The Birth of a New Nation
And a the New State of
GEORGIA
MISS ADAMS IS THE
GREATEST TEACHER ON
THE PLANET AND MR.
BARRETT KNOWS IT.
The Birth of a New Nation
• The USA does not
have an official
date of its birth.
The transition from
13 separate colonies
to a United States
of America –
spanned a decade
and created quite a
bit of growing pains.
Definitions
• Constitution: Similar to a charter in that it is a plan
of operation for a government. It is the highest level
of law. It spells out what the government can and can
not do and sets up the different branches of
government.
• Confederation: A union of independent and equal
states where most power resides with the state.
• Ratify: To approve of a constitution. If a state
ratifies it – they have given consent for it to be used.
• Bicameral: 2 houses
• Unicameral: 1 house
Timeline of Events
•
•
•
•
• On p. 173 in the Blue Book, please copy
down the timeline up to 1800. Separate the
timeline from Nation and State. Include
these 4 dates
April 1776 – 2nd Continental Congress
July 1776 – Declaration of Independence is
signed.
November 1777: USA begins writing first
constitution (Goes into effect 1781)
February 1777: Georgia begins writing first
constitution (Goes into effect 1777)
The Articles of Confederation
• First constitution of
the Unites States of
America
• It created a structure
for the government of
the USA for 9 years.
• It created a mess and
had to be thrown out
because of it.
• Here are the reasons
it created a mess.
“T” Chart
Articles of Confederation
Strengths
Weaknesses
• First written constitution –
Articles of Confederation (Nov.
1777)
• Weak central government
• Had a Legislature
• Did not allow the central (federal)
government to levy (impose) taxes
• Strong State governments
• No Executive or Judicial Branch – no
one to enforce laws or hear disputes
• Weak Union, feared strong central
government
• No “Checks and Balances”
• Central Government did not have
taxes, so no military
• Central Government did not print
money
•All power lied with the states
• Each state had an equal vote in
Congress – regardless of size or
Georgia Constitution of 1777
• Georgia’s first
constitution
• It created a
structure for the
government of
Georgia for 11 years.
• It created a mess and
had to be thrown out
because of it.
• Here are the reasons
it created a mess.
“T” Chart
Georgia Constitution of 1777
Strengths
• Still have Legislative Branch
• Three Branches
• Three Branches had separate
powers
• Established counties – replaced
parishes
• Established local (county)
governments
Weaknesses
• Legislature Unicameral (one
house)
• No “Checks and Balances” – No
second house in Legislative Branch
• Governor served only 1 Year
• Executive Branch (Governor) was
weak – Couldn’t Veto Laws, grant
pardons, “Chief Executive” only by
name
• Legislative elected council – had
power to veto the Governor
• Three Branches, but the
Legislative was more powerful than
the others
Compare / Contrast these
documents
Back to the Drawing Board
• Constitutional Convention of 1787
• William Few and Abraham Baldwin represented
Georgia at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in
Philadelphia; George Washington presided.
• They wrote a new constitution for the USA called
The United States Constitution
• Georgia is the 4th state to ratify the new constitution
• Georgia revises its 1777 Constitution to be more
similar to the US Constitution. The new one is called
Georgia State Constitution of 1789
Abraham Baldwin
• After writing the charter for
the University of Georgia,
Abraham Baldwin served as the
college's first president from
1786 to 1801. In 1787 he was
chosen as one of four Georgia
delegates to the Constitutional
Convention. During his long
political career, Baldwin also
served in the Georgia General
Assembly, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the U.S.
Senate.
Abraham Baldwin & the
Great Compromise
• The debate over equal representation in Congress
became a major issue during the writing of the
Constitution.
• Large State = # of representative to be based on
population
• Small States = all states have only 2 representatives
• When they voted = it came down to Abraham Baldwin.
He voted with the small states – which created a tie.
They turned the matter over to a committee.
• By his decision – he gave the delegates the chance to
fashion the Great Compromise.
The Great Compromise
• Every state now sends
• 2 Senators to the Senate
• # (based on population) of House of
Representative to the House of
Representatives.
• Bicameral Congress today.
William Few
• In 1787 William Few Jr.
represented Georgia at the
constitutional convention in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Subsequently, Few was a
signer of the U.S.
Constitution. He later served
four years as a U.S. senator,
one term as a state
representative, and three
years as judge of the Second
Judicial District in Georgia.
He was an outspoken
opponent of the infamous
Yazoo land fraud, though his
political enemies tried to
implicate him in this scam.
United States Constitution
Articles of Confederation
1.
Major powers held be
individuals states
2. National gov’t had no
power to tax, no power
to enforce laws
3. At the national level –
unicameral legislature
US Constitution
1. Powers shared between
states and central
government
2. National gov’t had
power to tax and
regulate trade
3. Three branches at the
national level –
executive, legislative,
judicial
Georgia is the 4th State to Ratify
US Constitution
• Why did Georgia choose to ratify the
US Constitution?
– 1. It allowed slavery.
– 2. It supported a strong central
government because Georgia wanted help
defending its colonists from native attacks.
(In other words – it created a national
military.)
Georgia Constitution of 1789
Georgia Constitution of 1777
1. Legislature Unicameral (one
house)
2. No “checks and balances” on
legislature
3. Governor served only 1 Year
4. Executive Branch (Governor)
was weak – Couldn’t Veto
Laws, grant pardons, “Chief
Executive” only by name
5. Legislative elected council –
had power to veto the
Governor
6. Three Branches, but the
Legislative was more
powerful than the others
Georgia Constitution of 1789
1. Bicameral Legislature
2. Gave equal “checks and
balances” power to
executive., judicial and
legislative branches
3. In doing so gave more power
to the Governor and the rest
of the executive branch
4. Gave power to veto to
Governor
5. Gave power to address
constitutionality of laws to
judicial branch
6. 3 branches have equal power