confederation to constitution

After the War  The 13 colonies are now free of British rule and are a new country called The United States of America  The Americans control all of the land from the Atlantic to the Mississippi and from the Gulf of Mexico and to the Great Lakes  British still control Canada and Spanish are west of Mississippi

Defining a Country Following the American Revolution, the newly established United States of America faced the challenge of defining itself as a new country.  At first, the Americans are worried about a strong central government for the nation, leading to a weak, ineffective one under the Articles of Confederation  The US Constitution creates a stronger central government to replace the failed Confederation  This new Constitution protects many American rights and liberties with the Bill of Rights

Section 1 – The Confederation Era  Vocabulary

 Confederation Congress – national legislative body created by the Articles of Confederation  Articles of Confederation – plan for national government in the US ratified in 1781  Northwest Territory – lands northwest of the Appalachian Mountains  Northwest Ordinance – law that described how the NW Territory would be governed

 Background

 Republic – state, country or nation in which people elect representatives to govern them  Ratification – an act of official conformation  Neutral – not siding with one country or another

Framing a Government  The new Americans wanted to fix some of the things they thought were wrong with Britain, so their new government:

 Was a republic that allowed people to vote on representatives (but not everyone could vote)  Had strong state constitution that outlined people’s rights and defined the states powers  Had a weak national (or central) government

 This government was formed under the Articles of Confederation

Homework  Read hand out about Articles of Confederation and be prepared for a short quiz about the information

Quiz 1. What was the first government created by the Americans called? 2. What was the name of the document that said how this government would work? 3. True or false: The first government appointed a king for the US. 4. True or false: This government had strong state governments and a weak national government 5. Name one power of this national government 6. Name two weaknesses of this government

Powers of Confederation Congress Allowed by Congress

Denied to Congress

 Conduct foreign affairs



Establish executive branch (president)

 Declare war and make peace



Enforce national laws



Enact or collect taxes



 Control Western lands and Indian affairs

Regulate trade between states or other countries



Establish Federal courts

 Run postal service



Amend Articles

 Issue or borrow money

Why might the national government been weak because of the powers it was denied?

Strengths and Weaknesses with the Articles of Confederation  The Land Ordinance of 1785 establishes how new territories and states are created  No slavery, rivers are free, freedom or religion and trial by jury

 Limited national government’s ability to deal with foreign countries  Spain and Britain refuse to allow American trade in the Caribbean and around Great Lakes

 Inability to levy taxes keeps national government poor  Can’t pay debts from war (soldiers)  States have to raise their own taxes which makes people mad

Homework  Yellow words for section 2 on page 242 in notes or on note cards  Read “The Northwest Territory” on page 240-241 and answer the 3 questions on page 241 “Connect Geography and History”

Section 2 – Creating a Constitution  Vocabulary    

Checks and balances – system in which each branch of government checks the power of the other branches Executive branch – part of government that enforces laws and leads country Legislative branch – part of government that makes laws Judicial branch – part of government that interprets laws

 Government    



Constitutional Convention – 1787 meeting that created the US Constitution Virginia Plan – proposal for legislature based on population or wealth New Jersey Plan – proposal for legislature in which each state got 1 vote Great Compromise – agreement that establishes 2 house legislature with 1 house having equal representation and 1 with representation based on population Three-fifths Compromise – agreement that slaves would count as 3/5ths of a person for representation and taxation

 People  

Founders – people who helped create the US Constitution James Madison – important advisor to the Constitutional Convention

Calling for a Convention  What: a group meeting to discuss changes that the national government needed  Who: the Founding Fathers (Madison, Hamilton, Washington and others)  When: starting on May 25, 1787  Where: Philadelphia PA

 Why: they recognized the Articles of Confederation were not strong enough and the US might fail  How: Each state sent representatives to the convention including many famous men of the time

 John Adams

Samuel Adams

 Ben Franklin

John Hancock

• James Madison

Challenges at the Convention  There were many things to discuss at the convention and many delegates were still worried about creating a national government that was too strong  Two issues they had to agree on were:  Representation and  Slavery

Representation in Government Virginia Plan

New Jersey Plan

 Favored states with large populations

 Favored states with small populations

 Two houses with the number of votes based on the population of the state

 One house with one vote per state regardless of population

• Both plans created an executive and judicial branch and proposed system of checks and balances to keep one branch form getting too much power • Eventually, The Great Compromise solves the conflict by creating two houses in the legislature, one with equal votes and one with representation based on population

Questions about Slavery  What: deciding who “counted” in a states population  Who: African-American slaves  When: during the Constitutional Convention  Where: debate between the Northern and Southern delegates  How: Southern states wanted slaves counted so they had larger populations while Northern states did not  Why: The delegates agree on the Three-Fifths Compromise which counted 3/5ths of a state’s slaves in the population for representation and taxation. The Compromise also protected slavery in the South

 Slave population in 1790

Powers of State and National Government

Homework  Yellow word vocabulary for chapter 8 section 3 on page 248  Section assessment questions for section 2 on page 247 #s 4, 5 & 6  Quiz on the first 10 amendments (the Bill of Rights) next week  See handout – we will be talking about them next week but start to work on memorizing them now

Section 3 – Ratification and the Bill of Rights  Vocabulary  Federalism – system of government in which power is shared between the national government and the states  Federalists – people who supported the Constitution  Anti-federalists – people who opposed the Constitution  The Federalists Papers – essays published in newspapers about the Constitution  Amendment – an addition to a document  Bill of Rights – the first ten amendments to the Constitution  Majority rule – system in which of more than half the group agrees, the decision binds the whole group

Arguments Over Ratification  After the Constitution was written, two different groups emerged; those that were for the Constitution and those against it.  The most important difference was what role the national government would play and how it related to state government  Those in favor of the Constitution and national (or federal) government were called Federalists  Those against it were called Anti-federalists

Concerns of the Federalists and Anti-federalists Federalists

Anti-federalists

 Federalism is a system of government in which the national and state governments share power

 Thought the Constitution took too much power from the states

 Also, the 3 branches and checks and balances would keep things equal

 Supported by rural areas and large population states

 Federalists James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay wrote essays called The Federalists Papers to support their cause

 Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams and James Monroe were important Antifederalists

Protecting People’s Rights  The Anti-federalists wanted a list of rights that were guaranteed to be protected and that the national government could not take away  They wanted a Bill of Rights

 Eventually, the Federalists agree to this demand and the Bill of Rights is added at the end of the Constitution making the first 10 amendments to it

The Bill of Rights 1.

Religious and political freedom

2.

Right to bear arms

3.

No Quartering troops

4.

No illegal search and seizure

5.

Rights of accused people

6.

Right to speedy, public trial

7.

Right to jury trial

8.

Limits fines and punishment

9.

Rights of people

10.

Powers of states and people

Ratification  The Constitution still needed to be ratified and had to be approved by 9 of the 13 states according to the Articles of Confederation  Nine states approve it between December 1787 and June 1788  However, Virginia, New York and North Carolina do not and many are worried that is will fail without the large states support

Ratification continued  Both Virginia and New York eventually ratify it after the states agree to adding a Bill of Rights  North Carolina does not ratify it until AFTER George Washington is sworn in as the first president

Improvements to the US Government (pg. 253) Confederation Weakness

Constitution Strength



National government could not collect taxes

 Could collect taxes



Could not regulate trade

 Allowed to regulate trade



No national courts

 Established national court



No president

 Established president



One state, one vote (no population

 Proportional representation



Laws approved by 3/4th of states

 Simple majority needed



Amendments must be unanimous

 Only 2/3rds needed

Homework  Section assessment questions on page 254 #s 3, 4, 6 & 7

 Review Day – 7-1 Thursday 17th 7-2 Friday 18th  Test Day – Tuesday 22nd

Review  Democracy – government of the people, everyone gets to vote on laws  Republic – a bunch of smaller groups together forming one big government, elect representatives to vote on laws