New Nation, 1781-1787: Articles of Confederation Era | United States history | Paris Peace

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In October, 1781, General Cornwallis surrenders his redcoats at Yorktown, Virginia. Parliament and Prime Minister Lord North realize the war is over. Formal negotiations for peace begin at Paris.
The United States becomes an independent nation formally in 1783 after the Peace of Paris is signed. The peace terms give the United States land from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River.
Britain retains Canada, and Spain retakes Florida. The United States agrees to repay British debts from before the war. British redcoat garrisons leave Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington, and New York City. The British ships carry up to 100,000 loyalists and runaway slaves to Nova Scotia, Canada, Britain, and British India.
Western expansion occurs in Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. The Ohio country is held in check by the British at Fort Detroit, who are supplying native nations like the Miami and Shawnee. Daniel Boone trailblazes through Kentucky, with many following through the Cumberland Gap.
A major crisis for the new nation is financial. The Articles of Confederation does not give Congress the power to tax citizens directly. Interstate trade is hampered by duties. Washington's Continental Army has not been paid; however, Washington is able to ease tensions at Newburgh, New Jersey.
Thomas Jefferson helps to pass legislation about the Northwest Territories. The new territories will be divided into townships.
Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary War veteran, sides with rebels in western Massachusetts in 1787. Many farmers have been jailed for debt. The rebels attempt to secure the arsenal at Springfield, Massachusetts. However, Benjamin Lincoln's state militia put down the rebellion.
Shays' Rebellion, as well as the ongoing debt crisis, convince many Americans like Alexander Hamilton and James Madison that the Articles of Confederation need amendments.
Congress agrees to hold a new Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. Delegates return to Philadelphia to form a new government, just as they had during the era of the Continental Congress.
A film by Jeffrey Meyer

[@jungefrau]

If anyone is interested in the story of those loyalists who fled to canada, i recommend the book Liberty's Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World by Maya Jasanoff.

[@Alan-in-Bama]

Who cares about those dang traitors !? lol just kidding. That's an interesting topic I will certainly look into. Thanks for sharing.

[@Brian-----]

😁 I agree! Maya Jasanoff was my college classmate.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you for the recommendation! I will check out Jasanoff's book.

[@Andy_Babb]

You mean the book about those cowards?! 😉 jk

[@Alan-in-Bama]

Jeffrey, you've produced another great video....they're always educational and a joy to watch. In this video, like others you've made, I'm surprised to learn certain details that I wasn't aware of, or had simply forgotten over the years. - A sincere Thank You for all of the time and effort you put into making these presentations ! I'll be looking forward to the next one and so on....

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

I really appreciate it! I am going to keep combing through history. The details make the story interesting.

[@TheSalMaris]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Much appreciated!

[@phillippeterman1051]

Great information, I love history!

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you!

[@leannevandekew1996]

Awesome .Thanks.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you for watching.

[@rjhyden]

I don't know how one could make a better illustration of the early history of the United States. Every high school student , if not college student, should be required to watch it. I`m ready for the next phase!

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you for the nice comments. More videos to come!

[@cbroma2007]

A great presentation. As always.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Much appreciated!

[@revere0311]

Great video and so informative. thank you!

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you!

[@crippledcrow2384]

My ancestors lived near present day Rogersville, Tennessee during and before the Revolutionary War. Several families banned together to go down the river Holston to the Tennessee River and then up stream to near Louisville, Kentucky to claim their land that was payment for their War service. The spring thaw was early and sent too much ice down the Ohio a d they voted to go down the Mississippi to Spanish Natchez. They recieved Spanish land grants and opened the territory around Washington, Mississippi.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

That is neat that you have those details in your family history. Very cool.

[@expatexpat6531]

Excellent. These delicate, transitional periods during regime changes are fascinating - everything is still fluid. My qns: In what currency were the debts to be repaid and taxes collected? I assume there were various physical coinages in use (Louis D'or, sterling, Spanish, etc.) - how were all of these to be reconciled and at what exchange rate? The -ville towns - do these indicate areas of French influence? Also, the flight of the loyalists (bless their hearts :-) - me a Brit...) to Canada must have hugely helped counterbalance French influence there.

[@Brian-----]

To briefly answer in summary form a complex question with many moving parts: Effectively foreign debts had to be repaid in specie (gold and silver) and so a viable currency had to have a fixed value or weight in gold and silver. At the time the ratio between the value of gold and silver fluctuated little and was approximately 16 to 1. Paper currency depreciated fast. Revolutionary War veterans due service pay could be and were paid off in frontier land or in paper backed by frontier land, and could go west to farm that land or could sell the paper to speculators in the private market for gold, silver, or nearer land, but foreign lenders could not be repaid with land or paper. The new United States was rich in land but was poor in gold and silver. As the video makes clear, Federal control of Western land north of the Ohio River was not secure and was contested by Native Americans backed by British North America or Canada, and a war to secure this land, which was waged (led by Gen. Anthony Wayne), also had to be paid for in specie.

[@expatexpat6531]

@@Brian----- Thanks for the detailed explanation.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thanks, Brian, for getting the money details in order. In addition, the Continental note itself says, "This bill entitles the bearer to receive eight Spanish milled dollars, or the value thereof in gold or silver, according to the resolutions of the Congress, held at Philadelphia, the 10th of May, 1775." I think I've read in a few places (including the Continental note) that Spanish gold was sort of the standard. I believe the "villes" in the Kentucky frontier are pioneers acknowledging France for the recent victory. However, up north in the Great Lakes and northern Midwest, any French names (Prairie du Chien, La Crosse, etc.) are most likely from the New France period. The huge numbers of Loyalists fleeing to Canada populated Nova Scotia and Ontario. Quebec remained French. King George had provided religious freedom for French Canadians, so in some ways, New France was able to continue to the present in Quebec.

[@brandonwhite2331]

Great video! Can't wait for the next one on what I assume will be the constitution!

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Yes, we will get to the Constitutional Convention in the near future.

[@Civilwarman40]

He's back

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

I get bogged down in the details, and boom, three hours gone trying to figure out if Guy Carleton was in New York City or in Halifax.

[@garrettknox5266]

Such excellent work!

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you!

[@edwardlulofs444]

I have always been interested in this time period of America. Since the Confederation failed, it felt like nobody wanted to talk about it. Ironically, even though many people recognized the failure of the weak confederation, the South chose this government anyway in 1860-61. And perhaps it was a factor in the failure of their rebellion. Although by 1860s the world pretty much recognized that slavery was not feasible in the industrialized world coming into being. It disappoints me that capitalism destroyed slavery instead of morality. Although many people even today seem to want slavery re-established! I’m heartbroken that humans want to exploit others. Thanks for another great video.

[@NathanDudani]

No

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

The "Confederate" States of America is actually a lot more similar to the US in terms of government structure. Aside from a slightly stronger 10th Amendment-like deferrence to local state powers, the CS Government is a verbatim copy of the US Federal Government right down to power dynamics: yes, states have more powers compared to US states but in those 4 years, political power ultimately derives from Richmond, primarily due to Jefferson Davis. Richmond has ignored state's calls to NOT get involved in the Civil War like Kentucky and tried to quell secessionism later in the war like what Georgia did (fun fact: the CS Constitution EXPLICITLY prohibits states' right to NOT have slaves within their territory or even secede from the CSA)...

[@amciuam157]

Thanks for another interesting and informative video. I really like to dig around the early history of USA.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Early USA is interesting. I am fascinated by how fast the country expanded westward.

[@Brian-----]

The deadpan presentation of this video and others in the series is awesome. 🙃❤️🇺🇸

[@Brian-----]

the blinking cities and watercolor tones and the little marching squares of soldiers 😁

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you, friend! I figure deadpan is better than melodramatic.

[@richardkeilig4062]

Well done!

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you!

[@tttyuhbbb9823]

BRILLIANT! 👍

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thanks!

[@reluginbuhl]

Ah! what about after that? I hope you’ll make a video about the writing and adoption of the US constitution and the selection of Washington as president!

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

I will get to Washington. It's on the horizon.

[@taihalpern7342]

more census videos please

[@dino9921]

These videos are great too.

[@nbhoser]

Very interesting, but incredibly annoying when you keep describing how the map is zooming in and out. Just do it! We can see what you're doing, you don't have to tell us.

[@steventurner6132]

I got a question about the beginning of Washington state and Washington DC why it became that way one on east and the other on west 😉

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Washington was maybe the most famous American at the end of the Revolution. So he got cities, counties, and states named after him.

[@DennisHunter]

Wow, so there once was a President that just walked away from power? How long did that honorable standard last...

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Yes, in the 18th century, an enlightened man showed his strength by turning away from power. Kind of strange.

[@ilFrancotti]

13:25 "Washington, unlike Julius Caesar, eases temper instead of inflaming them". Well, Washington was at the forefront of a just born country he extensively fought for. And he was held in high consideration by soldiers and burocrats alike. Caesar instead was at the endline of a 600 years old, decadent and corrupt oligarchy which had no intention to share any merit nor wealth with anyone. In fact that same oligarchy declared Caesar an "enemy" before he actually turned on them. A better parallel would have been between Washington and what Great Britain thought of him. Most likely a traitor and criminal just like Caesar to the Senate of Rome.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

It was on the Ides of March, and they were two powerful men facing conspirators with two very different outcomes. I'm quite proud of myself for making that connection :)

[@ilFrancotti]

@@JeffreytheLibrarian How so? The connection does not square up. In the case of Washington you took the opinion of those he sided with (the Americans). But in the case of Caesar you measured him with the opinion of those he was fighting against.

[@leeatterberry1239]

Yeah I think it's just so funny that this country was made out of laws but nobody seems to follow them

[@Mike-zf4xg]

good video. this would be exceptional if you actually knew how to record your speaking without sounding like youre in your bf's shower.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

I purchased my microphone for $18, and my sound recording software comes with Microsoft Windows. That's how I roll.

[@Mike-zf4xg]

@@JeffreytheLibrarian find somewhere other than your bf's shower. it's barely listenable which is sad, because this is really good content.

[@Mike-zf4xg]

@@JeffreytheLibrarian one more time. this is really good. just spend a little on a setup to soften the recording.

[@matthewsilva8617]

12:23 that’s when my man Lord Timothy Dexter steps in lol

[@gr500music6]

Super job! This ties together so many things so well in only half an hour. Should be mandatory viewing for American history classes.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Much appreciated!

[@SpaceCowboy-u7j]

Can’t teach actual American history in the government indoctrination centers. Home school your kids. ✝️🇺🇸

[@ablewindsor1459]

A good series....thanks 😊 Sir 🏆

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you!

[@ablewindsor1459]

@@JeffreytheLibrarian You are Welcome 🤗

[@Squatch_Rider66]

I was just thinking, I hadn't seen a video in a while. Good timing. Great presentation and very interesting that the war petered out more than just ended on a specific date.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you! This was going to be a "short" video, and then I got bogged down in the details. The details, though, make it more interesting.

[@itsnodawayitustabe5654]

I've never seen a better way of illustrating sociological development in chronological order

[@NathanDudani]

sOcIoLoGiCaL

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you!

[@Chris-ut6eq]

Awesome as always! Hope school teachers can make this useful in their classes. The time based layout puts perspective into individual events quite nicely.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

I am flattered when these videos make it into a classroom. It makes the effort worth it.

[@jamesmiller4184]

They won't because being mostly Marxists -- the centralization of the power to control anything or anyone, being the whole of the game. The "Confederacy of the United States of America" (Article I. -- ACPU) was precisely the opposite of that, and so it had to be ended, which it was by Hamilton and his gang, all done IN CAMERA! (Or rather, in secret. A tad suspicious? Nah! We like secret proceedings now.) The positively intended result? Well, look around you and BEHOLD the Federalist's masterpiece in its final death throes. "NO!" do I hear the chorus of deniers intone as one??? Our first constitution was made PURPOSELY WEAK centrally; this so that what has N-O-W H-A-P-P-E-N-E-D could never! The author of this little presentation likely is well-meaning but, repeats back parrot-like Federalist talking points. This entire wing-ding IS BEING deep-sixed. There is to bee NO return to "normalcy," for only abnormalcy promises. Let us wake-up so that we might now at least die right.

[@jamesmiller4184]

They won't because being mostly Marxist trained -- the centralization of the power to control anything or anyone, being the whole of the game. The "Confederacy of the United States of America" (Article I. -- ACPU) was precisely the opposite of that, and so it had to be ended, which it was by Hamilton and his gang, all done IN CAMERA! (Or rather, in secret. A tad suspicious? Nah! We like secret proceedings now.) The positively intended result? Well, look around you and BEHOLD the Federalist's masterpiece in its final death throes. "NO!" do I hear the chorus of deniers intone as one??? 'Our first constitution was made PURPOSELY WEAK centrally; this so that what has N-O-W H-A-P-P-E-N-E-D could never! The author of this little presentation likely is well-meaning but, repeats back parrot-like Federalist talking points. This entire wing-ding IS BEING deep-sixed. There is to bee NO return to "normalcy," for only abnormalcy promises. Let us wake-up so that we might now at least die right.

[@jamesmiller4184]

They likely will not as the centralization of the power to control anything or anyone has for the more recent of times been the whole of the game. Education endeavors to underscore surety of this. The "Confederacy of the United States of America" (Article I. -- ACPU) was precisely the opposite of that, and so it had to be ended, which it was by Hamilton and his gang, all done IN CAMERA! (Or rather, in secret. A tad suspicious? Nah! We like secret proceedings now.) The positively intended result? Well, look around you and BEHOLD the Federalist's masterpiece in its final death throes. "NO!" do I hear the chorus of deniers intone as one??? 'Our first constitution was made PURPOSELY WEAK centrally; this so that what has N-O-W H-A-P-P-E-N-E-D could never! The author of this little presentation likely is well-meaning but, repeats back parrot-like Federalist talking points. This entire wing-ding IS BEING deep-sixed. There is to bee NO return to "normalcy," for only abnormalcy promises. Let us wake-up so that we might now at least die right.

[@itamarshumi]

Great job please do more of this

[@automaticmattywhack1470]

I'm still surprised that we survived the Articles of Confederation era. British and Spanish money must have ruled our commerce. Great video. Thank you!

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thanks for watching. I think there was a realization with independence that the United States now has to work with European powers.

[@Pindrop22]

This was exceptional

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you!

[@redwatch1100]

Great video. On to your next one. I gotta hear what happens after this 1788-1830 etc..

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

I will keep on trucking forward. Thank you for watching!

[@phylliscraine]

So deficit spending was the norm from day one! Our neighbors house was built in 1789 so this period is very interesting to me. We live in western MA, the area of Shays Rebellion. Hadley is only 30 minutes from us.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

I guess we were in the hole from the beginning. Guys like Hamilton though were real capitalists and saw current expenses and future investments.

[@coyote4237]

That was beautifully put together. Thank you. May I humbly suggest you follow it up with a Whiskey Rebellion video?

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Yes, we will get to the Whiskey Rebellion during Washington's presidency in the near future.

[@allencollins6031]

Thanks for this.

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Thank you for watching!

[@Civilwarman40]

What map are you using?

[@JeffreytheLibrarian]

Microsoft Bing maps.