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| Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) |
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| His belief in a strong federal government led him to become a contributor to "the Federalist" and a leader of the Federalists. As the first secretary of the Treasury, he laid the foundation for Amercan capitalism through his creation of a federal budget, funded debt, a federal tax system, a national bank, a customs service, and a coast guard. His "Reports on Public Credit" and "Reports on Manufactures" outlined his vision for economic development and government finances in America. He died in a duel against Aaron Burr. |
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| In 1786, all therteen colonies were invited to a convention in Annapolis to discuss commercial problems, but only representatives from five states attended. However, the convention was not a complete failure because the delegates decided to have another convention in order to write the Constitution. |
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| Massachusetts farmer Daniel Shays and 1,200 compatriots, seeking debt relief through issuance of paper currency and lower taxes, stormed the federal arsenal at Springfield in the winter of 1787 but were quickly repulsed. |
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| The delegations to the Constitutional Convention were divided between two plans on how to structure the government: Virginia called for a strong central government and a two-house legislature apportioned by population. |
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| The delegations to the Constitutional Convention were divided between two plans on how to structure the government: New jersey wanted one legislative body with equal representation for each state. |
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| Proponents of a centralized federal system and the ratification of the constitution. Most Federalists were relatively young, educated men who supported a broad interpretation of the Constitution whenever national interest dictated such flexibility. Notable Federalists included Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. |
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| Forerunners of Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican party; opposed the Constitution as a limitation on individual and states' rights, which led to the addition of a bill of Rights to the document. |
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| Collection of eighty-fiveessays that appeared in the New York press in 1787-1788 in support of the Constitution; written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay but published under the pseudonym "Publius". |
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| First ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1791 to guarantee individual rights and to help secure ratification of the constitution by the states. |
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| Created the Northwest Territory (area north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania), established conditions for self-government and statehood, included a Bill of Rights, and permanently prohibited slavery. |
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| James Madison (1751-1836) |
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| He participated in the Constitutional Convention during which he proposed the Virginia Plan. He believed in a strong federal government and was a leader of the Federalists and a contributor to The Federalist. However, he also presented to Congress the Bill of Rights and drafted the Virginia Resolutions. As the secretary of state, he withheld a commission for William Marbury, which led to the landmark "Marbury v. Madison" decision. During his presidency, he declared war on Britain in response to violations of American shipping rights, which started the War of 1812 |
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