The Critical Period of American History by John Fiske (pdf document) free file download at fliiby.com

"The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. Project Gutenberg’s The Critical Period of American History, by John Fiske This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: The Critical Period of American History Author: John Fiske Release Date: December 7, 2008 [EBook #27430] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CRITICAL PERIOD AMERICAN HISTORY *** Produced by Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper, Greg Bergquist and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Transcriber’s Note The punctuation and spelling from the original text have been faithfully preserved. Only obvious typographical errors have been corrected. THE CRITICAL PERIOD OF AMERICAN HISTORY 1783–1789 BY JOHN FISKE "I am uneasy and apprehensive, more so than during the war." Jay to Washington, June 27, 1786. -1- The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY The Riverside Press, Cambridge Copyright, 1888, By JOHN FISKE. All rights reserved. The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A. Electrotyped and Printed by H.O. Houghton & Co. To MY DEAR CLASSMATES, FRANCIS LEE HIGGINSON AND CHARLES CABOT JACKSON, I DEDICATE THIS BOOK. PREFACE. This book contains the substance of the course of lectures given in the Old South Meeting-House in Boston in December, 1884, at the Washington University in St. Louis in May, 1885, and in the theatre of the University Club in New York in March, 1886. In its present shape it may serve as a sketch of the political history of the United States from the end of the Revolutionary War to the adoption of the Federal Constitution. It makes no pretensions to completeness, either as a summary of the events of that period or as a discussion of the political questions involved in them. I have aimed especially at grouping facts in such a way as to bring out and emphasize their causal sequence, and it is accordingly hoped that the book may prove useful to the student of American history. My title was suggested by the fact of Thomas Paine’s stopping the publication of the "Crisis," on hearing the news of the treaty of 1783, with the remark, "The times that tried men’s souls are over." Commenting upon this, on page 55 of the present work, I observed that so far from the crisis being over in 1783, the next five years were to be the most critical time of all. I had not then seen Mr. Trescot’s "Diplomatic History of the Administrations of Washington and Adams," on page 9 of which he uses almost the same words: "It must not be supposed that the treaty of peace secured the national life. Indeed, it would be more correct to say that the most critical period of the country’s history embraced the time between 1783 and the adoption of the Constitution in 1788." -2- The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. That period was preëminently the turning-point in the development of political society in the western hemisphere. Though small in their mere dimensions, the events here summarized were in a remarkable degree germinal events, fraught with more tremendous alternatives of future welfare or misery for mankind than it is easy for the imagination to grasp. As we now stand upon the threshold of that mighty future, in the light of which all events of the past are clearly destined to seem dwindled in dimensions and significant only in the ratio of their potency as causes; as we discern how large a part of that future must be the outcome of the creative work, for good or ill, of men of English speech; we are put into the proper mood for estimating the significance of the causes which determined a century ago that the continent of North America should be dominated by a single powerful and pacific federal nation instead of being parcelled out among forty or fifty small communities, wasting their strength and lowering their moral tone by perpetual warfare, like the states of ancient Greece, or by perpetual preparation for warfare, like the nations of modern Europe. In my book entitled "American Political Ideas, viewed from the Standpoint of Universal History," I have tried to indicate the pacific influence likely to be exerted upon the world by the creation and maintenance of such a political structure as our Federal Union. The present narrative may serve as a commentary upon what I had in mind on page 133 of that book, in speaking of the work of our Federal Convention as "the finest specimen of constructive statesmanship that the world has ever seen." On such a point it is pleasant to find one’s self in accord with a statesman so wise and noble as Mr. Gladstone, whose opinion is here quoted on page 223. To some persons it may seem as if the years 1861–65 were of more cardinal importance than the years 1783–89. Our civil war was indeed an event of prodigious magnitude, as measured by any standard that history affords; and there can be little doubt as to its decisiveness. The measure of that decisiveness is to be found in the completeness of the reconciliation that has already, despite the feeble wails of unscrupulous place-hunters and unteachable bigots, cemented the Federal Union so powerfully that all likelihood of its disruption may be said to have disappeared forever. When we consider this wonderful harmony which so soon has followed the deadly struggle, we may well believe it to be the index of such a stride toward the ultimate pacification of mankind as was never made before. But it was the work done in the years 1783–89 that created a federal nation capable of enduring the storm and stress of the years 1861–65. It was in the earlier crisis that the pliant twig was bent; and as it was bent, so has it grown; until it has become indeed a goodly and a sturdy tree. Cambridge, October 10, 1888. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. RESULTS OF YORKTOWN. PAGE Fall of Lord North’s ministry Sympathy between British Whigs and the revolutionary party in America It weakened the Whig party in England 1 2 3 -3- The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. Character of Lord Shelburne Political instability of the Rockingham ministry Obstacles in the way of a treaty of peace Oswald talks with Franklin Grenville has an interview with Vergennes Effects of Rodney’s victory Misunderstanding between Fox and Shelburne Fall of the Rockingham ministry Shelburne becomes prime minister Defeat of the Spaniards and French at Gibraltar French policy opposed to American interests The valley of the Mississippi; Aranda’s prophecy The Newfoundland fisheries Jay detects the schemes of Vergennes And sends Dr Vaughan to visit Shelburne John Adams arrives in Paris and joins with Jay in insisting upon a separate negotiation with England The separate American treaty, as agreed upon: 1. Boundaries 2. Fisheries; commercial intercourse 3. Private debts 4. Compensation of loyalists Secret article relating to the Yazoo boundary Vergennes does not like the way in which it has been done On the part of the Americans it was a great diplomatic victory Which the commissioners won by disregarding the instructions of Congress and acting on their own responsibility The Spanish treaty The French treaty Coalition of Fox with North 4 5, 6 7, 8 9–11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23, 24 25 26 27 28–32 33 33 34 35 36 37 38–42 -4- The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. They attack the American treaty in Parliament And compel Shelburne to resign Which leaves England without a government, while for several weeks the king is too angry to appoint ministers Until at length he succumbs to the coalition, which presently adopts and ratifies the American treaty The coalition ministry is wrecked upon Fox’s India Bill Constitutional crisis ends in the overwhelming victory of Pitt in the elections of May, 1784 And this, although apparently a triumph for the king, was really a death-blow to his system of personal government CHAPTER II. THE THIRTEEN COMMONWEALTHS. 43 44 44 45 46 47 48, 49 Cessation of hostilities in America Departure of the British troops Washington resigns his command And goes home to Mount Vernon His "legacy" to the American people The next five years were the most critical years in American history Absence of a sentiment of union, and consequent danger of anarchy European statesmen, whether hostile or friendly, had little faith in the stability of the Union False historic analogies Influence of railroad and telegraph upon the perpetuity of the Union Difficulty of travelling a hundred years ago Local jealousies and antipathies, an inheritance from primeval savagery Conservative character of the American Revolution State governments remodelled; assemblies continued from colonial times Origin of the senates in the governor’s council of assistants Governors viewed with suspicion Analogies with British institutions The judiciary 50 51 52 53 54 55 56, 57 58 59 60 61 62, 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 -5- The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. Restrictions upon suffrage Abolition of primogeniture, entails, and manorial privileges Steps toward the abolition of slavery and the slave-trade Progress toward religious freedom Church and state in Virginia Persecution of dissenters Madison and the Religions Freedom Act Temporary overthrow of the church Difficulties in regard to ordination; the case of Mason Weems Ordination of Samuel Seabury by non-jurors at Aberdeen Francis Asbury and the Methodists Presbyterians and Congregationalists Roman Catholics Except in the instance of slavery, all the changes described in this chapter were favourable to the union of the states But while the state governments, in all these changes, are seen working smoothly, we have next to observe, by contrast, the clumsiness and inefficiency of the federal government CHAPTER III. THE LEAGUE OF FRIENDSHIP. 70 71 72–75 76, 77 78, 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 The several states have never enjoyed complete sovereignty But in the very act of severing their connection with Great Britain, they entered into some sort of union Anomalous character of the Continental Congress The articles of confederation; they sought to establish a "league of friendship" between the states But failed to create a federal government endowed with real sovereignty Military weakness of the government Extreme difficulty of obtaining a revenue Congress, being unable to pay the army, was afraid of it Supposed scheme for making Washington king Greene’s experience in South Carolina 90 91 92 93–97 98–100 101–103 104, 105 106 107 108 -6- The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. Gates’s staff officers and the Newburgh address The danger averted by Washington Congress driven from Philadelphia by mutinous soldiers The Commutation Act denounced in New England Order of the Cincinnati Reasons for the dread which it inspired Congress finds itself unable to carry out the provisions of the treaty with Great Britain Persecution of the loyalists It was especially severe in New York Trespass Act of 1784 directed against the loyalists Character and early career of Alexander Hamilton The case of Rutgers v. Waddington Wholesale emigration of Tories Congress unable to enforce payment of debts to British creditors England retaliates by refusing to surrender the fortresses on the northwestern frontier CHAPTER IV. DRIFTING TOWARD ANARCHY. 109 110, 111 112 113 114–117 118 119 120, 121 122 123 124–126 127, 128 129, 130 131 132, 133 The barbarous superstitions of the Middle Ages concerning trade were still rife in the eighteenth century The old theory of the uses of a colony Pitt’s unsuccessful attempt to secure free trade between Great Britain and the United States Ship-building in New England British navigation acts and orders in council directed against American commerce John Adams tried in vain to negotiate a commercial treaty with Great Britain And could see no escape from the difficulties except in systematic reprisal But any such reprisal was impracticable, for the several states imposed conflicting duties 134 135 136 137 138 139, 140 141 142 -7- The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. Attempts to give Congress the power of regulating commerce were unsuccessful And the several states began to make commercial war upon one another Attempts of New York to oppress New Jersey and Connecticut Retaliatory measures of the two latter states The quarrel between Connecticut and Pennsylvania over the possession of the valley of Wyoming The quarrel between New York and New Hampshire over the possession of the Green Mountains Failure of American diplomacy because European states could not tell whether they were dealing with one nation or with thirteen Failure of American credit; John Adams begging in Holland The Barbary pirates American citizens kidnapped and sold into slavery Lord Sheffield’s outrageous pamphlet Tripoli’s demand for blackmail Congress unable to protect American citizens Financial distress after the Revolutionary War State of the coinage Cost of the war in money Robert Morris and his immense services The craze for paper money Agitation in the southern and middle states Distress in New England Imprisonment for debt Rag-money victorious in Rhode Island; the "Know Ye" measures Rag-money defeated in Massachusetts; the Shays insurrection The insurrection suppressed by state troops Conduct of the neighbouring states The rebels pardoned Timidity of Congress 143, 144 145 146 147 148–150 151–153 154, 155 156, 157 158 159 160 161 162 163, 164 165 166 167 168 169–171 172 173 174–176 177–181 182 183 184 185, 186 -8- The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. CHAPTER V. GERMS OF NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY. Creation of a national domain beyond the Alleghanies Conflicting claims to the western territory Claims of Massachusetts and Connecticut Claims of New York Virginia’s claims Maryland’s novel and beneficent suggestion The several states yield their claims in favour of the United States Magnanimity of Virginia Jefferson proposes a scheme of government for the northwestern territory Names of the proposed ten states Jefferson wishes to prohibit slavery in the national domain North Carolina’s cession of western lands John Sevier and the state of Franklin The northwestern territory Origin of the Ohio company The Ordinance of 1787 Theory of folkland upon which the ordinance was based Spain, hearing of the secret article in the treaty of 1783, loses her temper and threatens to shut up the Mississippi River Gardoqui and Jay Threats of secession in Kentucky and New England Washington’s views on the political importance of canals between east and west His far-sighted genius and self-devotion Maryland confers with Virginia regarding the navigation of the Potomac The Madison-Tyler motion in the Virginia legislature Convention at Annapolis, Sept 11, 1786 Hamilton’s address calling for a convention at Philadelphia 187, 188 189 189, 190 190 191 192 193, 194 195 196 197 198 199 200, 201 202 203 204–206 207 208, 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 -9- The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. The impost amendment defeated by the action of New York; last ounce upon the camel’s back Sudden changes in popular sentiment The Federal Convention meets at Philadelphia, May, 1787 Mr. Gladstone’s opinion of the work of the convention The men who were assembled there Character of James Madison The other leading members Washington chosen president of the convention CHAPTER VI. THE FEDERAL CONVENTION. 218–220 221 222 223 224, 225 226, 227 228 229 Why the proceedings of the convention were kept secret for so many years Difficulty of the problem to be solved Symptoms of cowardice repressed by Washington’s impassioned speech The root of all the difficulties; the edicts of the federal government had operated only upon states, not upon individuals, and therefore could not be enforced without danger of war The Virginia plan, of which Madison was the chief author, offered a radical cure And was felt to be revolutionary in its character Fundamental features of the Virginia plan How it was at first received The House of Representatives must be directly elected by the people Question as to the representation of states brings out the antagonism between large and small states William Paterson presents the New Jersey plan; not a radical cure, but a feeble palliative Straggle between the Virginia and New Jersey plans The Connecticut compromise, according to which the national principle is to prevail in the House of Representatives, and the federal principle in the Senate, meets at first with fierce opposition But is at length adopted And proves a decisive victory for Madison and his methods 230 231 232 233–233 236 237–239 240, 241 242 243 244 245 246–249 250, 251 252 253 - 10 - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. A few irreconcilable members go home in dudgeon But the small states, having been propitiated, are suddenly converted to Federalism, and make the victory complete Vague dread of the future west The struggle between pro-slavery and anti-slavery parties began in the convention, and was quieted by two compromises Should representation be proportioned to wealth or to population? Were slaves to be reckoned as persons or as chattels? Attitude of the Virginia statesmen It was absolutely necessary to satisfy South Carolina The three fifths compromise, suggested by Madison, was a genuine English solution, if ever there was one There was neither rhyme nor reason in it, but for all that, it was the best solution attainable at the time The next compromise was between New England and South Carolina as to the foreign slave-trade and the power of the federal government over commerce George Mason calls the slave-trade an "infernal traffic" And the compromise offends and alarms Virginia Belief in the moribund condition of slavery The foundations of the Constitution were laid in compromise Powers granted to the federal government Use of federal troops in suppressing insurrections Various federal powers Provision for a federal city under federal jurisdiction The Federal Congress might compel the attendance of members Powers denied to the several states Should the federal government he allowed to make its promissory notes a legal tender in payment of debts? powerful speech of Gouverneur Morris Emphatic and unmistakable condemnation of paper money by all the leading delegates 254 255 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 272 273 274 - 11 - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Critical Period of American History 1783–1789, by John Fiske. The convention refused to grant to the federal government the power of issuing inconvertible paper, but did not think an express prohibition necessary If they could have foreseen some recent judgments of the supreme court, they would doubtless have made the prohibition explicit and absolute Debates as to the federal executive Sherman’s suggestion as to the true relation of the executive to the legislature There was to be a single chief magistrate, but how should he be chosen? Objections to an election by Congress Ellsworth and King s..."

You need to upgrade your Flash Player , or try to enable javascript in order see this document properly.