Warm Up

In your groups discuss the Electoral College.

A. What is it for?

B. Why do we have it?

C. How are the electoral votes per state determined?

FEDERALISTS VS. ANTI-FEDERALISTS

Review

What was America’s 1st form of government?

A = Articles of Confederation

What was its major weakness?

A = could not TAX.

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

A = Thomas Jefferson

More Review

What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?

A = for the colonists to declare independence from England.

What was the 3-part argument of the Dec. of Indep?

3-Part Argument

1. Everybody has natural rights

2. The purpose of govt. is to protect people’s nat. rights.

3. If the govt. is not doing its job, people have the right to overthrow it and form a new one.

Ratification

Once the Constitution was made, states had to vote whether they wanted it to replace the Articles of Confederation.

Ratification = to vote to accept the Constitution as the new national government.

9 of 13 states had to vote yes.

The Federalists

People that support the Constitution.

Feel that a stronger national govt. is needed.

Tend to distrust “the people.”

The Anti-Federalists

Do not like the Constitution

Some fear a more powerful national government will end up being oppressive (like England’s was).

Want power to stay at the state level.

Biggest concern, though, is there is no listing of individual rights (a Bill of Rights) in the Constitution.

The Federalist Papers

Newspaper articles written to get people to support ratifying the Constitution.

Written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison.

Ratification

Vote is close in some states.

But by 1788, 9 states had voted for ratification.

Federalists promised to add a bill of rights once the Constitution was ratified.

The Bill of Rights

Refers to the 1st 10 amendments (additions) to the Constitution.

Lets look at them in your book!

Review Passing the Constitution was called what?

A = ratification

People who supported ratifying the Constitution were called?

A = Federalists.

People opposed to the Constitution were called what?

A = Anti-Federalists

Series of newspaper articles written to get people to support the Constitution were called?

A = Federalist Papers.

Who wrote the Federalist papers?

A = John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison.

What was the biggest concern of the anti-federlaists about the Constitution?

A = It had no Bill of Rights.

What are the 1st 10 Amendments t0 the Constitution called?

A = bill of rights.