Change and Continuity in the US from 1780-1800

American politics and government went through various changes and continuities between 1780 and 1800 in political organization, political control and the meaning of freedom. The United States were shaped by changes in the structure of American government from being a nation of independent states to one united under a single federalist government. The United States experienced varying changes and continuities in the meaning of freedom to everyone on the American continent, as can be seen with their relations with slaves and Native Americans. Political changes from the new federalist government also shaped the United States, such as the choice to have peace with Great Britain and acts which essentially permitted censorship of the people and the press in regard to speaking out against the government.

One of the key areas in American government and politics which experienced both great change and continuity was that of how far the ideas of documents such as the Declaration of Independence – specifically the idea of “unalienable rights” – influenced treatment of slaves and Native Americans. In the Southern slave states, there was an overall pattern of continuity in relations towards slaves. As can be seen in the “Map of Emancipation Dates,” the Southern states remained slave-holding even after the Northern and Northwestern states prohibited the practice. The prohibition of slavery in the Northern and Northwestern states indicates a theme of change – these states have changed from holding slaves (although never in numbers as great as those seen in the Southern states) to holding no slaves. We can also see both change and continuity in the treatment of the Native Americans by the British – on one hand, the Native Americans were treated in much the same way continuously being robbed constantly of their land and not treated as equal citizens. On the other hand, the attempt from the Native Americans (and the allowance by the United States) for the Native Americans to speak at the Confederate Council represents a great shift in attitudes from the US towards the Native Americans. The speech of the United Indian Nations at the Confederate Council both shows the need which there is for change, but also shows the continuity between what happened when colonists first arrived in the United States and what is happening in the present. As stated in the speech “We again request of you, in the most earnest manner, to order your surveyors and other, that mark out lands, to cease from crossing the Ohio, until we shall have spoken to you,” showing how continuous the abuse of Native American rights has been. Just as in the original colonization of the US the colonists displaced their Native American counterparts, the same has continued to happen to at least the date of the speech (although it continued to happen after that).

Another place in which there was much change and continuity from 1780-1800 was in the realm of political organization with the shift from a country in which states largely made their own decisions to one which was united under a strong federal government. As can be seen from Abigail Adam’s Letter to Thomas Jefferson, “Ignorant, wrestless desperadoes, without conscience or principals, have led a deluded multitude to follow their standard” were causing serious problems in the United States, which led to change in the form of the governmental system in place. Many educated Americans believed that the key to solving these issues was the establishment of a strong central government. However, opposition to this arose – from those in favor of continuity between the system established after independence. As can be seen in the Anti-Federalist papers, John DeWitt states that “the future Congress of the United States shall be armed with the powers of Legislation, Judgment and Execution . . . whether this future Government shall be administered within the territories of your own State, or at the distance of four thousand miles from them.” This document expresses the want for continuity between how the United States were established with the Articles of Confederation. Even though in the end the government of the United States changed from a large web of independent states to one with a strong central government, this cannot only be viewed simply through the eyes of change. Instead, the strong central government of the US bore striking resemblance to the previous rule over the colonies – Parliament – which also shows us the sense of continuity.

Finally, the actions of the government in the United States also experienced both change and continuity from 1780 through 1800, with censorship acts and peace with Britain both representing change from what had happened since independence, but relative continuity to what had happened before American Independence. As can be seen in Jay’s treaty in which it is stated that “There shall be a firm inviolable and universal Peace . . . between His Britannick Majesty . . . and the United States of America. . . .,” American politics was intent on keeping friendly relationships with Great Britain despite being their former archenemies. This represents a pattern of great change in comparison to the current politics at the time. Before (and after) Jay’s treaty, many Americans believed in supporting the French Revolutionary cause instead of working with their former enemies, so the signing of this treaty declaring peace between the two nations was in that sense a great leap towards change. However, in the grand picture, this action represents continuity – the United States had, before independence, belonged to Great Britain, and, even though it no longer belonged to them, the fact that they were establishing peaceful relations indicated that the countries no longer expressed bitter hatred for each other and relations were roughly back to what they were when Americans slightly resented the British but at the same time didn’t embrace revolution yet. Even though Great Britain didn’t take control over America after Jay’s treaty, this shows a return to peaceful relations with the “mother country” as it was a while before the American Independence movement. A decisive policy, the Alien and Sedition Acts, also played a key role in establishing both a sense of change and continuity in American government. As can be seen from the quote that “If any person shall write, print, utter or publish . . . any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States . . . then such person . . . shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, and by imprisonment not exceeding two years,” the US government under John Adams had taken a definite twist into the realm of censorship of the press and people and their opinions against the government. This was very unlike past administrations and the very ideals of the revolution – which included rights to free speech. The fact that John Adams was stripping people of this very basic right and prohibiting them to speak negatively about the government represented a great change in comparison to the original ideas of the revolution and those of George Washington’s presidency. Again, the Alien and Sedition Acts can also be viewed from the lenses of continuity. The censorship of the press is extremely analogous to the situation faced by the Americans from the British. Through the careful regulation of the press and how revolutionary ideas spread, the British tried to limit negative circulation about their methods. Similarly, John Adams wanted to stop any negative circulation about the methods of the US government, hinting at an overall pattern of continuity when compared to pre-independence times.

In conclusion, US politics and government were marked both by intense change and continuity. In the treatment of non-Americans such as slaves and Native Americans, various regions reacted in different ways, and depending on their methods of reaction, the change and continuity varied – and in a way, the treatment often included both. Political structure was also heavily influenced by both continuity and change – in a sense, the federalist ideals were similar to those from before the Independence movement, while at the same time they represented great change from the largely independent states. Finally, political actions also indicate both change and continuity – acts and policies such as Jay’s Treaty and the Alien and Sedition Acts represent change from that point in time, but continuity in the grand sense when compared to pre-Independence America.