Chapter 5
Section 2
 Shay’s
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Rebellion:
Daniel Shay; Revolutionary War vet returned to
his farm in debt
Summer 1786 small farmers like Shay demanded
the courts be shut down so the farmers could pay
off their debt
1787 Shay leads 1200 men to Springfield, MA to
shut the banks down themselves
Militia disperse the farmers; clearly something is
wrong
 Effects
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Panic and dismay throughout the country
All states have poor farmers…
Will rebellions spring up across the country?
 George
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of Shay’s Rebellion:
Washington speaks out:
“What a triumph for our enemies…to find that
we are incapable of governing ourselves”
Obviously time to look at new kind of
government
 Major
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
issue with country is inter-state trade
Problems with taxes states were putting on other
states goods
Disagreements about navigation rights
Shay’s Rebellion provides spark needed to have
states send delegates to address the issue
 Convention

1787
All states but Rhode Island send delegates to
Philadelphia
Quickly the delegates give up the idea of “fixing”
the Articles of Confederation and start drafting a
new government

Madison’s Virginia
Plan:
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Bi-cameral legislature
Represented by states
population
Small states object
vigorously!!!

William Paterson’s
New Jersey Plan:
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Single house legislature
Each state had an equal
vote
 The
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Great Compromise:
Roger Sherman of Connecticut
Bi-cameral legislature
Upper House (Senate) all states represented
equally
Lower House (House of Reps) states represented
by size of population
 Should
slaves be considered in the
population?
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South wanted to count them so they would have
more representation in the House
North disagrees; without slaves being counted
the North would have more representation
 3/5

Compromise
Eventually agree that 3/5 of the slave population
would count for a states total population
 Division
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New gov’t federalism- divided power between
the states and national gov’t
Enumerated powers: powers given to the
national gov’t

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Foreign affairs, national defense, regulating trade,
coining money
Reserved Powers: powers kept by the states

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of Powers:
Education, marriage laws, regulating trade within the
state
Both can establish taxes, and establish courts
 Separation
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3 Branches of Government
Legislative
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Make laws
Executive

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of Powers:
Enforce laws
Judicial

Interpret laws