CHAPTER 7 – THE CONSTITUTION
LEARNING STANDARDS
8.H.6
The outcome of the
American Revolution was
national independence and
new political, social and
economic relationships for
the American people.
8.H.7
Problems arising under the
Articles of Confederation
led to debate over the
adoption of the U.S.
Constitution.
CHAPTER 7 VOCABULARY
• Articles of Confederation – America’s first constitution, gave little power
central government
• Checks and Balances – The system in which each branch of government
has a check on the other two branches so that no one branch becomes
too powerful
• Currency – money, a system of money, or the bills and coins themselves,
used in a country
• Executive Branch – The branch of government. Headed by the president,
that carries out the nation’s laws and policies
• Federalist/Antifederalist– Supporters of the Constitution/Against the
Constitution, preferred stronger local government
• Judicial Branch – The branch of government, including the federal court
system, that interprets the nation’s laws
• Legislative Branch – The branch of government that makes the nation’s
laws
• Northwest Ordinance – Created a single Northwest Territory out of the
lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River
• Ratify – To give official approval to
• Republic - A government in which citizens rule through elected
representatives
THINK ABOUT IT!
• What is the purpose of government? Why do we
need government? What would America look like
today if there was no government?
• After the Declaration of Independence, why was a
government necessary?
• What does your section of the Articles of
Confederation say? (List at least three main points.)
• Do you foresee any problems with what is being
established in your section of the document?
(Name one)
• What parts do you agree with most? (Name one)
• (List all responses on the back of your t-chart)
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
Federal Government
Can…
States Can…
After the Articles of Confederation were established, the editors of a
Philadelphia paper made the following statement…
The United States “were now ready to grow into greatness and
consequence among the nations.”
Analyze this statement. What is odd about it?
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER!
1. What were the Articles of Confederation?
2. What were the problems?
3. Who was involved?
4. Why didn’t they just go straight to the Constitution?
5. How did they adopt it?
6. Where did they adopt it?
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
LAND POLICIES
• By the 1780’s, nearly 100,000 were living in the lands west of the Appalachian
Mountains (land gained from the Revolutionary War.
• During the 1780’s and 1790’s states gave up their claims to land west of the
Appalachian Mountains, and gave it to the national government.
• In 1785, Confederation Congress passed an ordinance (law) describing the
procedure for surveying and selling of western lands north of the Ohio River.
• The new law divided the territory into townships 6 miles long and 6 miles wide. Each
township was divided into 36 sections of 640 acres.
• Passed in 1787, the Northwest Ordinance created a single Northwest Territory out of
the western lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River.
• When the population of a territory reached 60,000 people, they could apply for
statehood.
• The Northwest Ordinance included a bill of rights for settlers, guaranteeing freedom
of religion and trial by jury. It also denied slavery from the territory.
NORTHWEST TERRITORY
• Write a one paragraph response as to what you
would do or what your options would be in this
situation.
PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS AND MORE
PROBLEMS
•
•
•
•
•
•
Financial Problems
Tax Problems
Britain Problems
Spain Problems
Farmer Problems
Slavery Problems
HOW TO FIX THOSE PROBLEMS…
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Virginia Plan
The New Jersey Plan
The Great Compromise
3/5 Compromise
Slave Trade
Bill of Rights
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
• The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in
May of 1787.
• Wide range of members in both age and talents.
Three members under thirty years old and one over
eighty (Ben Franklin).
• George Washington was the presiding officer.
• Each delegate had one vote, and a majority vote
was enough to make decisions.
VIRGINIA PLAN
• Edmund Randolph, of Virginia, proposed building a
stronger central government and eliminating the Articles
of Confederation. Much of the plan was based on work
by James Madison, also a Virginian
• Virginia Plan called for a two-house legislature, and chief
executive, and a court system.
• Lower house members would be elected by the people
and upper house members would be chosen by the
lower house.
• The number of representatives in houses determined by
state population
NEW JERSEY PLAN
• William Patterson of New Jersey proposed the New
Jersey Plan.
• New Jersey Plan modified but did not eliminate the
Articles of Confederation
• It kept a one-house Congress with equal
representation (one vote per state)
• Congress has the power to tax and regulate trade.
DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE?
• Virginia Plan
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eliminate Articles of Confederation
Two house legislature
Three Branch System
Lower house members chosen by the people
Upper house members chosen by the lower house
Number of representatives determined by state population
• Based on what state you represent, write whether you
agree or disagree with each part of the Virginia Plan.
DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE?
• New Jersey Plan
• Did not eliminate Articles of Confederation
• One-house Congress (one vote per state)
• Congress can tax and regulate trade
• Based on what state you represent, write whether you
agree or disagree with each part of the New Jersey.
GREAT COMPROMISE
• After long debates on what plan they should
accept, Roger Sherman, of Connecticut, came up
with a compromise.
• He proposed a two-house legislature. The lower
house would be the House of Representatives
• The number of seats for each state would vary on
population.
• The upper house would be the Senate.
• Each state would have two members.
THREE FIFTHS COMPROMISE
• In counting state’s populations, the southern states asked the
question, what about the slaves?
• They wanted to include slaves in their population totals
• Northern states disagreed and said slaves should be counted
for taxation not representation.
• They considered slaves property.
• Neither side wanted to give the slaves the right to vote.
• The committee decided to count slaves as three fifths of a
person.
SLAVE TRADE
• At the time, slave trade was banned in the Northern states
• They wanted to eliminate it from all of the United States
• Southern states needed slaves for economy to continue
• Came to an agreement that NO changes would be made to
the slave trade for twenty years, but after that, Congress could
limit slave trade.
BILL OF RIGHTS
• What about individual rights?
• Delegates worried without guaranteed freedoms,
government would abuse its power.
• The majority decided the Constitution was sufficient
to protect the people.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What differences between the thirteen states made
compromise necessary?
• Why did the small states object to the Virginia Plan?
• Describe the structure of the government created by the
Great Compromise.
• What probably would have happened if opponents of
slavery at the Constitutional Convention had insisted on
abolition?
• Should we establish a Bill of Rights?
DRAFTING THE CONSTITUTION
• The Constitution was finished on September 17,
1787.
• Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts and Edmund
Randolph and George Mason of Virginia refused to
sign the Constitution without a Bill of Rights.
• Nine out of the thirteen states needed to ratify the
Constitution to officially create the new
government.
FEDERALISTS VS. ANTI-FEDERALISTS
• Supporters of the Constitution were called Federalists.
• Key Federalist members were George Washington, Ben Franklin, James
Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton.
• The Federalists Madison, Hamilton, and Jay wrote a series of essays
explaining and defending the Constitution. The essays were circulated
through newspapers and were read by many colonists. Today, we call
them the Federalist Papers.
•
• Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution. They were afraid the
Constitution would take away liberties fought for during the Revolution,
and the central government would ignore the states and the people.
• Federalists feared disorder without a strong government, and AntiFederalists feared government having too much power.
ADOPTING THE CONSTITUTION
• On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first
state to ratify the Constitution.
• The ninth state, New Hampshire, ratified on June 21,
1788. Large states like Virginia and New York did not
ratify until they were assured a Bill of Rights
amendment.
CONSTITUTION
Federal Government
Can…
States Can…
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER!
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the Constitution?
Who was involved?
How did they adopt it?
Where did they adopt it?
PREAMBLE
• We, the people of the United States, in order to form
a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure
domestic tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general welfare, and secure
the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our
posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution
for the United States of America.
• Rewrite in your own words and be prepared to
explain.
Review!
PROJECT TIME!
• With your group put these events in order.
• Draw a “map” of how we got from Point A to Point
B
• Must use illustrations