentioning of the separation of powers, their independence is not guaranteed by the state apparatus or the institutions.

The legislative function "shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives" (U.S. Constitution, n.d.). The fact that there is a division of powers enables the population to have a better grasp on the way in which decisions are taken at the legislative level. The main cause of the American Revolution had been precisely the lack of representativeness in the British Parliament. With the constitution the right of the people to be represented was established and guaranteed through law. At the same time, it enabled the citizens, at least theoretically, to decide on the way in which the country would be run.

The executive part of the federal framework included the Federal government as well as the state governments. At this point however, there were certain aspects which considered the Constitution to lack a democratic view. In this sense, it was considered at the time that an important topic for debate was the powers of the federal government as opposed to those of the state governments. In the end, it was decided on a strong central government because it was important that the Unity of the Union be kept and strengthened. However, those who argued against increased powers for the federal government considered that the states must have a stronger say in the way in which policies were conducted, funds raised, and financing provided to the projects that would make the United States develop.

Another aspect which must be considered is the fact that the Constitution allowed for small states to have an important vote in the Congress. On the one hand, it can prove to be a good thing because people feel more represented; on the other hand however, giving more power to smaller states can be considered to be a lack of democratic rule.

Finally, in the initial state of the Constitution, the right to vote was not universal. More precisely, women were allowed to vote as late as the 20th century, while African-Americans were not given this right either from the beginning. This would come to point out the fact that in the early days of the democratic process in the United States, while all men were considered equal, not all of them enjoyed the same rights.

According to Middlekauff the British fought one kind of war and the Americans fought another kind. Explain Robert Middlekauff is one of the most respected scholars in terms of the history of colonial America. His books and works on the American Revolutionary war are important sources of documentation for the description and analysis of the period. He often pointed out although not explicitly that the American war of independence was fought differently than the British response. This is largely due to the way in which the events of the time can be interpreted in the international context as well as the internal one.

First, there is the issue of the international context. As presented by Robert Middlekauff in "The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution" the fight for independence of the colonies was more than a regional battle (1985). The war was in itself a struggle for supremacy between the British Empire and the French. In this sense, the French had established themselves as an important presence especially in the North of the United States and exercised a growing pressure on the British. It was "a European war" (Middlekauff, 1985). Thus, "since 1763 the French had husbanded their outrage and dreamed of revenge against the British for the defeat they suffered in the Seven Years War. Not surprisingly, the upheavals in the British colonies alerted the French government to the possibility of splintering the British Empire" (Middlekauff, 1985, 396). It would mark the balance of power in Europe as well taking into account the fact that the rivalries between the French and the British were consumed better in an environment outside the European continent.

Second, the perspective on the war was different in terms of the colonies and the British Empire. The colonies considered the war to be in fact a revolution against a system that was no longer catering for the needs of the… READ MORE

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