History of America 1782

Peace accord drawn up. Paris Nov. 30 1782.
Following several months of negotiation, a preliminary agreement has been drawn up here that, if ratified by both parties, will bring the war between Britain and the United States to an end. The most notable clause is of course, British recognition of American Independence - a fact that was acknowledged back in September when the British negotiator, Richard Oswald, received from London specific authorisation to treat with “the 13 United States”. No less unexpected, particularly in the light of Parliament’s resolution of February 27 that the war should no longer be prosecuted, is the clause providing for the withdrawal of British troops.
The generally favourable nature of the terms can be attributed both to the desire of the Shelburne government to end the war promptly, and to the skill of the American negotiators, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams

Last battle of war fought in Ohio. Nov 10, 1782
George Rogers Clark avenged a bloody summer battle today by devastating the British-backed Shawnee Indians. Clark led about 1000 Kentucky riflemen to the Ohio territory town of Chillecothe, where the frontiersmen fired unremittingly on the Indians and destroyed their food supply. Last August, British agents McKee and Caldwell raided the Kentuckians. The frontiersmen gathered forces, pursued the enemy, then engaged them in a vicious clash that took 80 American lives

Revolution: up to 10,000 Negros fought. Virginia 1782
Thomas Jefferson recently urged the Virginia legislature to permit slaveholders to free slaves. He and others who favour such a release say that moral arguments aside, there is a sound, practical reason for their position. Since the Revolution began, they say, free Negroes have performed brilliantly for the colonial cause. Since 1775, it has been estimated that up to 10,000 Negroes have served either in the Continental Army or in the colonial militias. For the most part the slaves joined the army to obtain their liberty.
The majority of former slaves served as privates in the army or as seamen in the navy. Negro sailors are said to enjoy greater equality than the former slaves in the army.

First daily paper in America is born. Philadelphia May 30, 1783
For the first time, Americans can keep up with events on a daily basis, thanks to Benjamin Towne, publisher of the Pennsylvania Evening Post, who has converted the newspaper from a thrice weekly into a daily. The Post was born on January 24th, 1775, when Towne started it in opposition to the Tory Ledger. Since then, Towne has had a history of switching allegiances. When the redcoats seized Philadelphia, he had become a royalist. When they left, he resumed his his sympathies

State of Frankland formed near Carolina. Dec 14, 1784
Since last June when North Carolina passed a resolution ceding its Western territories to Congress, three Western counties decided that they would create their own state. The new state called Frankland is an attempt by residents of the area to govern themselves and to exert control over their land and how it is apportioned. John Sevier is serving as the Governor. Frankland has petitioned Congress to recognise the region as a state under a temporary government. However, the North Carolina Assembly was displeased by Frankland’s divisive action and today revoked the June resolution before Congress could accept the session.

Jefferson takes Franklin’s post in France. New York, March 10,1785
Following last month’s decision to name John Adams minister to Britain, Congress today made another diplomatic appointment f critical importance. Thomas Jefferson is to replace Benjamin Franklin as minister to France. Though the difficulties facing Adams in London are formidable, Jefferson has perhaps the greater challenge, for he is to replace a man who has won a unique place in the hearts of people ion a nation where he has lived for the last seven years. Franklin was as warmly welcomed by philosophers as by the ladies, with whom he was very popular

Slaveholder Washington favours abolition. Virginia Sept. 9, 1786.
The tide is rising for the abolition of slavery. While most Southerners cling to the belief that enslaving Negroes is quite natural, some are calling for an end to the practice. One Virginian, George Washington, a slave-holder himself, has expressed a desire to see legislation ending slavery. Washington wrote to Robert Morris: “there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do to see a plan adopted for the abolition of slavery. But there is only one proper way and effective mode by which it can be accomplished, and that is by legislative authority”. This is quite an about-face for a man who, in 1779 opposed a plan to give Negro soldiers freedom lest it encourage the emancipation of all slaves.

Shay’s Rebellion fails. Massachusetts March 1787
Shay’s rebellion is over. What began on a high note last December, when insurgent farmers led by Daniel Shay marched on the Springfield arsenal after forcing the state Supreme Court to adjourn, has ended in total collapse.
The rebellion crumbled after 1,100 men led by Shay decided to attack the arsenal on January 1. They were met by militia forces under the command of major General William Shepherd. The farmers armed only with pitchforks and staffs, broke and ran after one volley was fired by Shepherd’s artillery.

Constitutional Convention convened. Philadelphia 1787.
Step by step, the convention meeting at the state House is reaching agreement on a Constitution that will serve as a legal framework for life in the United States. The meeting began 11 days behind schedule, Rhode Island is still not represented and the discussion has been frequently animated and even divisive. But the delegates are carving out a compromise that gives greater power to the central government and attempts to bridge the differences between the large states and the smaller ones. The most controversial spokesman at the convention has undoubtedly been Alexander Hamilton, the New York lawyer.

The framers of the Constitution state quite clearly that its purpose is “to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”. Most delegates point out , however, that the real purpose of the Constitution is to regulate commerce between the states. The Northern states are generally content with the formula, but Southern delegates fear they will suffer a competitive disadvantage.
The Southerners did manage to prevail in one of the most emotional debates of the session, the argument over the abolition of slavery. Many delegates consider the practice hideous, but the convention delayed a move to outlaw it.

New Orleans fire turns city into inferno March 21, 1788
A fierce fire that started when a votive candle fell on a lace curtain destroyed almost the entire city today. Governor Don Esteban de Miro, said that 856 buildings burned down, including the St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabilldo and the Presbytere. The blaze started in a home on Chartres Street and rapidly turned the city into an inferno. Don Andres Almonester y Roxas, the richest man in the colony, has announced that he will rebuild the cathedral as well as two government buildings.

For the next half century and many decades beyond, Americans struggled to define themselves politically, economically, socially and culturally, to find the common bonds that would permit a large, growing and heterogeneous society to live together under one government. For a time almost everything was open to question: should the federal government be strong or weak? Should the nation promote manufacturing or should it seek to preserve the essentially agrarian character of society? Should America remain a small coastal nation or strive to expand its boundaries into the vast and unpopulated lands in the West? Above all perhaps, should a democracy based on the inalienable rights of the individual tolerate the existence of human slavery in its midst?
By 1820, with early political struggles and the inconclusive war with Britain apparently resolved, the United States seemed poised for an era of unity and tranquility. Indeed factional passions had by then subsided to the point where Americans talked of an era of “good feeling” in which no serious political divisions remained. But the illusion of tranquility was not to last for long. In politics, the next two decades saw the emergence of formal parties. A series of bitterly contested elections and the re-emergence of fundamental debates about the nature of government and the direction in which the nation should develop.
By 1850, the United States was a nation of more than 23 million people, eight times as many as in 1789. It was a nation whose territory had expanded - through the Louisiana Purchase, the accession of Florida and Texas, and the controversial Mexican War - to make it one of the largest countries in the world and a nation whose economy was transforming itself with startling speed. Agriculture had expanded dramatically, commerce also expanded rapidly both at home and overseas and the industrial Revolution made manufacturing a major element of the nation’s economy.
That the issue of slavery might become not only a difficult moral question but also a threat to national unity first became clear in 1820, when a bitter dispute broke out over the terms by which the territory of Missouri would be admitted to the union as a state. That controversy ended in compromise, but it suggested how the rapid expansion of the nation might make it impossible for the issue to remain dormant for long. Thomas Jefferson had compared the Missouri crisis to a “fire bell in the night.” In the decades to come, that bell would ring again and again, warning of tensions and divisions that would eventually sunder the nation.

Washington takes oath as President. New York Apr. 30, 1789
George Washington took the oath of office as President of the United states today before a joint session of Congress. Swearing to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution”, the new chief executive becomes the first President under the new federal Constitution adopted by the states in the past year. Washington was unanimously selected by the members of the Electoral College only two weeks ago. After certifying his election, the college dispatched Charles Thomson the secretary of Congress, to inform General Washington of his selection.

New whiskey made in Bourbon County. Virginia 1789.
Residents of Bourbon County, Virginia (Kentucky), now favour native Indian corn as the principal base for distilled spirits. First distilled in 1746, the whiskey, which is made from 65 to 70% corn, has taken on a distinctive, regional flavour that seems to have much to do with the water that flows over the region’s limestone rocks, and the use of charred oak barrels. No one is sure how the use of charred barrels came about, but some say the Rev. Elijah Craig is responsible for creating this American spirit.

First cotton mill in United States opens. Pawtucket, Rhode Island 1790
The first cotton mill in the United State was opened here today by Samuel Slater, who brought with him from England the secret of the latest textile machinery. The mill has 250 spindles, which are powered by water and operated by children aged 4 to 10. The mills opening is a direct result of financial incentives offered by the United States for the introduction of textile manufacturing equipment that will enable the country to become independent of foreign supplies.
In England, Slater learned the textile industry as an apprentice to Jedediah Strutt, partner of Richard Arkwright.

Census counts 4,000,000 Americans. New York Aug 1, 1790.
The first census taken in the United States shows a population of 3,929,625. The count was taken under a constitutional provision that enumerated the population “be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States and within every subsequent term of 10 years.
The results of the census, published in a 56 page volume, will be used to give each state a number of representatives in the House that is proportionate to its population. According to the Constitution, each slave will count as three fifths of a person for the apportionment of representatives. The most populous state is Virginia - 820,000.

President signs bill creating Bank of U.S. Philadelphia Feb. 25, 1791.
The President today signed a bill creating the Bank of the United States despite bitter opposition by many landowners, who feel it will be used by financial interests to oppress them. Washington acted primarily on the urging of Alexander Hamilton, overriding the protests of Thomas Jefferson. The bill makes the bank the depository for government funds and authorises it to establish branches and to issue currency. It will have 25 directors, five appointed by the President, the rest by its stockholders. Hamilton proposed establishment of the bank as a method of providing capital for new industry and insuring a sound money supply.

Vermont admitted to union, as No. 14 Mar 4 1791
Vermont’s lucky number is 14. For 14 years, the region thrived as an independent republic, and today it becomes the 14th state. It is the first state formed since the ratification of the United states Constitution (which it accepted on January 10), and the first to have a no-slavery clause in the state constitution. Many of Vermont’s 85,000 inhabitants desired state hood years ago but there was a problem with New York now resolved.

Frenchman chosen to lay out capital. Maryland, Mar 9,1791.
Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant arrived here today to make sketches for the nation’s capital, the Federal City. L’Enfant, a French engineer and veteran of the Revolution, has designed many building in New York. President Washington chose the major, calling him “the artist of the American Revolution”.
L’Enfant actually petitioned for the assignment in a 1789 letter to Washington. At the time, a capital site had not yet been determined. There were two popular choices on the Delaware River near the falls above Trenton and the Potomac River finally chosen

24 in New York organise a stock exchange. New York May 17, 1792
A group of 24 merchants and brokers met here today to sdet up the city’s first stock exchange. They plan to do most of their trading outdoors, under a buttonwood tree situated in front of the building at 68 Wall Street. Under today’s agreement, the 24 founders will give each other preference in their negotiations and will charge commissions while acting as brokers for other people. To start, they will trade government securities only, but they plan to expand to stock of banks and insurance companies.

France kills King. Goes to war with Europe. Paris Feb. 2, 1793
Following the execution of King Louis XVI, by guillotine on January 21, the revolutionary government of France now finds itself at war with Britain, the Netherlands and Spain. As it has also been at war with Austria, Prussia and Sardinia since last April, France is now in a state of armed conflict with almost the whole of Europe.
What will the United States do? Secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson, a Francophile who until recently was the American minister here, is known to favour the revolutionary cause. The final decision about what course to follow in this situation lies, of course, with Mr. President Washington.

Whiskey Rebels give in. Philadelphia, Nov. 1794.
After three months of disregard for the law, threats and near insurrection, the so-called “whiskey rebels” have laid down their arms. In what had become the gravest test of its ability to enforce the laws of the land, the federal government has apparently emerged victorious.
The uprising began in June when farmers in western Pennsylvania, and throughout the Appalachians refused to pay the federal excise tax on whiskey. The farmers whose primary crop is grain and whose cheapest way of marketing it is in the form of whiskey, argued that the tax was unfair and excessively high - about 25%.

Writings of Women have more impact. Philadelphia, June 30,1794.
Mrs. Susanna Haswell Rowson appeared tonight in the opening performance of Slaves in Algiers, a theatrical drama she wrote herself. It has been a banner year for Mrs. Rowson; besides her current stage appearance, her 1791 novel, Charlotte Temple, a Tale of Truth, a bout a schoolgirl deserted by a British officer, was recently reprinted here to wide acclaim. A work by an Englishwoman, Mary Wolstencraft, Vindication of the Rights of Women, has been finding its way into American girls’ schools.

because it is not clear whether it will be ratified unanimously. After today’s session, George Washington, who presided over the Convention, said the delegates “adjourned to the City Tavern, dined together and took a cordial leave of each other”. Alexander Hamilton admitted that no delegates ideas were “more remote” from the final document than his own, but he conceded graciously that the convention had taken the appropriate steps to avoid “anarchy and convulsion”. Benjamin Franklin also admitted he had reservations about the Constitution, but he said, “the older I grow, the more apt am to doubt my own judgement and pay more respect to the judgement of others”.
The Constitution is described as “the supreme law of the land” but it is not totally clear who will enforce it. Power will be given to a new federal judicial system, led b Supreme court. O the matter of the executive branch, the delegates argued for days about the process of electing a president. Should the decision be made by the people directly, by the states or by the Congress? Ultimately it was decided that the president will be elected by electors chosen by the states.