1. Charles Beard’s thesis in An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution is that the rich must either control the government directly or the laws by which it operates, and found that the creators of the Constitution all had at least some economic motive to establish a strong federal government.
2. The sources of resentment in western Massachusetts were that the Constitution had raised property requirements for voting and holding office and that the Boston legislature had refused to issue paper currency, which would make it easier for poor farmers to pay back their debts, as had happened in Rhode Island.
3. The western farmers sough to improve their economic situation by first holding illegal conventions opposing the legislature, originally intending to redress their grievances peacefully, but soon turned to displays of armed might to force the local courts to adjourn. This was in the farmers’ favor because the courts, if they convened would simply increase their already large debt.
4. Daniel Shays was a veteran of the Revolutionary War that hadn’t received payment and then been put on trial for failure to repay his debts, which was a common occurrence for members of the Continental Army. Shays desired payment for himself and others, so he led a group of armed men first to Springfield and later to Boston.
5. Thomas Jefferson, the ambassador in France at this time, viewed popular uprisings as healthy for a society, claiming that the “blood of patriots and tyrants is the manure of the tree of liberty”. However, the elite who were closer to the scene of rebellion were not so tolerant and feared the spread of armed revolts.
6. Zinn holds that the democracy’s main problem in post-Revolutionary era was not due to Constitutional limitations on voting, but the division of society into rich and poor. Since the rich had such a great influence, voting of the masses could hardly diminish that power.
7. Madison’s primary argument in Federalist X was that a strong federal government was needed to protect against any factions that could form, and that an extensive republic was an advantage because no one faction could gain complete control of the others. Zinn argues that it is not the purpose of the government to simply maintain order with a neutral position, but to maintain a certain kind of order and distribution of wealth in which the governors themselves are participants. Zinn also asserts that in when the Constitution is examined from an economic standpoint, it becomes an attempt by its creators to maintain their economic privileges.
8. Despite their differences, both the Democratic Republicans and the Federalists anticipated fundamental agreement between the two parties in the future. Both parties (through Madison and Hamilton) agreed that a powerful Senate was necessary to protect the people from rash decision stimulated by passion or advantage that even they will later regret.
9. Zinn characterizes the Constitution as a compromise between the slave-holding South and the economic interests of the North. It allowed the government to regulate trade in exchange for a guarantee for slavery to continue for 20 years in the South.
10. Robert E. Brown defends the fact that the Constitution protects property by saying that all Americans own property, so its protection should be a crucial element in the Constitution. Zinn argues that while there are many property owners, some own much more than others, benefitting the merchants and elite over the poor majority of the population.
11. The Constitution illustrates the complexity of the American system because it included clauses that would economically benefit the elite, yet it had ensured enough property protection to build a base of support among the small landowners. This class of small landowners allows the elite to keep control with little effort and justify it with a “fanfare of patriotism and unity.”
12. Zinn holds that the tax clause of the Constitution, which gave Congress the right to tax its citizens directly, allowed the government and law enforcement to favor the rich and disadvantage the weak in the name of the law, instead of simply using brute force as in earlier times.
13. Zinn is skeptical regarding the First Amendment because one of its core principles was the protection of free speech, yet Congress passed abridging this freedom, the Sedition Act, seven years after the amendment became a part of the Constitution. This act directly violated the Constitution, yet it was enforced, emphasizing the loose adherence to the Constitution and its amendments.
14. While the government enforced the First Amendment very weakly, despite the fact that it was paraded patriotically, it enforced the power of Congress to tax its citizens, as demonstrated in the intervention of the military to force farmers to pay the Whiskey Tax, very strongly.
15. Bernard Bailyn holds that the Constitution demanded the nation’s leaders to be responsibly and humane in their use of power. Zinn argues that the Founding Fathers did not want to achieve a balance with equality among slaves and Indians, but rather wanted to keep things as they were, with power concentrated in the hands of the elite property owners. Practically half of the nation’s population was not considered in the Constitution: women.
2. The sources of resentment in western Massachusetts were that the Constitution had raised property requirements for voting and holding office and that the Boston legislature had refused to issue paper currency, which would make it easier for poor farmers to pay back their debts, as had happened in Rhode Island.
3. The western farmers sough to improve their economic situation by first holding illegal conventions opposing the legislature, originally intending to redress their grievances peacefully, but soon turned to displays of armed might to force the local courts to adjourn. This was in the farmers’ favor because the courts, if they convened would simply increase their already large debt.
4. Daniel Shays was a veteran of the Revolutionary War that hadn’t received payment and then been put on trial for failure to repay his debts, which was a common occurrence for members of the Continental Army. Shays desired payment for himself and others, so he led a group of armed men first to Springfield and later to Boston.
5. Thomas Jefferson, the ambassador in France at this time, viewed popular uprisings as healthy for a society, claiming that the “blood of patriots and tyrants is the manure of the tree of liberty”. However, the elite who were closer to the scene of rebellion were not so tolerant and feared the spread of armed revolts.
6. Zinn holds that the democracy’s main problem in post-Revolutionary era was not due to Constitutional limitations on voting, but the division of society into rich and poor. Since the rich had such a great influence, voting of the masses could hardly diminish that power.
7. Madison’s primary argument in Federalist X was that a strong federal government was needed to protect against any factions that could form, and that an extensive republic was an advantage because no one faction could gain complete control of the others. Zinn argues that it is not the purpose of the government to simply maintain order with a neutral position, but to maintain a certain kind of order and distribution of wealth in which the governors themselves are participants. Zinn also asserts that in when the Constitution is examined from an economic standpoint, it becomes an attempt by its creators to maintain their economic privileges.
8. Despite their differences, both the Democratic Republicans and the Federalists anticipated fundamental agreement between the two parties in the future. Both parties (through Madison and Hamilton) agreed that a powerful Senate was necessary to protect the people from rash decision stimulated by passion or advantage that even they will later regret.
9. Zinn characterizes the Constitution as a compromise between the slave-holding South and the economic interests of the North. It allowed the government to regulate trade in exchange for a guarantee for slavery to continue for 20 years in the South.
10. Robert E. Brown defends the fact that the Constitution protects property by saying that all Americans own property, so its protection should be a crucial element in the Constitution. Zinn argues that while there are many property owners, some own much more than others, benefitting the merchants and elite over the poor majority of the population.
11. The Constitution illustrates the complexity of the American system because it included clauses that would economically benefit the elite, yet it had ensured enough property protection to build a base of support among the small landowners. This class of small landowners allows the elite to keep control with little effort and justify it with a “fanfare of patriotism and unity.”
12. Zinn holds that the tax clause of the Constitution, which gave Congress the right to tax its citizens directly, allowed the government and law enforcement to favor the rich and disadvantage the weak in the name of the law, instead of simply using brute force as in earlier times.
13. Zinn is skeptical regarding the First Amendment because one of its core principles was the protection of free speech, yet Congress passed abridging this freedom, the Sedition Act, seven years after the amendment became a part of the Constitution. This act directly violated the Constitution, yet it was enforced, emphasizing the loose adherence to the Constitution and its amendments.
14. While the government enforced the First Amendment very weakly, despite the fact that it was paraded patriotically, it enforced the power of Congress to tax its citizens, as demonstrated in the intervention of the military to force farmers to pay the Whiskey Tax, very strongly.
15. Bernard Bailyn holds that the Constitution demanded the nation’s leaders to be responsibly and humane in their use of power. Zinn argues that the Founding Fathers did not want to achieve a balance with equality among slaves and Indians, but rather wanted to keep things as they were, with power concentrated in the hands of the elite property owners. Practically half of the nation’s population was not considered in the Constitution: women.