Simone Lawson
The American Revolutionary War had a significant impact on the creation and content of the United States Constitution. The war, which lasted from 1775 to 1783, resulted in the independence of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain and the formation of a new nation. As the war raged on, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, creating a weak central government with limited authority. However, by 1787, it became apparent that a stronger and more effective government was needed to address disputes and disagreements between the states. This led to the calling of a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where delegates from twelve states assembled to draft a new constitution. The resulting document, the United States Constitution, established a federal republic with three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judiciary, and divided powers between the state and federal governments. The Constitution also addressed issues such as territory disputes, war pensions, taxation, and trade, which had threatened to tear the young nation apart. The war's influence extended beyond politics, as it inspired revolutions worldwide and set an example for overthrowing monarchy and colonial rule. The United States Constitution, with its guarantee of certain inalienable rights, became a model for other countries, demonstrating the far-reaching impact of the American Revolutionary War on the nation's foundational document.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Formation of a new republic | The United States of America was born |
| Weak central government | The Articles of Confederation created a weak central government with limited authority |
| State constitutions | State constitutions were drafted and ratified |
| Federal republic | A federal republic was created with three separate branches of government: an executive, legislative, and judiciary |
| Division of power | The Constitution divided power between the state and the federal governments |
| Right to vote | The U.S. Constitution granted white land-owning men the right to vote |
| Strengthening of slavery | The U.S. Constitution strengthened and legitimized the institution of slavery |
| Women's suffrage | The Constitution did not grant women the right to vote, but through years of protest and civic engagement, the women's suffrage movement led to the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote |
| Influence on other revolutions | The American Revolution set an example to overthrow monarchy and colonial governments, inspiring revolutions in France, Haiti, Latin America, and elsewhere |
| Written constitution | The United States has the world's oldest written constitution, which was used as a model in other countries |
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What You'll Learn
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
The American Revolutionary War was an event that reshaped the political, economic, and societal landscape, not just in America but around the world. It produced two significant documents: the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
The Declaration of Independence, influenced by the Enlightenment philosophy of John Locke, laid the foundation for the American Revolution. It reflected the ideals of liberty and human rights, with concepts such as "no taxation without representation" at its core. The Declaration's impact extended beyond the colonies, influencing other revolutionary movements worldwide.
The Constitution of the United States of America, drafted in 1787, became the cornerstone of the American Federal Government. It addressed the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, which lacked enforcement powers and the ability to regulate commerce or print money. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington played pivotal roles in convening a Grand Convention of state delegates to revise the Articles. The Constitution created a federal republic with three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judiciary. It divided power between the states and the federal government, establishing a powerful central government.
The Constitution, written in the present tense, was designed as a "living document" to adapt to the changing needs of the nation. It granted white male landowners the right to vote, while the issue of slavery was more ambiguous. While the three-fifths compromise and federal assistance in apprehending runaway slaves strengthened the institution of slavery, the American Revolution also saw the manumission of some enslaved men who fought in the war and the escape of others to free territories. The Constitution's impact extended beyond America, inspiring revolutions in France, Haiti, Latin America, and elsewhere.
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The Articles of Confederation
However, the Articles of Confederation had several shortcomings. It lacked enforcement powers and could not regulate commerce, print money, or force state delegates to attend Congress meetings. Disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart. It also failed to prevent states from conducting their own foreign diplomacy and was unable to prevent the landing of convicts that the British Government continued to export to its former colonies.
Recognizing the weaknesses of the Articles, Congress used them as a stepping stone to create a more effective government for their nation. The Articles were retired in 1789 when the present-day Constitution went into effect.
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State constitutions and sovereignty
The Revolutionary War had a significant impact on the creation and shaping of the US Constitution. The war led to the emergence of a quasi-government in the form of the 2nd Continental Congress, which adopted the Articles of Confederation—the US's first constitution. These articles established a "league of friendship" among the 13 independent states, with each state retaining its sovereignty, freedom, and independence.
However, the Articles of Confederation also had limitations. They gave the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding powers but provided no enforcement mechanisms, and the central government had insufficient authority to regulate commerce or resolve disputes between states. This led to concerns about the young country's stability, as disagreements over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear it apart.
As a result, a Constitutional Convention was assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. The delegates, representing diverse interests and views, created a powerful central government, establishing a federal republic with three branches: executive, legislative, and judiciary. The Constitution they drafted divided power between the states and the federal government, bypassing state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state.
During this period, each state also operated under its own constitution, with Pennsylvania's being the most radical. Its constitution of 1776 abolished property requirements for voting and holding office, dramatically expanding the concept of a "political person." Pennsylvania also eliminated the office of the governor, viewing it as akin to a small-scale monarchy. In contrast, South Carolina's state constitution of 1778 had high property requirements for voting and political office, excluding 90% of white adults from the latter.
In summary, the Revolutionary War catalysed the formation of the Articles of Confederation, which served as the first US constitution. However, its limitations led to the drafting of the US Constitution, which established a more robust central government while also accommodating the sovereignty and interests of the individual states. The post-Revolutionary War era also witnessed the emergence of state constitutions, with Pennsylvania's embracing popular sovereignty and South Carolina's maintaining property-based restrictions.
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Voting rights and suffrage
During the Revolutionary era, suffrage was extended to some previously disenfranchised groups, such as Roman Catholics and Jews. Free African Americans gained the right to vote in several states, including North Carolina, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Vermont. However, they remained voteless in Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. The 1776 New Jersey State Constitution also briefly extended suffrage to women, with statutes passed in 1790 and 1797 defining voters as "he or she". This lasted until 1807 when a new state law restricted the vote to white men.
In the early 19th century, state legislatures began to relax property requirements for voting, transitioning towards universal white manhood suffrage. However, this progress was not without setbacks, as seen in Rhode Island, where a lack of democratization led to the Dorr War. In 1843, Rhode Island adopted a new constitution that extended the vote to all tax-paying native-born adult males, including African Americans, but imposed property and residency requirements on immigrants.
Following the Civil War, Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the denial of the right to vote based on race, which was ratified in 1870. However, many Southern states implemented barriers such as poll taxes and literacy tests to suppress the votes of African Americans, Native Americans, and immigrants. Despite these challenges, the suffrage movement gained momentum in the early 20th century, attracting support from women from various backgrounds. World War I fueled support for the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in 1920 after decades of agitation and protest.
The Nineteenth Amendment was a significant milestone, legally guaranteeing American women the right to vote. However, it is important to note that the struggle for voting rights continued for African Americans and minority women even after the passage of the amendment. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 took major steps to address voter suppression and ensure fair representation in redistricting maps.
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Slavery and the three-fifths compromise
The American Revolutionary War set an example for overthrowing both monarchy and colonial governments. The United States has the world's oldest written constitution, which has served as a model for other countries. The Revolution inspired revolutions in France, Haiti, Latin America, and elsewhere. The war resulted in the creation of a powerful central government, with the delegates crafting compromises to represent the diverse interests and perspectives of the states.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a pivotal agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, addressing the contentious issue of slavery and representation. The compromise dictated that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be considered when determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives. This agreement was struck between delegates from the Northern and Southern states, with the former seeking representation based on the free population, and the latter threatening to abandon the convention if slaves were not counted.
The compromise was proposed by delegate James Wilson and seconded by Charles Pinckney, who suggested a "House of Delegates" with representation proportional to the state populations, including three-fifths of the black population. While the compromise reduced representation for slave states compared to free states, it still resulted in overrepresentation for slaveholding states in national politics. Additionally, it increased the direct federal tax burden on these states.
The Three-Fifths Compromise had significant implications for the political landscape, potentially influencing the outcome of the 1800 presidential election in favour of Jefferson and impacting policies related to slavery and indigenous peoples. The compromise also included a provision for the recapture of fugitive slaves and a moratorium on congressional bans against the importation of slaves until 1808, while individual states retained the right to prohibit slave imports.
While the compromise fell short of abolishing slavery, it reflected a recognition among the Founding Fathers that slavery conflicted with the ideal of liberty central to the American Revolution. The Three-Fifths Compromise, along with other aspects of the Constitution, became a subject of debate among abolitionists leading up to the Civil War. Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, eventually superseded the compromise, explicitly repealing it.
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Frequently asked questions
The Revolutionary War led to the creation of the United States of America, with the Second Continental Congress becoming a quasi-government and adopting the Articles of Confederation, creating a loose confederation between the new states.
The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money. This led to disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade. This prompted a Grand Convention of state delegates to revise the Articles of Confederation, resulting in the Constitution of the United States, which divided power between the state and federal governments.
The U.S. Constitution had both positive and negative impacts on slavery. While it strengthened and legitimized the institution by allowing the importation of slaves and offering federal assistance in apprehending runaway slaves, the war itself helped weaken slavery. Some enslaved men who fought in the war were manumitted, and others were able to escape the colonies during the conflict.
The U.S. Constitution granted white, land-owning men the right to vote, excluding women. The women's suffrage movement eventually led to the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote.
