Georgia Constitution and The
Articles of Confederations
Standards
• The student will describe the impact of events
that led to the ratification of the United States
Constitution and Bill of Rights
a) Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both the
Georgia Constitution of 1777 and the Articles of
Confederation and explain how weaknesses in the
Articles of Confederation led to a need to revise the
Articles
b) Describe the role of Georgia at the Constitutional
Convention of 1787; include the role of Abraham
Baldwin and William Few, and reasons why Georgia
ratified the new constitution.
Word Review
• Ratify- To approve or make valid
• Unicameral - Consisting of a single branch,
chamber or house, as a legislative assembly.
• Bicameral - having two branches, chambers,
or houses, as a legislative body.
• Confederation - local/state governments make
their own laws. A weak overlying central
government.
Reading Guide AOC
1. What problem did the colonists face after gaining
independence from Great Britain?
– They did not know what kind of government that should have?
2. How did their experience with heavy-handed
British rule effect the establishment of the new form
of government?
– They wanted a government that couldn’t do much
3. How many governments did they have under the
Articles of Confederation?
– 13 Each state had their own government.
4. What was the Congress of the Confederation?
– A group of representatives that make laws.
5. How many branches of government did they have?
– 1 Congress was the only branch of government.
Reading Guide AOC – Part II
6. How was voting determined among the states?
– each state got one vote.
7. What were the PROS of the government established by the
AOC?
– 1) for a not too strong (weak) government;
– 2) states could keep their power and independence;
– 3) the power to create a military to protect all the states.
8. What were the CONS of the government established by the
AOC?
– Did not give congress the power to enforce laws
– No power to collect taxes for the military
– Every single state had to agree to the changes
9. What made this very difficult to resolve?
– Each state had different needs based on economy, population, and size of the state. People
had different opinions – some wanted more government others wanted less.
Reading Guide: Georgia’s Constitution
1. Citizens of Georgia had two opinions regarding who should have power in
the New Government. Explain the two sides.
– The power was in the hands of a few wealthy landowners
– To give all the people of Georgia a chance to govern themselves
2.
In the Georgia constitution of 1777, the Parish system was eliminated.
What was it replaced with?
–
3.
What type of legislature did the Georgia Constitution of 1777 create?
–
4.
County system
Unicameral (one house)
What powers did the legislature have?
–
They had the power to make appointments for the judicial branch (the
courts) and the executive branch (the governor).
5. According to the Georgia Constitution of 1777, what group had the most
power?
–
The 12 lawmakers from the legislature who served as an executive council.
They could accept or reject any proposals initiated by the governor.
The Georgia Constitution of 1777
• 1777 – 1789 (12 years)
• Based on the principles of the
Declaration of Independence
• Not capable of meeting the
needs of governing the state.
• Three Branches of
Government
Legislative
• Unicameral, or one branch
• Powers
– Appoint members of the judicial and executive
branch
Executive Branch
• Governor
– Appointed by legislative branch
– Limited to a ONE year term
– Very little power
Judicial Branch
• All Courts
• Legislature
appointed the
positions for this
branch
Freedoms of the People
• Freedom of :
– Press
– Religion
– Trial by jury
• The people were not given the opportunity to
ratify the constitution
Articles of Confederation
• 1776 – 1789
• America’s first constitution, but
not the same as we have today
• Provided a very WEAK central
government
• Due to their experience with
Britain’s monarchy, so their goal
was to give as much power as
they could to the people through
“autonomy” of the states.
• Too many limitations caused the
government not to function
smoothly
National Government’s
Powers
• Declare War
• Coin Money
• Establish post offices
• Send and recall
Ambassadors
Did not have Power
• Could not impose tax
• Could not regulate the trade
of goods between the states
(states could put taxes on
each other)
Overall Weakness of the AOC
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strong legislative branch
No Executive branch
No Judicial branch
Each state had its own currency
All 13 states had to approve a law for it to pass
ONE vote per state no matter the size of the
population
AOC Video
• Link
QUICK QUIZ!
THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
Under the Articles of
Confederation, a
President would lead
the country.
 True
 False

Under the Articles of
Confederation, states
would be
independent.
 True

 False
The Articles of
Confederation were
easy to change.
 True
 False

Under the Articles,
states with more
people got more
votes in Congress.
 True
 False

Under the Articles,
Congress did not
have the power to
collect taxes.
 True

 False
Under the Articles,
Congress could pass
laws and force states
to follow them.
 True

 False
The Articles of
Confederation created
the first American
government.
 True

 False
Creating a New U.S. Constitution
New
Government
Problems with the Articles of
Confederation
• The Articles of Confederation were purposefully
designed to provide the people with as much
power as possible.
• After their recent history, they wanted to limit
taxes.
• (1)This created a very weak central government
and lead to many problems including:
– Fighting over land and sea rights
– (2)Lack of funds meant they could not maintain an
Army or Navy and they could not build roads or canals
– (3) Difficulty passing laws because all 13 states had to
agree
Constitutional Convention
• (4) The convention was held at Independence
Hall in Philadelphia in 1787. There were 55
delegates in attendance, representing every state
except Rhode Island.
• (5) The initial intention of the meeting was to
simply revise the Articles of Confederation, but it
resulted in an entirely new government and
constitution.
Georgia in the Constitutional Convention
• (6) Georgia, and other Southern delegates, were unified in
their relentless support of slavery.
• This lead to:
(7) Three-Fifths Compromise- a compromise agreed upon by the
North and the South which allowed for slaves to count toward a
state’s overall population by counting slaves as “3/5 of a person.”
Georgia in the Constitutional Convention
• Georgian, Abraham Baldwin, is
given credit for changing his vote to
side with the “small states” in the
Congressional representation
debate. This decision evened the
numbers for and against the
Virginia Plan and allowed for the
Great Compromise.
(8) The Great Compromise- created a
bicameral legislature where each state
had two members in the Senate but
representation in the House of
Representatives was based on the
state’s population.
(9) Abraham Baldwin
• One of four Georgians at
Constitutional Convention
• Served FIVE terms as U.S.
Congressman
• Served TWO terms as U.S.
Senator
• Most famous for his role in
the creation of the
University of Georgia and
served UGA’s first president.
William Few
• (10) He did not make a
major impression at the
Constitutional Congress
• (11) But- he later
served as a senator, a
representative, and a
judge in the state of
Georgia
• (11) In New York he
became a member of
the legislature and a
bank president.
Georgia Stories
• Video Link
Changes to the New Constitution
Reading pages 174 -174
1. With the new constitution, the government was formed
by THREE branches instead of ONE: legislative, executive,
and judicial.
2. The legislative branch was now BICAMERAL instead of
UNICAMERAL. They created the SENATE and the HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES.
3. With changing times and circumstances, the delegates
provided for a method of amending, or making changes or
additions, to the U.S. Constitution.
4. The first ten amendments made to the Constitution are
known as the Bill of Rights.
Video – School House Rock
Executive Branch
Enforces the Laws
Judicial Branch
Interprets the Laws
Supreme Court
U.S. District Courts
Special Courts (tax)
President, Vice
President, The
Cabinet,
Departments
(Defense ,Education)
Legislative Branch
Makes the Laws
Bi Cameral
-House of Reps (2)
Senate (6)
-Elected by the people
Checks and Balances
• Checks and balances- the system that provides to each
branch of government some power that controls or
prevents some actions of the other two branches
• Separation of Power- a division of responsibilities for
government among the three branches (legislative,
judicial, and executive)
• Without checks and balances and separation of power,
one person or portion of the government would have
unlimited power.
• This is the creation of an oligarchy, autocratic, or
dictatorship.
Checks and Balances
Can interpret constitutionality of
laws.
Can confirm or impeach judicial
appointments, such as Supreme
Court justices.
QUICK QUIZ!
ARTICLES VS.
CONSTITUTION
A) Created a president
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
B) Created a government
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
B
C) Had one branch of
government
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
C
B
D) Had enough power to
do its job
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
D
C
B
E) Created a court system
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
C
D
B
E
F) Gave large and small
states the same power
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
C
D
B
E
F
G) Created a Congress
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
G
B
D
E
C
F
H) Compromised between
large and small states
Both
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
H
Articles
G
B
D
E
C
F
I) Created a military
Both
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
H
Articles
I
G
B
D
E
C
F
J) Didn’t let Congress
enforce its laws
Both
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
H
I
G
B
D
E
Articles
J
C
F
Cause and Effect Activity
• When you look at causes and effects, you can
see the relationship between different things
that take place. Use what you have learned to
match the causes and effects for different
stages of American Government.
– When I say go, dump out your cause and effect
strips.
– Match three cause/effects statements onto the
chart under the correct categories.
British Rule
Cause: The British government treated the
American colonists harshly.
Effect: Many American colonists feared a
powerful government.
Cause: Many former colonists feared losing
their freedom to a new government.
Effect: The new Americans made sure their
new government could not take away states’
Cause: The British government taxed the
American colonists unfairly.
Effect: The new Americans made sure their
new government did not have the power to
collect taxes.
freedom and independence.
Articles of Confederation
Cause: The government under the Articles of
Confederation could not collect taxes to raise
money.
Effect: The government could not pay its
debts from the Revolutionary War, and
America lost standing with other nations.
Cause: The legislature created by the Articles
of Confederation gave equal power to large
and small states.
Effect: Large states were unhappy because,
with bigger populations, they thought they
should have more power.
Cause: The Articles of Confederation did
not create any courts.
Effect: When a problem arose between
states, there was nowhere to settle the
dispute.
The Constitution
Cause: Small and large states could not
agree on how power should be divided in
Effect: The new Constitution split the
legislature so states had equal power in one
half and power based on population in the
Cause: States could and did ignore laws
passed by the Congress created by the
Articles of Confederation.
Effect: The new Constitution said laws
passed by Congress are superior to state
laws.
Cause: Independent states made laws that
penalized out-of-state businesses and
citizens.
Effect: The new Constitution required states
to treat citizens of other states the same as
they treat their own citizens.
Georgia’s New State
Constitution
Changes over time
• Since the original state constitution of
1777, Georgia has had TEN other
constitutions.
• Each of these constitutions set the
guidelines for those who governed the
state and outlined the rights and
responsibilities of Georgia’s citizens.
Structure of the
Constitution
• Legislators began writing our current
constitution in 1977 and it was approved
by Georgia citizens in 1983
• The constitution is broken up into 11
articles and is 89 pages long
• It outlines the rights, rules, regulations,
and procedures for both the state’s
citizens and the state’s government.
What is a preamble and
what is its purpose?
• An introduction
• States the ideas, or philosophy,
behind a constitution
• States the purpose of the
government and the Constitution
Preamble
•A short paragraph that gives
reasons for the Constitution
Article I: Bill of Rights
1. Individual rights
2. Separation of powers/church
& state
3. Property rights
Article II: Voting and
Elections
1. Elections must be by secret
ballot and law-abiding
2. Steps to take for a run-off
election
3. Steps to take if a public
official is found guilty of a
serious crime
Article III: Legislative
Branch
•Made up of ten sections
•Outlines the structure and
function of the two houses of
GA’s General Assembly
•Explains how bills are passed
into laws
Article IV: Constitutional
Boards and Commissions
• Provides for a: Public Service
Commission, State Board of Pardons
and Paroles, State Personnel Board,
State Transportation Board,
Veterans Service Board, and Board
of Natural Resources
Article V: Executive
Branch
• Sets out the qualifications and
terms of office for the governor
and lieutenant governor
• Explains duties and powers of
governor
• Lists other elected positions in
GA’s executive branch
Article VI: Judicial Branch
• Outlines GA’s unified court system
• Gives purposes and limits of each
court
– Magistrate
– Probate
– Juvenile
– State
– Superior
– Court of Appeals
– Supreme
Article VII: Taxation and
Finance
•Lists reasons why GA may tax
its citizens
•Explains methods and limits
of taxation
Article VIII: Education
•Explains how GA’s public
school system is paid for by
taxes
•Outlines the structure of the
school system at state and
local levels
Article IX: Counties and
Municipal Corporations
•Outlines roles and functions of
county and city governments
Article X: Amendments to
the Constitution
•Explains how changes, or
amendments, to the
Constitution can be made
Article XI: Miscellaneous
Provisions
•Deal mostly with historical
and legal continuity - that is,
how GA’s different
constitutions have been
changed over the years
The End