Ch. 7

    Even though a new president was elected, many citizens still fear the executive branch’s power. Since it was a new government placed by the Constitution, much of the president’s duties and the extent of its powers were unclear. It was not until the Bill of Rights was written up that the powers of the people of America was clearly addressed. If I was a citizen of America back then, I would also doubt the powers of the president. First of all, how different would this president be from the king? I wondered if at the time, even with the Bill of Rights that the people would actually exercise their rights?

    When the text was explaining about Hamilton’s financial plan, I was very confused. I didn't really understand why Hamilton advised no to pay back the loans but only the interest. I did not really know how that would help the US to have so much debt. However, I was very surprised to hear that Americans drank so much whiskey that they had to collect extra tax to buy liquor. Drinking became such a problem that a Whiskey Rebellion occurred, angering farmers who sold whiskey. 

   The subject that interested me the most was about the life of white females. I was surprised at how marital rights were forced as women. They had to become pregnant out of wedlock to force their fathers to approve of their marriage. Even though they could go to school by 1789 in Massachusetts, their education was nearly useless outside of being a mother or an obedient wife. It is sad for me to hear that the women at the time had such little opportunities politically, in terms of ownership, and even marital rights. Although our rights as women has improved,there are still inequality that can be seen in our everyday life.