Basic Interactive Dashboard

Resolution

The Insurgent Phase of the American Revolution

Information on the beginning of the Revolutionary War

Coercive Acts

American response and General Thomas Gage

American colonists were infuriated with these acts. Click here to listen/read about their response and the general that enforced them!

Revolutionary War

The beginning of the war and the governing body

The Battles of Lexington and Concord began the revolution, and the Continental Congress goverened the colonies throughout it.

Road to Independence

The hardships that led to American Independence

Not all Americans were sure that they wanted to risk independence, and it took convincing to change people's minds. Click here to read more!

The Battle of Lexington & Concord; The Battle of Bunker Hill

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Common Sense

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Resistance

Click here to hear about The Lee Resolution and the document that secured and enforced indepence for America!

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Click here to view my sources!

Info

Electoral College

The Constitutional Convention

Information on the debates and outcome of the Constitutional Convention

Debates

The debates and basic information on the convention

Many delegates gathered to debate and propose their own plans, such as James Madison who set the precedent for the debates Click here to listen/read more.

Branches

The debate over legislative and executive branches

These new branches included a lot of specific details that needed to be worked out. Click here to learn more!

Constitution

Basic info. on the Constitution and the convention

The constitution had some flaws, and abolitionists used them to their advantage. The Constitution is also flexible. Click hear to read more!

Sources

Bibliography

The Constitutional Convention; Signing of the Constitution

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Facts

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Slavery

What is the Electoral College, and what does it do, anyways? Click here to listen to or read more about it !

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Click here to view my sources and bibliography!

Many colonists were still proud to be British and were against independence because they knew that separation from the British Empire could and would be dangerous. In general, the actions of the British throughout the Revolutionary War, including oppression, financial problems, acts of violence and aggression, and the lack of representation, gradually changed the minds of many colonists who initially resisted the idea of independence.

Parliament passed The Prohibitory Act, which stated that colonies could no longer trade with each other or with the world, and put all American ports and ships under the control of the British navy. It also stated that any colonial ship could be taken as a prize, meaning that there was no more protection for colonial shipping.

Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation stated that indentured servants and slaves would be free if they fought in the war. 1,000 slaves ran to Dunmore, and hundreds were captured whilst trying. They joined the Ethiopian Regiment, and some even wore sashes that read: “Liberty to Slaves”. This proclamation convinced a lot of Southern colonists, who had been hesitant to join the revolution, that reconciling with Great Britain was no longer possible. Many Americans believed that if the British were willing to establish a slave revolt, then they did not want to be a part of Great Britain any longer.

“Common Sense” by Thomas Paine is the famous piece of literature that made the case for independence from Great Britain. Paine stated that “there is something very absurd in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.” It also stated that freedom in America would never be secured under British rule, because the monarchy was the problem. This was the first statement that directly blamed the King, instead of Parliament or the King’s ministers. Paine’s Common Sense was considered the “second shot heard round the world," calling for independence.

Common Sense

The Constitution gives the federal government the power over the territories, so they can make laws regarding freedom and enslavement. Congress had the power to govern Washington DC, so eventually they could use their constitutional power to abolish slavery in the nation’s capital. The president is the Commander in Chief, and the army protects the country, so if slave states rebel, you can destroy slavery using the army. Finally, the Constitution can be amended.

The Constitution also had loopholes that allowed abolitionists to abolish slavery:

Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3, states that non-slave states must return escaped slaves to their slave holders. This is called the Fugitive Slave Clause.

Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1, states that the International slave trade and the importation of Africans into the United States could not be banned before 1808.

Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3, states that slaves will be classified as 3/5ths of a person. So 3/5ths of all enslaved people in one state are represented in Congress, giving power to the slave states.

The Constitution had a few articles that protected slavery, including:

The Constitution is used in numerous different ways, and changes based on politics in the time that it is being analyzed and examined. There are many different interpretations of the document as well and can be used to support or combat certain topics. Even abolitionists found loopholes in the document and found new ways to interpret the Constitution to abolish slavery. Therefore, the Constitution, in my opinion, is what we make of it.

Some delegates refused to sign the Constitution because it lacked a Bill of Rights. George Mason proposed a national Bill of Rights, but it was voted down by every state delegation because each state already had one, and they believed it to be redundant.

The emoluments clause states that “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” So, if you are part of the United States government, not a relative, but a part of the government, then you cannot accept any gift, money, or anything from any foreign prince, or state.

More facts on the Constitution:

Eric Totten, "Upstarts and Rogues," University of Arkansas, 2/23/24

Sources

Eric Totten, "The Constitutional Convention," University of Arkansas, 3/4/24

Sources

American Yawp textbook, "A New Nation," paragraphs 8-15, https://www.americanyawp.com/text/06-a-newnation/#III_The_Constitutional_Convention

Eric Totten, "Upstarts and Rogues," University of Arkansas, 2/23/24

Eric Totten, "The Constitutional Convention," University of Arkansas, 3/4/24

Bibliography