The Federalist Era:

Nationalism Triumphant

The Federalist Era:

Nationalism Triumphant 5

CONTENTS

■Each of the chapter openers in this book features a work of art. That the

Constitution of the United Stateswas itself a work of art was the thesis of Eric

Slauter’s,The State as a Work of Art: The Cultural Origins of the Constitution(2009).

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made no mention of copyright. But James Madison rea-

soned that if inventors did not “own” their inventions,

they would have little incentive to invent. Authors, too,

could expect no profit if their books could be freely

reprinted. The economy would suffer from the lack of

innovation and knowledge would languish. Thomas

Jefferson, on the other hand, observed that in England

copyright laws allowed businesses to monopolize inven-

tions and books. This drove prices up and restricted dis-

semination of ideas. He argued that ideas, once

divulged, should be made available to the public swiftly

and freely. Jefferson had himself evaded Britain’s copy-

right laws by stocking his library at Monticello with

pirated books, printed on the cheap in Dublin.

Eventually the framers reached a compromise that

became Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution of the

United States. It empowered Congress to “promote the

Progress of Science and the Useful Arts” by providing

“authors and inventors” the “exclusive right” to their

creations; but this right would be for a “limited” time.

Once the copyright had expired, the invention or book

would become public property.

Polls today show that most Americans overwhelm-

ingly endorse the United States Constitution (although

some of those charged with illegal downloads may have

second thoughts). In the 1780s, many Americans were sat-

isfied with the federal government under the Articles of

Confederation. Whatever its weaknesses, the government

■Inadequacies of the Articles of

Confederation

■Daniel Shays’s “Little Rebellion”

■To Philadelphia, and the

Constitution

■The Great Convention

■The Compromises That

Produced the Constitution

■Ratifying the Constitution

■Washington as President

■Congress under Way

■Hamilton and Financial Reform

■The Ohio Country: A Dark

and Bloody Ground

■Revolution in France

■Federalists and Republicans:

The Rise of Political Parties

■1794: Crisis and Resolution

■Jay’s Treaty

■1795: All’s Well That Ends Well

■Washington’s Farewell

■The Election of 1796

■The XYZ Affair

■The Alien and Sedition Acts

■The Kentucky and

Virginia Resolves

■Mapping the Past:

Radical Frontiersmen vs.

Conservative Easterners

HeartheAudio Chapter 5 at http://www.myhistorylab.com