Creating a ConstitutionChapter 3

United States Constitution PreambleCan anyone say it?

Congress under the Articles of

ConfederationNov 1777 Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation.

Once a year each state would select a delegation to send to the capital. (Congress)

No executive or judicial branch.

Congress had the right to declare war, raises armies, and sign treaties. Did NOT have the power to impose taxes.

Explicitly denied the power to regulate trade. Those powers are held by the state.

How did this weaken Congress?

Western PoliciesCongress made money by selling land west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Land Ordinance of 1785 arranged the land into townships. 36 sections

Northwest Ordinance: created the Northwest Territory. The area north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River.

60,000 people had be the total population before you could apply for statehood.

Northwest Ordinance protected civil liberties and banned slavery in the new territory.

How could this cause a problem later on?

Success in Trade

Congress promoted trade with Holland, Prussia, and Swedes through new territories.

American merchants cant trade with the French in the Caribbean.

Congress FaltersProblems with Trade:

British merchants flooded the United States with inexpensive British goods, driving many Americans out of business.

Many states restricted British imports.

British took their goods to the state with the lowest taxes.

States beginning to act independently.

Why is it such a bad ideal for the states to act independently?

Problems with Diplomacy

British forces still occupy forts on the frontier.

US wants claims to some of the territory that Spain has in the United States.

Spain was not allowing the US to deposit their goods on the Mississippi River. This closed the Mississippi to frontier farmers.

The Economic Crisis

Country is experiencing an economic recession.

Farmers affected, farm prices fall, farmers deeply in debt.

Many states in debt.

States raised taxes to pay their debts

Paper money was not backed by gold and silver so inflation began.

Shay’s Rebellion Mass. 1786: property owner’s

Government of Mass. Decided to raise taxes instead of issuing paper money.

Taxes fell heavily on the farmers (poor farmers)

Many found it impossible to pay taxes, mortgages

Loss of farms

Angry farmers rebel in Mass.

They closed down several country courthouse to block farm foreclosure and then marched to the State Supreme Court.

Daniel Shay a bankrupt farmer and former captain in the Continental Army lead the rebellion.

Jan. 1787 Shay and 1,200 farmers headed to a state arsenal to seize weapons before marching to Boston.

Shay’s Rebellion

Gov. sent Benjamin Lincoln to defend the arsenal.

Shay attacked and the militia freed at Shay and his men

4 farmers died

Lincolns troops ended the rebellion the next day.

The rich saw this as the republic is at risk.

Thought the states would take property from the wealthy and weaken property taxes.

People want strong central government.

New Constitution

I can: Explain the problems the Constitutional Convention faced. Chapter 3 Lesson 2

The Constitutional Convention

Nationalist: people who supported a strong central government. Ben Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, James Madison, and Robert Morris.

James Madison: VA Legislature, head of VA Commerce Committee. Believed a stronger national government was needed.

2 Theories1) The nation would not survive without a strong central government.

The Articles of Confederation had to be revised or replaced.

Constitutional Convention

VA called a convention of all states to discuss trade and taxation problems.

Only 5 states presents/ Discussed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Alexandra Hamilton recommend that Congress call for a convention. Shays Rebellion changed their minds.

Feb. 1787 Congress called for a convention of the states. Revise the Articles of Confederation.

Every state except Rhode Island sent delegates to the Constitutional Convention.

The Framers

55 delegates

Attorney’s, planters, and merchants.

Most delegates have experience in colonial, state, or national governments.

7 had served as state governors

39 had been members of Congress

8 had signed the Declaration of Independence

George Washington presiding officer

Ben Franklin oldest delegate, 81

Closed meetings

Virginia Plan

Detailed plan: work of James Madison, called for a new national government.

Recommended scrapping the Articles of Confederation, creating new national government with the power to make laws binding upon the states and to raise money through taxes.

Government be divided into legislative, executive, and judicial branches, Congress be divided in 2 houses.

Voters in each state would elect members of the first house.

Members of the 2nd house would be nominated by the state government but actually elected by the house

Reps based on state pop.

This plan benefits large states

Continental Congress liked dividing government up in 3 branches.

New Jersey Plan

Modified the Articles of Confederation instead of abandoning them.

Congress to have a single house in which each state was equally represented and gave Congress the power to raise taxes and regulate trade.

The Convention voted to proceed with the Virginia Plan

Create a New constitution

A Union Built on Compromise

Connecticut Compromise

Roger Sherman

Great Compromise: proposed that in one house of Congress the House of Reps. Be based on population. The other house: Senate: the states would have equal representation.

Voters elect the reps. But state legislatures would choose the Senators.

Compromise over Slavery

For every 40,000 people members can elect one rep.

South wanted to count slaves.

Northerners objected. North suggested that if slaves vote they should be taxed also.

3/5 Compromise3/5 Compromise: was worked out . Every 5 enslaved persons would be counted as 3 free persons to determine both representation and taxes.

South feared that a strong national government might impose taxes on the exports of farm products or ban the importation of slaves.

South wanted to forbid interference in slave trade.

North wanted a government that was capable of controlling imports.

Congress can not tax exports, could not ban the slave trade, until 1808 or impose high taxes on imported slaves.

39 of the delegates signed the new Constitution.

Constitution was based on popular sovereignty

Est. Federalism

Checks and Balances

Constitution provided a separation of powers.

Legislative Branch: law making

Executive Branch: President, implement and enforce laws passed by Congress.

Judicial Branch: hear cases involving laws

No person can serve in 2 branches at once.

Checks and balances prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful, limit the powers of the others.

Question

What are the jobs of the 3 branches?

Executive

Judicial

Legislative

Amending the Constitution

Clear system for making amendments.

Process is difficult

Proposal and ratification for amendments

How many amendments are in the Constitution as of 2015?

EXIT SLIP

You will have 10 questions to answer.

Vocabulary Quiz the next day

Unit Test is in 2 Days!!! Do NOT forget

Lesson 3: I Can Statements

I Can: summarize the debate over ratifying the Constitution and explain the opposing sides of the debate.

I Can: explain what occurred during the ratification process, and how ratification was completed.

Lesson 3: Ratifying the Constitution

Each state would hold a convention to vote on the New Constitution.

9 states had to vote for it to put it into effect.

Americans began to argue over if it should be ratified or not.

Federalist

Supporters of the Constitution.

Power divided between a central government and a state government.

Large landowners wanted property protection.

Merchants, artisans who where living in coastal cities.

Farmers on the coast also supported the ratification.

Anti-Federalist

Not against Federalism

Issue was on who was going to be the supreme government the national or the states.

John Hancock, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and George Clinton.

Edmund Randolph and George Mason were part of the Constitutional Convention but became Anti-Federalist. (Wanted a Bill of Rights)

Samuel Adams also wanted a Bill of Rights

Many Western Farmers believed the Constitution was a way for wealthy creditors to get rid of paper money and foreclose on their farms.

The Federalist

Anti-Federalist campaign was a negative campaign.

Federalist were better organized. Offered speeches, pamphlets, and debates in state conventions. Also had the support of the Newspapers.

The Federalist: a collection of 85 essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. Under the name: Publius

Published most of the essays in New York newspapers in late 1787 and early 1788 before collecting them all in The Federalist.

Explained the new framework and why it was needed.

Today judges, lawyers, lawmakers, and historians rely upon the Federalist essays to help to interpret the Constitution.

General IntroductionFor the Independent Journal.

Author: Alexander Hamilton

To the People of the State of New York:

AFTER an unequivocal experience of the inefficiency of the subsisting federal government, you are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America.

Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and InfluenceFor the Independent Journal.

Author: John Jay

To the People of the State of New York:

WHEN the people of America reflect that they are now called upon to decide a question, which, in its consequences, must prove one of the most important that ever engaged their attention, the propriety of their taking a very comprehensive, as well as a very serious, view of it, will be evident.

Concerning Dangers from Dissensions Between the StatesFor the Independent Journal.Author: Alexander HamiltonTo the People of the State of New York:THE three last numbers of this paper have been dedicated to an enumeration of the dangers to which we should be exposed, in a state of disunion, from the arms and arts of foreign nations.

Question

What was the main issue of debate between the Federalist and Anti-Federalist over the Constitution?

You have 1 minute to talk to your partner in front of you.

Dice game!!

Battle for Ratification

First state conventions took place Dec. 1787 and Jan. 1788.

Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut all ratified the Constitution before.

The Debate in Massachusetts