The American Revolution Pros And Cons

After royal authority collapsed during the Revolution, provincial congresses and bore power in each of the former colonies. In May of 1776, the Congress called on the colonies to form new state governments. Republicans limited political rights to white male property owners. 60 to 80 percent of adult white men owned property. The Revolution did not challenge exclusion of women from politics. Some women in New Jersey enjoyed suffrage, or the right to vote. Revolutionary principles sparked some people to challenge slavery. More than 50,000 slaves gained freedom as results. Many people believed the Revolution’s natural rights commitment, but didn’t want to emancipate all slaves. Ten new state constitutions were in place by the end of 1777. New constitutions

New constitutions controlled the power of governors and increased the power of the legislatures. In 1777, Congress also submitted to the states the Articles of Confederation. The powers of the central government under the Articles of Confederation was: No national judiciary, no separate executive branch, Congress is the sole national authority, and no congressional authority to raise troops or impose tax. Nationalists emerged from the creation of the Articles of Confederation as a group of leaders who spearheaded the drive to replace the Confederation with a stronger central government. Britain sought to keep America weak and dependent. Trade imbalance soared in the 1780s. Collapse of credit bubble in 1784 led to depression. Shays’ Rebellion was an armed uprising in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787 by debt-ridden farmers. The Land Ordinance of 1785 was a response to bringing public land to private land. The Ordinance created a grid system the made land available for sale. Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established political structure for new territories. The Southwest Ordinance of 1790 allowed slavery in the region south of the Ohio