Notes from September 16

Mary Jemison of Letchworth lived in the Genesee Valley with the Seneca nation from her capture at 15 until her death at age 90.
Taken during the French and Indian War, Jemison replaced a brother taken in battle (203)
Natives killed and captured out of revenge for previous actions against them
Captured people took on the role of deceased persons: in family life, occupation, and status
Gender and age did not matter, only willingness to participate in the tribe
Expectations for the new citizen matched the tribe's perceptions of deceased persons

Was forced to marry an Indian, though this appears very rare (204)
Axtell suggests Jemison may have married willingly
Natives persuaded the captured to stay by good acts and equal treatment towards them, not compulsion
Rape and other acts were extremely discouraged. Those guilty of rape were judged by the community

Taken when she was 15, and did not fully assimilate for 3-4 years. (208)
“If I had been taken in infancy, I should have been contented in my situation.”
The older the captive, the harder it was to learn culture
The younger the captive, the easier it was learn language and customs, and forget their white background

The Senecas were “diligent in teaching me their language; and to their great satisfaction I soon learned that I could understand it readily, and speak it fluently.” (209)
Captives were quickly placed in families and “trained” for life in the tribe
By spending time with her “sisters,” Jamison learned basic housekeeping and farming skills, and even advise in finding a spouse

Working as an Indian woman “was not severe . . . probably not harder than that of white women” (211)
Almost no oversight by others, including men
Worked with children around them
Summer: planting and harvesting
Hunting: dressing and preserving meat, treating skins for use

“The moral character of the Indians was . . . uncontaminated.” (211)
Loyal to spouses
Honest
Promoted chastity
Both men and women spent time teaching values to their children
A better example of moral living than white settlers? More Christian than the Christians?


Men, Women, Alcohol

Excessive drinking amongst natives led to:
Injury
Fights
Poor trade decisions
Poverty
Temperance and reorganization
Christian Indians
American missionaries
Prophets and spiritual leaders

The US Government wanted to “civilize” natives. Alcoholism was “uncivilized,” therefore trade must be stopped

Women

Alcohol trade represented and altered female roles in native life
Women held roles in native governments, allowing them to control trade
Women were “go-betweens” bringing liquor from the market to home
Women controlled food production, including grains making alcohol
As time progressed, male-dominated Americans traded with native men instead

Why drink?

Delicious
Drunkenness used in mourning rituals
A gateway to the spiritual world
In some nations alcohol used for dowries
Europeans used liquor to attract traders, then to get the best deal out of them.
Alcohol was increasingly used as currency: 60%-90% of fur trade done in liquor
Gift-giving for trade
Encouraged Indians “to hunt and pay their debts”

White drinking

Whites appeared to have a higher tolerance: “the art of getting drunk”
Whites consumed five times more liquor, but in moderation
Indians drank alcohol until it was gone, a process that could take an entire tribe and several days
Drinking became associated with poor immigrants, crime, and secularism
US banned alcohol trade to Indians in 1802
Missionaries
Christian revival movements entered the frontier, emphasizing temperance
Indian prophets had similar motives and practices
Indian prophets were mostly men, the liquor trade controlled mostly by Indian women
“Backsliding” led to social failures, deaths (6x)
Conversions and temperance revivalists tempered the political and economic agency of native women

Handsome Lake was a prophet and temperance advocate for the Iroquois; thought alcohol should be for whites only
Beate of the Delawares pushed reforms
Female respected by some leaders
Also accused of witchcraft
Many women pushed for traditional values
Harder because she's a woman?
“Perhaps the liquor trade continued because alcohol provided many Indians with something that the government could not: a sense of power or a fleeting respite from their troubles” (447)


After Independence

Oh, crap, now what do we do?
How do we preserve a republican democracy when others have failed?
Should religion be involved with politics?
How much freedom should people have? How much a part should government be in everyday life?
Should we have a head executive? How can we prevent him from acting like a king?
How can we keep an aristocracy from taking over?
What about slavery?

Attempts at equality

Laws of primogeniture and entail abolished
Fewer property requirements for voting
No titles of nobility
Certain churches could not receive tax benefits
Abolitionist societies are founded, especially by Northern Christian groups
Society for the Relief of Free Negroes

Manumission Society

Vermont and other Northern States restrict or abolish slave owning.
Women's Rights
"We have been told that our struggle has loosened the bonds of government everywhere; ... that Indians slighted their guardians, and negroes grew insolent to their masters. But your letter was the first intimation that another tribe, more numerous and powerful than all the rest, were grown discontented." --John Adams to Abigail Adams

Land West of the Appalachians

Several states claimed their borders stretched to the Pacific Ocean (Virginia, Massachusetts)
Smaller states wouldn't even ratify a constitution
In order to pass the Articles of Confederation, smaller states gave up claims to the federal government
For years, territories had problems with squatters
Would not pay taxes
Disputed land claims
Violence
Pushing out natives
Influencing voting patterns

Articles of Confederation

Approved in 1777, while still at war with Britain
Heavily restricted federal authority
States only had one vote in Congress. Amendments had to be unanimous to pass
Congress could not tax states, but only ask for “requisitions”
Government was locally powerful, decentralized, weak, and poor
Many states printed their own money to pay off war debts, rapidly increasing inflation
Ratified in 1781

Land Ordinances

The first Ordinance, 1784:
Western lands would be split up. Once populated, they could earn statehood
Land Ordinance of 1785:
Government would sell blocks of western land, leaving aside space for public use and for school
Northwest Ordinance, 1787
Solidified numbers of settlers needed for statehood and defined territorial governments
Gave specific freedoms to settlers and outlawed slavery
Basically the only good thing the Articles of Confederation ever did


Holland Land Company

Massachusetts originally claimed this land, though it was disputed by the native inhabitants
Robert Morris bought the land claim from Mass.
A group of investors in the Netherlands bought the claim from Morris
Immediately signed agreements with the native Americans
Immediately began surveying and selling tracts of land
Batavia was the county seat and site of the land office
Unlike government land, there were few restrictions on parcel size and payment

State Governments

Just like the federal government hastily wrote the Articles of Confederation, so too did states write their constitutions
Single written documents, like colonial charters
Explicit definitions of the rights of citizens
Explicit definitions of the powers of leaders
Gave most powers to legislatures, not executives
Two houses versus one house
In Massachusetts, a special convention of non-legislators were picked to write their constitution

Weak Central Government

Fearing tyranny, the writers of the Articles made sure the federal government had limited powers
Printed federal money was used as well as colonial money; most of it was all worthless
US needed to pay for the Revolution but Congress could not collect taxes. Attempts to pass tax laws failed
Citizen groups banded together to protest any attempt at taxation or legal control
The border with Spain was unresolved
No national capital, no regular Congress

Shay's Rebellion, 1787

Daniel Shay was a Revolutionary War veteran
In Massachusetts, war debt meant the state had to keep raising taxes on farmers
Taxes were so high, poorer farmers had to sell their land
At the time, selling off your land also meant you lost the right to vote
Shay's men aimed to shut down the courts that confiscated their land
Shay was executed for treason. National leaders realized stronger laws were neccessary

2 Thoughts on Shay

Washington: "We are fast verging toward anarchy and confusion"
Jefferson: “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing. …God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. . . . The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”

Ideas for the Constitution

Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws
Large countries could not stay republican for long
Americans believe this idea promotes states' rights
David Hume, Scottish philosopher
Large countries were more democratic because they allowed more varied points of view
John Locke
Government should protect life, liberty, and property
Citizens had the right to rebel against bad government
James Madison
Government had to come from the people but had to be strong enough to withstand their whims
Government had to protect the rights of the people
Virginia & New Jersey Plans
Virginia Plan: Thought up by James Madison
Bicameral legislature
One house directly elected, another chosen from nominations by state assemblies
Representation based on population for both
New Jersey Plan
Unicameral legislature
Each state got one vote
Congress could set taxes and regulate trade
Great Compromise
Upper house: equal votes per state
Lower house: representatives based on population
Lower house creates bills involving money
3/5 Compromise