Glossary

Articles of Confederation

The Articles were the first constitution of the United States of America. Fundamentally penniless and powerless, the Confederation government represented the optimistic view that a virtuous citizenry did not require the constraining hand of central authority.

critical period

Cautious revolutionaries viewed the years 1776 through 1787 as the "critical period" because of the problems encountered with the sovereign states and the people.

national domain

John Dickinson's first draft of the Articles of Confederation designated all lands west of the Appalachian Mountains as a national domain. In the final draft, these lands were left in the hands of the states having colonial claims on them.

Southern nationalists

These "nationalists" sought to free their region from cultural, economic, and religious dependence on the North. They hoped to preserve the cultural and intellectual distinctiveness of the South and to insulate it from the commercial and industrial values of the North.

natural aristocrats

In contrast to radicals, cautious and elitist revolutionary leaders believed that the "better sort" of citizens - men of education, wealth, and proven ability whom they defined as the "natural aristocrats" - should be the stewards who guided the people.

public virtue

Whether citizens were capable of subordinating their self-interest to the greater good of the whole community - public virtue - was the central issue in debates about the form American government should take.

radicals

During the revolutionary period, radicals were individuals who believed that citizens could govern themselves and not abuse public privileges for private advantage.

Shays's Rebellion

Led by Daniel Shays, the farmers of western Massachusetts in 1786-1787 protested higher taxes and land seizures by the government by closing the courts and attacking a federal arsenal. Although easily routed, the rebellion convinced nationalists that a strong central government was needed to restrain the self-serving sovereign states and the people.

unicameral assembly

The most democratic of the first state constitutions was that of Pennsylvania, which placed decision-making authority in the hands of an annually elected unicameral, or one-chamber, assembly and allowed all white male citizens the right to vote for legislators.

Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom

In 1786 Virginia adopted this statute, which granted complete freedom of conscience, including the right to believe nothing and to support no church. Jefferson presented this law providing for complete separation of church and state, and he believed it was just as significant as the Declaration of Independence.

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