Woody Holton

The minute immersion of reading Woody Holton’s Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution takes place, the reader is quick to notice this book is written differently from most other books written about the same time. Holton, takes on the status quo in regards to how the Constitution was founded, and who was involved in the creation of the Constitution. Most students of history have been taught to believe that the Constitution was written to encourage democracy and protect civil rights. However, Holton’s arguments are different, as he claims that what advanced the Constitution was a struggle between the haves and have-nots which spiraled from a nation of excess democracy to one of less, meaning taking direct power away from the people

They also believed that the hardships endured by farmers was a product of their own laziness and extravagance. This led to some wanting to understand why farmers would do this to themselves, and so they began to study the exact cause. What was found, is the dependence upon foreign merchandise to build up one’s own property, which led to an increase in debt. The farmers not believing their own misfortune was a product of extravagance, but a product of deliberate government policy, began to demand for a change in those policies, along with a closure of courts on a temporary basis to allow the people to “catch up” on their payments. The demanding and lack of attention from the state governments ultimately led to rebellions. These rebellions begin to show the difference between the Haves and the Have-nots, by illustrating the dynamics of both sides when it came to understanding the reasoning behind the formation of the

Holton emphasizes, the need to rein in the states weighed far more heavily upon the convention than the motive that has received the most attention from later generations of American, strengthening the Confederation. Holton also focused on the concerns of the Framers from reviving the economy to assaulting the states debtor-taxpayer protection schemes put in place in part of the rebellions. Madison, Hamilton, and Charles Pinckney showed how they wanted to change the status quo prior to showing up in Philadelphia, but never outright spoke of this for fear of the convention not taking place. The writings of Madison, Hamilton, Morris, and Jefferson showed their desire to establish a republic that was respected, secure, and just. Their paradigms were nation centered. The have-nots’ issues included taxes, debt relief, paper money and land ownership. Nine out of ten free Americans were farmers and it was farmers who were most concerned with paying taxes and reducing their debts. They had united to gain political influence within their states which resulted in excessive democracy. This caused consequences which led to tax leniency, issues with the bond holders and ultimately the lack of investment. The states failed to resolve these issues resulting in economic instability not only for the states but for the nation. Ultimately, the