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THE CONSTITUTION

THE CONSTITUTION. (chapter 2). Roots of the American Nation.

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THE CONSTITUTION

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  1. THE CONSTITUTION (chapter 2)

  2. Roots of the American Nation • The English colonies’ trade was put under strict control. It was all ok, until Britain put a tax on the Americans to pay for the Seven Years’ War. Then Americans panicked that it meant more taxes and congregated to make the Stamp Act Congress. They sent a bunch of petitions and stuff to Parliament that only got the Stamp Act repealed and a revision of the Sugar Act. Then the Boston Massacre happened, so Parliament withdrew every tax except those on tea. However, Americans still saw it irritating…

  3. Continental Congress • The Boston Tea Party happened, which pissed off the British. So, they passed the intolerable acts. However, it just united the colonies. The First Continental Congress came together with 56 delegates and drafted what they thought Britain did wrong. They also drafted a Declaration of Rights and Resolves. They sent their work to the King, if he did not listen to their demands, they would meet again in May of 1775 in Philadelphia.

  4. Second Continental Congress • With the rejection of their proposals, the second meeting was deemed necessary. However, 16,000 troops stormed Boston before it happened. • The meeting was moved to May 1775, where they tried to avert conflict with the Olive Branch Petition. The king refused, then sent 20,000 more troops here. • Thomas Paine’s Common Sense became the support of the nation as it denounced the Crown. So, with renewed vigor, the United States elected five people to pump out the Declaration of Independence. George Washington and the Continental Army went to war as Congress struggled to fashion our new government.

  5. The First Attempt at Government • The Articles of Confederation became our first government. It worked while we were at war because it united us. Then the war ended and we plunged ourselves into chaos…

  6. Why Didn’t it work? • First off, the national government had little power. Every state was pretty much its own country attached to each other by cotton strings. With no strong central government, there was nothing to back up the currency. Currency worth less than dirt caused the states to coin their own money.

  7. Shays’s Rebellion • Since there was no strong central government, Massachusetts adopted its own constitution that favored the wealthy. Less-wealthy farmers were being forced off their land. So Daniel Shays and 1,500 other farmers marched to Springfield where they forced the bank to not foreclose on their land. Congress asked for $530,000 to establish a militia to help. Virginia refused this, then tried to makes its own militia. That also failed because they couldn’t afford to do it. This event certainly showed how weak the Central Government really was. Several states came together to call a for a convention in Philadelphia in 1787.

  8. Our New Government • At the convention, two plans were proposed met with heated debate. The Virginia plan called for an entirely new government. The New Jersey Plan was to preserve our old government. After awhile, the Virginia Plan won. However, there were some compromises made before the convention agreed and our new system of government was to be submitted to the electorate

  9. Characteristics and Motives of the Framers • They were all pretty young, in their twenties and thirties. Only Ben Franklin was at a ripe, old age of 81. 31 of them went to college, and seven signed both the Declaration and the Constitution. • As far as motives, Charles A. Beard in 1913 argued that the situation was significantly affected by business savvy. A weak, decentralized government would affect business. However, this fell into distaste in the 1950s when Historians could not draw any conclusions between wealth and the Constituation.

  10. Proposed Ideas Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan • Strong government made up of executive, judicial, and legislative branches. • Two-house legislature system with one house elected by the people, the other by the state legislatures. • A legislature that can select the executive and judiciary branches. • Strengthens the Articles of Confederation, rather than replace them. • Contains a one-house legislature, one vote for each state. • Gives Congress the power to tax duties on imports and postal service fees. • Creates a Supreme Court with members appointed for life.

  11. Great Compromise • The end result was a mix of both the New Jersey and Virginia Plans. There is a two-house legislature, one is the representatives and the other is the senate. Also, with state and national governments, national governments would have the higher power. • They also covered the slaves here. The Three-Fifths compromise gave them an unequal part in the country, but it was a vote.

  12. U.S. Constitution • Federalism, a separation of powers, and checks and balances were principles maintained in the constitution. This way, the national government didn’t dominate the states, and no branch could dominate another. It stopped too much power from ending up in one individual or branch.

  13. Getting it Ratified • The government was written, now it had to be approved. Things got into labeling. There were Federalists and Anti-Federalists at every debate where tempers ran high. Then along came the Federalist papers, which sounds great but were far too theoretical at the time to sway those who would vote on its ratification. Everyone just feared the idea of a strong, central government.

  14. Getting it Ratified • Debate was dragged out from December 1787 to June 1788. Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania ratified it pretty fast. Some more states joined in, with New Hampshire being the needed ninth state to ratify nationally. Virginia ratified after, then New York fell like a domino. North Carolina ratified when the Bill of Rights was put up for addition. Rhode Island was that forever alone state until 1790.

  15. Formally Amending the Constitution • You could get two-thirds of the members of both houses of Congress to agree. Or you could get two-thirds of the state legislatures to agree to call a national convention. Using the state legislatures has never been used. As for ratification, get three-fourths of the state legislatures on your side, or a favorable vote in specially called ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states.

  16. Informally Amending the Constitution • Maybe as early as 1803, the judicial branch discovered that they could nullify acts that violate the Constitution. Analysts argue that the Framers made it this way so that the Constitution could change to befit the world. Social and cultural changes have been so drastic since then that they couldn’t possibly imagine what has happened. Using the textbook’s example, the Framers had the three-fifths compromise, but probably never imagined an African American to be President.

  17. THANK YOU By: Arron and Matt

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