This philosophy constituted the idealism of a nation and found expression in the Revolution. Fairly within the spirit of the times was the thought that every man should be given an even chance to realize the best there is in him, and that the strong ought not to use their strength or cunning to despoil the weak. This thought is implied in many of the grounds on which the king of Great Britain was indicted. To equality in some such sense as this the signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.
The Constitution
The Revolutionary War was attended with a good deal of turbulence and insecurity of life and property. The property of many of the Loyalists was confiscated and they themselves were forced into exile. Nor was the condition of affairs satisfactory in the years following the treaty of Paris in 1783. The governmental system was notoriously out of accord with the demands of the economic situation. The central government was dependent upon the states for support and its credit was at low ebb. The revolutionary bills of credit reached the last stages of depreciation. Some of the states levied hostile tariffs against each other, or were at loggerheads over the control of the navigable rivers which separated them. The tariff policies and schedules of the several states were woefully lacking in unity. English statesmen questioned the ability of congress to enforce the provisions of any commercial agreement that might be entered into, and Spain continued to claim both banks of the Mississippi.[2] The result was that many tired of the ideal of equality. Moreover, the "hard times" which followed the Revolution and the return of some of the Loyalists contributed to the reaction.
The framing and adopting of the constitution were the logical outcome of the situation. The new government was given the unquestioned power to levy and collect the taxes needed for its own support, and was granted the exclusive power over interstate and foreign commerce. The treaty-making power and the control of the monetary system of the country were definitely and firmly lodged in its hands. These grants of power did much toward making the new government a tower of strength, and that property was thereby rendered more secure there can be no doubt. The cause of equality was also advanced. Federal control of interstate and foreign commerce opened wide the door of indus-
