Federalism Notes
What was the 1781 Articles of Confederation and why was it considered weak?
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Loose Alliance among 13 colonies
Each state had one vote- population didn’t matter
Lacked a strong central government- no national unity
No power of the government to tax or regulate trade
No national court or executive branch
1787 Shays Rebellion- a rebellion in which there was no national government to help put down
Called for a revision of the Articles of Confederation (Will end up being a new Constitution)
Constitutional Convention- May 1787
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Delegates meet to form a new Constitution
Issues: 1. How states should be represented in Congress 2. Counting Slaves for the purpose of representation
Major Conflicts and Resolution
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Small states worried their voice would be drowned if representation was based on population
o New Jersey Plan Proposed- kept a single house in Congress in which each state had 1 vote but gave the
federal government the power to tax and regulate trade
Large States wanted representation based on population
o Virginia Plan Proposed- Created a 2-house Congress with representation in both houses apportioned by
population
Great Compromise
o Created a 2-House Congress with the lower house apportioned by population and equal representation
in the upper house
Issue of Slavery
o Conflict centered on how slaves would be counted for the purposes of representation
 South wanted to count slaves as part of the population
 North did not want to count slaves
o 3/5 Compromise- Agreed to count slaves as 3/5 of a free man for purposes of representation
Delegates Create the Constitution
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Federalists want a strong Federal Government and Antifederalists want a weaker Federal Government
The Question centered on how much the power the Government should have
o The Answer: FEDERALISM and 3 BRANCHES (Legislative, Executive, Judicial)
Federalism- Power is shared between Federal and State Governments
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Federal Government: Armed Forces, making money, foreign policy
State Governments: Schools and Elections
Shared Powers: Taxes and Courts
How did the Federalists satisfy the Antifederalists?
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Antifederalists feared lack of rights and so they demanded a Bill of Rights
James Madison wrote the first 10 Amendments and the Constitution was ratified in 1791
Mark your Notes and Answer the Following Questions:
1. What were the two main issues delegates were concerned about at the Constitutional Convention?
2. How did the delegates compromise on these issues?
3. How did the Federalists satisfy the Antifederalists and get them to ratify the Constitution?