Introduction to the
Constitution
Everything you wanted to know about the Constitution
in 1 period.
Early Government
During the Revolutionary War,
Americans knew they needed a form
of government to run their young
country.
The document they created was
called the “Articles of
Confederation” – Written in 1777,
Ratified in 1781
This government created a loose
alliance of 13 independent states
Goals of the Articles
Federalism- A system of
government divided between a
central government and
smaller political units (like the
States and the Federal
government)
The States held much of the
power and the Federal
government had very little.
Why would the men who
wrote the Articles have given
more power to the States?
Problems with the Articles
The Articles of Confederation allowed Congress to:
Coin money
Declare War
Appoint military officers
However, there were many problems the Articles
The Articles of Confederation could not:
Pass a law unless 9 states approved it first
Regulate trade between states or countries
Raise money through taxation!
This caused a lot of problems in the new country.
Something had to change…
Constitutional Convention
In 1787, a Constitutional Convention was called in Philadelphia
to fix the Articles of Confederation.
There were many different opinions as to how the Articles should
be fixed, but as the Convention wore on, it seemed clear that an
entirely new government had to be created.
Washington was so respected,
he was elected President of the
Convention
At 81, Ben
Franklin was
the oldest
delegate present
The Constitution
Trying to set up a
framework for the new
government was a
difficult task
There was much fighting
amongst the framers who
would ultimately write
out the new laws of the
land.
Finally, in September of
1787, after five sweaty
months of debating, the
Constitution of the
United States was
written and signed by the
55 delegates
Influences
Magna Carta (1215)- King must consult Great
Council on matters of taxes; granted rights to
nobles
English Bill of Rights (1689)- protected the
rights of the citizens
Enlightenment beliefs
John Locke (1690)- “Life, Liberty and
Property”
The job of a ruler is to protect the people. If
he does not, he can be overthrown
Baron de Montesquieu (1748)- Separation of
Powers
Montesquieu
Locke
Framework
The Constitution of the United
States was ratified in 1791 and
remains the shortest national
Constitution in use.
It is composed of a Preamble
(opening section), 7 Articles and 27
Amendments
Since 1787, the Constitution has
only been revised 27 times. Sounds
like the Framers did a pretty good
job!
Quick Quiz
1. What was the purpose of the Constitutional
Convention?
2. What were two sources that influenced the
Constitution and what those influences were?
1. What were the men who attended the Constitutional
Convention called?