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Chapter 7 – The Constitution . Learning Standards. 8.H.6 The outcome of the American Revolution was national independence and new political, social and economic relationships for the American people . 8.H.7
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Learning Standards 8.H.6 The outcome of the American Revolution was national independence and new political, social and economic relationships for the American people. 8.H.7 Problems arising under the Articles of Confederation led to debate over the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.
Chapter 7 Vocabulary • Articles of Confederation – America’s first constitution, gave little power central government • Checks and Balances – The system in which each branch of government has a check on the other two branches so that no one branch becomes too powerful • Currency – money, a system of money, or the bills and coins themselves, used in a country • Executive Branch – The branch of government. Headed by the president, that carries out the nation’s laws and policies • Federalist/Antifederalist– Supporters of the Constitution/Against the Constitution, preferred stronger local government • Judicial Branch – The branch of government, including the federal court system, that interprets the nation’s laws • Legislative Branch – The branch of government that makes the nation’s laws • Northwest Ordinance – Created a single Northwest Territory out of the lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River • Ratify – To give official approval to • Republic - A government in which citizens rule through elected representatives
Think about it! • What is the purpose of government? Why do we need government? What would America look like today if there was no government?
After the Declaration of Independence, why was a government necessary?
What does your section of the Articles of Confederation say? (Need at least three main points) • Do you foresee any problems with what is being established in your section of the document? • What parts do you agree with most? (Name two)
Articles of Confederation Federal Government Can… States Can…
After the Articles of Confederation were established, the editors of a Philadelphia paper made the following statement… The United States “were now ready to grow into greatness and consequence among the nations.” Analyze this statement. What is odd about it?
Questions to answer! 1. What were the Articles of Confederation? 2. What were the problems? 3. Who was involved? 4. Why didn’t they just go straight to the Constitution? 5. How did they adopt it? 6. Where did they adopt it?
Land policies • By the 1780’s, nearly 100,000 were living in the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains(land gained from the Revolutionary War. • During the 1780’s and 1790’s states gave up their claims to land west of the Appalachian Mountains, and gave it to the national government. • In 1785, Confederation Congress passed an ordinance (law) describing the procedure for surveying and selling of western lands north of the Ohio River. • The new law divided the territory into townships 6 miles long and 6 miles wide. Each township was divided into 36 sections of 640 acres. • Passed in 1787, the Northwest Ordinance created a single Northwest Territory out of the western lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. • When the population of a territory reached 60,000 people, they could apply for statehood. • The Northwest Ordinance included a bill of rights for settlers, guaranteeing freedom of religion and trial by jury. It also denied slavery from the territory.
Write a one paragraph response as to what you would do or what your options would be in this situation.
Problems, Problems and More Problems • Financial Problems • Tax Problems • Britain Problems • Spain Problems • Farmer Problems • Slavery Problems
How to fix those problems… • The Virginia Plan • The New Jersey Plan • The Great Compromise • 3/5 Compromise • Slave Trade • Bill of Rights
Constitutional convention • The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in May of 1787. • Wide range of members in both age and talents. Three members under thirty years old and one over eighty (Ben Franklin). • George Washington was the presiding officer. • Each delegate had one vote, and a majority vote was enough to make decisions.
Virginia Plan • Edmund Randolph, of Virginia, proposed building a stronger central government and eliminating the Articles of Confederation. Much of the plan was based on work by James Madison, also a Virginian • Virginia Plan called for a two-house legislature, and chief executive, and a court system. • Lower house members would be elected by the people and upper house members would be chosen by the lower house. • The number of representatives in houses determined by state population
New Jersey Plan • William Patterson of New Jersey proposed the New Jersey Plan. • New Jersey Plan modified but did not eliminate the Articles of Confederation • It kept a one-house Congress with equal representation (one vote per state) • Congress has the power to tax and regulate trade.
Do you agree or disagree? • Virginia Plan • Eliminate Articles of Confederation • Two house legislature • Three Branch System • Lower house members chosen by the people • Upper house members chosen by the lower house • Number of representatives determined by state population • Based on what state you represent, write whether you agree or disagree with each part of the Virginia Plan.
Do you agree or disagree? • New Jersey Plan • Did not eliminate Articles of Confederation • One-house Congress (one vote per state) • Congress can tax and regulate trade • Based on what state you represent, write whether you agree or disagree with each part of the New Jersey.
Great compromise • After long debates on what plan they should accept, Roger Sherman, of Connecticut, came up with a compromise. • He proposed a two-house legislature. The lower house would be the House of Representatives • The number of seats for each state would vary on population. • The upper house would be the Senate. • Each state would have two members.
Three fifths compromise • In counting state’s populations, the southern states asked the question, what about the slaves? • They wanted to include slaves in their population totals • Northern states disagreed and said slaves should be counted for taxation not representation. • They considered slaves property. • Neither side wanted to give the slaves the right to vote. • The committee decided to count slaves as three fifths of a person.
Slave trade • At the time, slave trade was banned in the Northern states • They wanted to eliminate it from all of the United States • Southern states needed slaves for economy to continue • Came to an agreement that NO changes would be made to the slave trade for twenty years, but after that, Congress could limit slave trade.
Bill of rights • What about individual rights? • Delegates worried without guaranteed freedoms, government would abuse its power. • The majority decided the Constitution was sufficient to protect the people.
discussion questions • What differences between the thirteen states made compromise necessary? • Why did the small states object to the Virginia Plan? • Describe the structure of the government created by the Great Compromise. • What probably would have happened if opponents of slavery at the Constitutional Convention had insisted on abolition? • Should we establish a Bill of Rights?
Drafting The constitution • The Constitution was finished on September 17, 1787. • Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts and Edmund Randolph and George Mason of Virginia refused to sign the Constitution without a Bill of Rights. • Nine out of the thirteen states needed to ratify the Constitution to officially create the new government.
Federalists vs. anti-federalists • Supporters of the Constitution were called Federalists. • Key Federalist members were George Washington, Ben Franklin, James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. • The Federalists Madison, Hamilton, and Jay wrote a series of essays explaining and defending the Constitution. The essays were circulated through newspapers and were read by many colonists. Today, we call them the Federalist Papers. • Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution. They were afraid the Constitution would take away liberties fought for during the Revolution, and the central government would ignore the states and the people. • Federalists feared disorder without a strong government, and Anti-Federalists feared government having too much power.
Adopting the constitution • On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution. • The ninth state, New Hampshire, ratified on June 21, 1788. Large states like Virginia and New York did not ratify until they were assured a Bill of Rights amendment.
Constitution Federal Government Can… States Can…
Questions to answer! • What is the Constitution? • Who was involved? • How did they adopt it? • Where did they adopt it?
Preamble • We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. • Rewrite in your own words and be prepared to explain.
Project Time! • With your group put these events in order. • Draw a “map” of how we got from Point A to Point B • Must use illustrations
