While under the Articles of Confederation, the state of Connecticut was under unfair law. Because of the size of the state, they suffered under the power given to the larger states. Not only that, but there were economical and political reasoning in their favor as well. It was not only Connecticut who suffered, but other smaller states that were affected by these laws. There are several aspects as to why the Articles needed to be changed. Though there are some who did not want this change to be, consider why this is. People are usually tied to what they are used to and I believe they didn’t want to worry about those who might get trampled under the larger state’s feet while in the process of renewal. In a war torn place that had been under conditions of change, they needed to consider more than traditions and what they were comfortable with. Consider this: that change should be something that is embraced as the time changes. When the states didn’t all agree together as a union, they needed to negotiate together until a solution was found.
After the American's won the American Revolution the issue of forming a constitution for all the states arose. Connecticut viewed themselves differently from the other states. "They did not necessarily believe in a strong national government, or think of themselves as having a great deal in common with people from other states." 1 These differences molded the Constitution into what is today.
A draft was created to force people to fill the Continental line. The men assigned to the draft fought it, creating their own militia. The militia would elect their own officers and form their own independent group. The militia wouldn't go anywhere to fight until they saw their own state was in danger and needed rescuing. Washington, who was almost president at time, showed the people that this theory was alright to follow because it worked. Allowing every other citizen to believe this plan was keeping them all safely protected. 2
Congress noticed the militia's plan and didn't appreciate that the citizen's were opposing the draft. Congress formed a plan to get the militia to disappear while having the draft upheld. This plan occurred in 1778, where Congress promised seven years half pay after the war to all officers who joined the army, and responded to the draft. Then, in 1780 officers were dropping out of the army. This is when Congress upped the price to half pay for life. 2
Another social issue with ratifying the constitution was the view of slaves. Most people in Connecticut, and the other states, didn't view slaves as whole people. When the constitution was being created this issue was huge because the amount of slaves were considered was counted for taxation and representation. Then on July 12th the idea arose that slaves should be counted as 3/4ths of a person, and it was agreed on. 4
Another reason why Connecticut ratified the Constitution was for politics. First off, with Americans recovering from the American Revolutionary War, A lot of Federalists wanted to completely separate themselves from the British, and thus wanting a new form of Government. The Constitution would provide just that. However, the fear that if the Constitution wasn’t ratified brought up the idea of Anarchy1. Anarchy was brought up first by Hobbes, who stated in his document, “Leviathan”, that anarchy was essentially “a war of all against all”3. Of course, this idea was brought up around the mid 1600s, but nevertheless, the idea still reigned within the heads of Americans. The thought that anarchism could still potentially be a problem did not set right with the federalists. However, if the constitution was ratified, that still leads the thought of monarchism for the anti-federalists; another deadly form of government, if that.
None of the Americans wanted another monarchy, but that is what the Anti-federalists thought about the constitution. Connecticut Anti-federalists believed that under the Constitution, the American government would become too powerful, and be disguised to hide its monarchic roots4. However, this was not what the constitution is about. Without the constitution, the American government would have been too weak under just the Articles of Confederation. The reasons why America did not fall to monarchy are described by the first three articles of the Constitution; Legislative power, Executive power, and judicial power5 Since power is separated into three groups, there is not any one person who can warrant all three powers at once. Because of this, a monarchy could never exist.
The many economical issues in Connecticut helped the community move toward ratifying the Constitution. Connecticut does not have any deep sea harbors. This was believed to be a “general mediocrity of fortune” according to Benjamin Franklin.6The only trans-Atlantic port city was New London and Long Island. Preserving the Western Reserve was meant to establish a nation wide free-trade area. In doing this, it would've been declared upon federal regulated communities, uniform posts, and prohibiting export duties.
Money was another part of the economical issues. War debts were hard for the community to pay off, making it harder to build up an economy. There were also heavy import duties to pay to New York. Connecticut’s economy was basically agricultural. 80% of the families depended on agriculture entirely, and the rest, at least partially. “Economic advantages were so obvious that the civil & military as well as the commercial leaders of the state grasped the constitution to their bosom with relief and alacrity.” 7
A revised or an entirely new solution needed be found because of the problems that the union faced. Though some who resided in Connecticut as well as other states of the union may have said otherwise, the majority stood to say that a change would be best not only for the state of Connecticut, but for many other states as well in similar conditions that they were in. While many of the states in this nation agreed to ratify the Articles, there were some states that did not agree with what the Federalists had planned. In the end, those who represented the state of Connecticut pleaded that the union not be divided, but come together to solve these issues so that they might live together as a nation in harmony.
Political – Austin Riley
1 Hummel, Jeffery R. "The Constitution as Counter-Revolution: a Tribute to the Anti-Federalists." The Journal of the Libertarian Alliance 5: 1. 27 Nov. 2007 <http://www.la-articles.org.uk/FL-5-4-3.pdf.>
2 Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Oxford, Oxfordshire, England: Oxford University, 1881. Google Books. 28 Nov. 2007
3 Allen, Michael. ANTIFEDERALISM AND LIBERTARIANISM. Ellensburg, Washington: Reason Foundation, 1981. Reason Papers No. 7. 27 Nov. 2007
<http://www.mises.org/reasonpapers/pdf/07/rp_7_5.pdf.>
4 US Congress. United States Constitution. Cornell Univ., 1787. 28 Nov. 2007 <http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.overview.html>.
Social
5 http://www.connhistory.org/ratif_reading.htm
6 http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution_history.html
7 http://oieahc.wm.edu/wmq/Jul04/irvin.pdf
Collier, Christopher “All Politics are Local: Family, Friends, and Provincial Interests in the Creation of the Constitution”
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