Quasi War

Life in the United States in the late eighteenth century was a time of much uncertainty and pride for the citizens of the new nation. The country had just come away from the American Revolution with an astounding victory over Great Britain and had become an independent nation. The constitution was adopted in 1787 and ratified in 1789 when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document. The United States was effectively a nation and elected George Washington to serve as the first President. With all of the pride in the new nation there was still much uncertainty with the people.   The leaders of the nation “understood that Freedom would be short-lived, that defeating an imperial State would only unleash a new State at home, unless the power of the State could be shackled. Their efforts, after a short experiment with the Articles of Confederation, were soon enshrined in the Constitution of the United States in 1787. In simple words, the Constitution was a conscious attempt to bound the State and preserve Freedom.”
France was also in political unrest during the late 18th century as well. Shortly after the American Revolution ended the French Revolution began. It can be thought of as a Counter Revolution. The French Revolution, just as the American Revolution, was a revolt against the power of a monarch and aristocracy. The French Revolution was based on principles of philosophers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau and Rene Descartes whose main principles were those of reason. Therefore the French Revolution was framed around 3 conceptions that common will and sovereignty can be accomplished through creating a government driven by reason. The first principle is that the benefits of the community outweigh individual rights; this is what the common will or sovereignty of the people means. The second principle is that the State, and the government can be beneficent instruments of progress, used to pursue common will. The third principle is unlimited government,...