Instruction
Answer any 2 of the following 4 essay questions. Each essay should be typed using double spacing and be 1 to 2 pages in length.
“Washington’s forte was presence,” Stewart observes. Explain the quote. (pp. 2-3, 47, 109, 113-114, & 153)
“The Articles were a compact between the states of America, not a charter of government by the people of America,” Explain the quote by the author and be sure to analyze the key words in his sentence. Finally, explain why opponents of ratification, the “Anti-Federalists” of 1787-1790, feared the centralized power of a national Union, and preferred localism and a loose confederation of small republics.
Why did James Wilson of PA and John Rutledge of SC employ their political clout to press for acceptance of the federal ratio? What were their respective goals in doing so?
In drafting the New Plan of Union, Rutledge succeeded in getting on the table a guarantee for the foreign slave trade, a ban on federal export taxes, and a two-thirds vote requirement on trade legislation. Explain why he believed that these concessions were beneficial. Finally, describe in detail how compromises between the sections resulted in changes to these provisions.