Governing a New
Nation
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENT IN THE UNITED
STATES
Government by the States
 As the continental Congress began moving toward
independence in 1776, individual states began creating
governments.
 New state constitutions allowed more people to vote
than in colonial times, but in most states voters still
had to be
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White males
21 or older
Property owners
 The Declaration of Independence listed ways that
Britain had violated the rights of colonists. To prevent
such abuses states sought to protect individual rights,
and many states included a bill of rights in their state
constitutions.
The Articles of Confederation
 While individual states were writing
constitutions, the Continental Congress was
creating a plan of government for the entire
nation. The Articles of Confederation was
adopted by Congress in 1777.
 Instead of three branches of government,
the Articles had just one branch – a onehouse (unicameral) legislature called
Congress.
The Articles of Confederation
 According to the Articles, each state had one
vote in Congress, no matter its size, and 9 states
had to agree on issues before they could
become laws.
 Because states did NOT want to repeat the
problems they had with the King of Britain,
they did NOT want to risk giving too much
power to a central government, or to any one
person. Therefore, they did NOT choose a
King, President, or any type of executive leader.
A New Plan of Government
 After 10 years of independence, some
leading Americans had come to the
conclusion that the Articles of Confederation
needed improvement.
 In response, Congress asked the states to
send delegates to a convention in
Philadelphia in 1787. Their task was to
revise the Articles of Confederation.
The Constitutional Convention
 Who? 55 delegates from 12 states (Rhode
Island did not send delegates)
 What? Constitutional Convention
 Where? Philadelphia, PA
 When? Summer 1787
 Why? To revise the Articles of Confederation
The Constitutional Convention
 Many delegates argued that revising the
Articles would NOT be enough.
 However, members of the convention did NOT
have the authority to “form some new system of
government.”
 Therefore, delegates voted to keep their debates
secret.
 George Washington was voted president of the
convention.
The Virginia Plan
 On the third day of the convention, Edmund Randolph of
Virginia proposed a plan for a new, strong central
government.
 James Madison was the principal author of this Virginia
Plan. For the next month, debate focused on this
proposal.
 The Virginia Plan called for:
A
central government divided among three branches
 A strong executive (leader)
 A two-house legislature (bicameral)
 Representation based on population
The New Jersey Plan
 Because the Virginia plan called for representation
based on population, smaller states strongly
opposed the plan.
 William Paterson of New Jersey introduced a
modified plan on behalf of the small states.
 The New Jersey Plan called for:
 Single house of Congress (unicameral)
 Equal representation for each state
The Great Compromise
 For days the delegates argued, and some feared the
convention would fail and the Union would break
apart.
 On July 16, 1787, Roger Sherman of Connecticut
worked out a compromise that delegates narrowly
voted to accept.
 The Great Compromise:
 Combined Virginia and New Jersey Plans
 Created a two-house legislature/Congress
 House of Representative - based on population
 Senate - has equal representation
Debate Over Slavery
 Another issue largely argued touched off a
bitter debate between northerners and
southerners.
 Southern delegates said that enslaved people
should be counted in calculating how many
representatives a state should have in Congress.
 Northern delegates said that because enslaved
people could not vote, they should not be
counted toward a state’s representation.
Three-Fifths Compromise
 Finally, a compromise was reached – The Three-
Fifths Compromise.
 Each enslaved person would count as three fifths of a
free person
 This was a gain for the South, as it gave them more
seats in the House.
 Northern delegates reluctantly agreed in order to keep
the South in the Union.
 This compromise was a blow to African Americans as it
helped preserve slavery in the new Constitution by
making a distinction between “free persons” and “all
other persons.”
A New Constitution
 After many more weeks of debate, the delegates agreed
on all the terms, and a committee was appointed to draw
up the final wording of the new Constitution.
 The Preamble highlights a major difference between the
Constitution and the Articles of Confederation.
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The Articles were a pact between separate states.
The Constitution opens with “We the People of the United
States, in order to form a more perfect union, do ordain and
establish this Constitution for the United States of
America.”
 With this statement, the Constitution claims to take its
authority from the people rather than the states.
Federalists Vs. Anti-federalists
 Delegates at the Constitutional Convention set
a process for states to ratify the Constitution.
The Constitution would go into effect once it
was ratified by nine states.
 Supporters of the Constitution were called
Federalists because they favored a strong
federal government. Three well known
Federalists were James Madison, John Jay, and
Alexander Hamilton.
Federalists Vs. Anti-federalists
 Those who disagreed with the Federalists were
called Anti-federalists. Two leaders of this
group were George Mason and Patrick Henry.
 Anti-federalist arguments included:
 The
Constitution weakened state governments
 There were no protections for basic freedoms (no
Bill of Rights)
 President could become a king by being elected
again and again
The Ratification Debate
 Delaware was the first state to ratify the new
Constitution on Dec. 7, 1787, and seven other states
soon followed.
 New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the
Constitution making it effective.
 In May, 1790, Rhode Island was the last of the 13
original states to ratify the Constitution.
 (North Carolina ratified the Constitution on
November 21, 1789)
The Bill of Rights
 When nine of the 13 states ratified the
Constitution, Congress took steps to prepare for
a new government. George Washington was
elected President, and John Adams was Vice
President.
 During the debate over the Constitution, many
states insisted that a bill of rights be added, and
this became one of the first tasks of the new
Congress.
The Bill of Rights
 Framers of the Constitution created a way for the
Constitution to be amended. They wanted the
Constitution to be flexible enough to change, but not
so easy that it would be taken lightly.
 In 1789, Congress passed the first ten amendments
to the Constitution, and by December 1791, three
fourths of the states had ratified these ten
amendments that were known as the Bill of Rights.
These amendments protect the people against abuses
by the federal government.
In Conclusion
 The delegates to the Constitutional Convention
are often called the Framers because they
framed or shaped, our form of government.
 The Constitution they wrote established a
republic that has thrived for more than 200
years.