Social Studies
Unit 2
Exploration to Early Statehood
What Are We Going to Learn?
 Why did Europeans come to North America?
 How was New Jersey colony divided and settled?
 Why did the colonies want independence from
Britain?
 Why and how was the new Constitution written?
 How did new forms of transportation change New
Jersey?
Lesson 4 Vocabulary
 delegates A representative
 ratify To approve
Lesson 4 Vocabulary
 amendment A change or addition to the
constitution
 Legislature A group of persons who make the
laws of a nation or a state
Lesson 4 Vocabulary
 compromise An agreement in which each side
give up some of its wants
Lesson 4-The Constitution
 Why and how was the new
Constitution written?
A Plan for Government
 1776- After the colonies declared
independence from Britain, a committee
was formed to write a plan of government
for the new nation, called the Articles of
Confederation
 Articles of Confederation- set up a
national government, but was weak.
States held all the power
The Constitutional Convention
 Constitutional Convention was formed
to revise the Articles of Confederation.
 Met in Philadelphia in May 1787.
 More than 50 of the nations leaders attended.
 New Jersey sent five delegates
 Governor William Livingston was one of the representatives.
 William Paterson- NJ lawyer, also attended.
 Instead of revising the Articles of Confederation, they
wrote something new to make the national
government stronger. It was called the Constitution of
the United States of America.
Question Time!
 What were the Articles of
Confederation?
 The Articles of Confederation were the
plan of government for the United States
BEFORE the Constitution.
Compromise
 Members of the convention had to set up
a new national government.
 Delegates from Virginia suggested their
plan.
 Virginia Plan:
 the government would have three parts- a
President, a court system, and a legislature
 The power was divided so that no one part
would have too much power.
The New Jersey Plan
 Virginia Plan: stated the legislature (Congress)
would be made up of representative from each
state. Larger population=more representation
 New Jersey didn’t like this idea and William
Paterson submitted a plan called the New
Jersey Plan.
 New Jersey Plan: Each state has the same number
of representatives, not matter how big your
population is.
The New Jersey Plan cont.
 Convention came up with a compromise to the two
plans…Congress would have two “houses” called
the Senate and the House of Representatives.
 Senate: would be made up of two members from
each state
 House of Representatives: would be chosen based
on population.
 NJ agreed on this new plan and was the 3rd state to
ratify (approve) the Constitution. The new
Constitution went into effect in June 1788.
The Bill of Rights
 Some people felt the national government had
too much power and wanted to make sure their
rights were protected.
 In 1791, the Bill of Rights was added to the
Constitution.
 Bill of Rights- is the first ten amendments
(changes) of the Constitution. They protect
people’s freedoms.
 NJ was the first state to ratify (approve) the Bill of
Rights in 1789.
Question Time!
 Why was the Bill of Rights
added to the Constitution?
 The Bill of Rights was added to
protect people’s freedoms.
Vocabulary Review
1. Delegates
2. Ratify
3. Amendment
4. Legislature
5. compromise
Lesson Review
Important People
&
Brain Pop
William Paterson
 It’s Brain Pop Time!- Constitution
 It’s Brain Pop Time!-Bill of Rights