The Birth of a New Nation

Making it work…or not.

1786

• The Confederation government is not working according to planned

• The war created a huge debt

• The Confederation Congress did not have the power to raise taxes…

Inflation

• The government was desperate for money, so they continued to print more

• They had no gold or silver to back up the money they were printing

• This decreased the value of the money

January 1787

• States passed tax levies on farms in order to create revenue (get more money)

• The farmers could not pay the taxes so the government begins taking their land away

• This causes the farmers to revolt against the new government

Shays’ Rebellion

• Massachusetts farmers revolt, led by a Continental Army captain Daniel Shays

• They compared the new government to the tyranny of King George III

• More than 1000 farmers stormed a federal arsenal to take its ammunition

• The state militia ordered them to retreat and fired over their heads

• The farmers continued on the militia shot at them, killing four

• The rebellion made many Americans begin to question the government’s ability to control unrest and prevent violence

In addition to farmers revolting…

• Northern states began fighting against slavery

• Southern plantations depended on slavery for profit

• This began the division between the North and the South

Reform Demanded

• It became clear that 13 individual states would not work

• It created a divided nation

• The American people demanded reform of the Articles of Confederation

May 1787

• The Constitutional Convention began in Philadelphia

• It was led under the leadership of George Washington

• The convention was to discuss “revisions to the Articles of Confederation” and NOT to create a new constitution

The Constitutional Convention

• Took place during one of the hottest summers in years

• The delegates closed the doors to the public, locking themselves into the sweltering hot building

• Women, Native Americans and African-Americans were not allowed to participate or have a say

James Madison

• Created the first draft of the constitution

• He called it the Virginia Plan

• It created a system of checks and balances between governmental powers

The Virginia Plan

• Government consists of:

• 2 houses of legislature whose number of representatives are vote upon based on state population size (a lower house that is elected by the people and an upper house that is elected by the lower house)

• A court system

It was a good plan, however…

• Smaller states objected because they would have less representatives

• They only saw the need for 1 House

• They called their idea the New Jersey Plan

A Compromise

• June 1787

• The delegates agreed to start over

• They used the Virginia Plan as a basis for further discussion

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

• The discussions were heated • Delegates could not agree with issues such as

the legality of slavery• They also disagreed on whether or not slaves

should count as part of the population in regards to the number of representatives a state was allowed to have

• The convention began to fall apart• Ben Franklin suggested ending session with a

prayer that asked for divine guidance

The Great Compromise

• 2 Houses of Legislature

• The House of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house)

• Each state’s number of Congressional Representatives would be based on population size

• Each state was allowed 2 seats in the Senate

3/5 Compromise

• Should slaves count as property or population?

• All sides agreed that slaves should not be allowed to vote

• They argued over whether or not they should be counted for taxation and representation purposes

• It was decided that slaves would count as 3/5 a person. (5 slaves = 3 “people”

July 16, 1787

• The first round of voting takes place

• It was amongst the delegates at the convention

• There was still much to debate

Table the issue…

• In order to pass a vote, the delegates decided not to discuss the issue of slave trade for 20 years

• After 20 years, Congress could limit slave trade as they saw fit

• THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY REASON THE CONSTITUTION PASSED!!

No Bill of Rights?

• The initial Constitution did not have a bill of rights

• It bothered many states who already had these rights listed in their state constitutions

• The new constitution gave no rights to the individual

• Most delegates had faith that the new constitution’s limit on power would protect individual rights

Finished!?

• September 17, 1787

• 3 delegates would not sign the constitution because it did not contain a bill of rights

• The new constitution was approved in the Confederation Congress and sent to the states for ratification (approval)

The States Vote

• The vote had to be a unanimous “yes” for the constitution to win approval

• This wasn’t going to happen

• The process so slow, because of arguing, that the Congress changed unanimous rule. Now, they only needed 9 of the 13 colonies to vote “yes.”

The Constitution (Pt. 2)

Roots of the Constitution

• The Constitution was based on the studies of a Frenchman named Baron de Montesquieu. He believed that the government needed to be separated and balanced against each other.

• It was also based on John Locke’s study of Great Britain’s Constitution. He believed that the people had to the right to life, liberty, and property. He also believed that the government should be based on agreements between the people and their ruler.

The Three Branches of Government

Legislative

• The Senate (upper house) contains 2 representatives from each state

• The number of representatives in The House of Representatives is determined by population size and varies by state.

• The Legislative Branch can: collect taxes, coin money, regulate trade, raise armies, declare war and make all laws needed to fulfill the functions given to it by the Constitution.

Executive

• Headed by the president (Commander in Chief) and the vice president)

• Carries out nation’s laws and policies

• Is the head of the military• Elected by Electoral

College• Has the right to veto bills

passed through Congress

The Electoral College

Judicial

• Federal Court System• Highest Court System in

the United States• Hears cases involving the

Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and disputes between states.

• 9 judges serve on the Supreme Court. They are nominated by the president and confirmed by Congress.

Checks and Balances

• Separation of Powers• The 3 Branches have

roles that check, or limit the others so that no single branch has can dominate the government.

Pros and Cons of Checks and Balances

• Pro: Keeps one branch of government from becoming too powerful

• Con: Sometimes the system of checks and balances prevents the federal government from acting quickly and decisively.

Bill of Rights

• Freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press• Right to Keep and Bear Arms• Quartering of Soldiers• Security From Unwarrantable Search and Seizure• Rights of Accused Persons in Criminal Proceedings• Right to a Speedy Trial• Trial By Jury in Civil Cases• Bails, Fines, Punishments• Reservation of Rights of People• Powers Reserved to States or People

How a Bill Becomes a Law

Ratifying the Constitution

• Recap: The Confederation Congress needed a 9/13 vote to make the Constitution a law

• Federalists supported the law. They believed the in the separation of power.

• The Anti- federalists believed that the new government would give too much power to the rich and education and therefore would not represent the people.

• This created a large debate amongst the states.

It’s Official!

• After significant debate, the Constitution was eventually ratified when the states were promised that a Bill of Rights would be added in order to protect the people’s individual rights.

• In May 1790, people celebrated the ratification of the Constitution

• It was promised that the Bill of Rights would be added by 1791

• The Bill of Rights was added in 1791 and is continually amended as needed.