Constitutional Reform
• American
political
ideology
changed
from
Thus, states
created
weak state
governors
& a weakofArticles
of Confederation
the beginning
the American
Revolution
to the late The
Confederation
problem is anperiod:
excess of
not an excess
of tyranny
–In thedemocracy
1770s, American
political
leaders
saw tyranny
as the greatest
threat
Shays’ Rebellion
will help
proveto
this point to the Founding Fathers
the USA
–But…by the mid-1780s, they saw
ordinary citizens who lacked virtue as
the greatest threat
Congress did
not
Merchants
in MA hired
Constitutional
Reform
have the tax funds
their own mercenary
• By
1787,
fatal militia
flaws of
the the
Articles
of
to send
anthe
army
to end
uprising
Confed were exposed:
–Shays’ Rebellion broke out among
desperate MA farmers who faced losing
their farms or being sent to debtor’s prison
–Congress called for a meeting in
Philadelphia to discuss revising the Articles
Rebellion
nationalists
& Shays’
strengthening
thegave
national
gov’t like
Washington, Madison, Hamilton the
urgency to call for a stronger national gov’t
The Constitutional
Convention in
Philadelphia, 1787
The Philadelphia Convention
• Shay’s Rebellion led to increased
support for a stronger central
They did
NOT intend
to
government
& more
attendance
at the
replace the Articles
Philadelphia Convention
• In May 1787, 55 delegates from all
states (except RI) met to discuss revising
the Articles of Confederation, but it
soon became apparent that something
more serious was needed
The
Philadelphia
Is this
a governmentConvention
of the people?
• The Philadelphia
Convention delegates
in Philadelphia made
3 important
(&all
To amend
the Articles,
illegal) decisions: 13 states had to agree
–The Articles of Confederation were to be
completely replaced
–Nothing from the meeting was to be
printed or spoken to the public
–Every state got 1 vote but all decisions
needed a majority vote (not 9 of 13 states)
to pass
Inventing a Federal Republic
• Delegates incorporated 4 major
principles into this new gov’t:
–Limited gov’t—even though a
stronger gov’t was being created,
citizens’ liberty is protected
–Republicanism—the people vote
for their leaders
–Separation of powers—three
branches with defined powers
–Federalism—the national gov’t
shares power with state gov’ts
The Preamble to the Constitution
The Preamble is
the introduction
to the Constitution
which spells out
why the new
government was
created
Read the
Preamble
and answer the
three discussion
questions
Preamble
Article I
The Legislative Branch
Article II
The Executive Branch
Article III
The Judicial Branch
Article IV
Relationship Between the States
and the Federal Government
Article V
Amending the Constitution
Article VI
Supreme Law of the Land
Article VII
Ratifying the Constitution
27 Amendments
The Articles of the
Constitution
The Constitution
is
made up of 7 articles
that describe the
structure & powers
of the national
government
Use the copy of the
Constitution to answer
the scavenger hunt
questions
Three Branches of Government
Federalism
Critical Thinking
Question A:
Large States vs.
Small States
Inventing a Federal Republic
• William Paterson
• James Madison
presented the
presented the
New Jersey Plan:
Virginia Plan:
Small
states
objected
to
–Congress given
–Bicameral
this
large-state
dominance
power
to tax
legislature
–Each state had
–Larger states had
one vote in a
more
The large states
unicameral
representatives
listened
politely then
legislature
–Create
a chief
overwhelmingly
–But Articles
executive
voted against it
mostly
appointed by
untouched
Congress
Also
known
as
the
The
Great
Compromise
“Connecticut” Compromise”
• Roger Sherman helped resolve the
Victorythe
forlarge
the small
states
differences between
& small
states by proposing
the
Great
Victory for large states
Compromise
Only
the
House
of
Reps
–Congress would
be
a
bicameral
legislature
could introduce tax bills
(House & Senate)
–Each state was given 2 delegates in the
Senate
–House of Representatives was determined
by state population
What did
Congress look
like after the
Great
Compromise?
Critical
Thinking Question B:
Southern Slave States vs. Northern Free States
The 3/5 Compromise
• Problems still remained between the
northern & southern states regarding
how to count population size (do slaves
count?)
• The Three-Fifths Compromise settled
the issue:
–Three-fifths of the slave population could
be counted toward representation in the
House of Representatives
Critical Thinking Question C:
To End Slavery or Not
Compromising with Slavery
• Despite the contradiction slavery
posed, Southerners threatened to
leave the USA anytime the slave
question was discussed
• As a compromise for the South, the
slave trade could continue to 1808 &
runaway slaves returned
“Great as the evil is, a dismemberment
of the Union would be worse.”
—James Madison
The Last Details
Including
• In
1787, aideas
finalonce
draftconsidered
included:tyrannical:
Presidential
power
to
appoint
judges
&
–Electoral College to vote for the president
presidential veto power over Congress
to “filter the masses”
–System of checks & balances among the 3
branches of gov’t
–President would serve for 4 years rather
than for life
• Delegates decided against a Bill of Rights
because most state constitutions already
had them
FYI: Electoral Votes (2000 Census)
James Madison helped broker many
of the compromises that made the
Constitution possible & is referred to
as the “father of the Constitution”
Key Ideas of the
Constitution
Popular Sovereignty:
the people have power
by voting for leaders
Limited gov’t:
even though the national
gov’t was stronger, citizens’
liberty was still protected
Federalism:
the national gov’t shares
power with state gov’ts
The Constitution was a radical shift
from the Articles of Confederation
because it gave more power to the
national gov’t than to the state gov’ts
Federalism—state gov’ts &
the national gov’t both have power
The supremacy clause establishes the
Constitution (not the states) as the
"the supreme law of the land"
A state law cannot contradict a national law
Federalism
Key Ideas of the
Constitution
Separation of powers:
three branches with
defined powers
Separation of Powers
Article 1: Legislative Branch
Senate
House of
Representatives
Only Congress
canof
make
Key Ideas
thelaws,
Constitution
declare war, create taxes
The “elastic clause” gives
Congress implied powers
to make laws seen as
“necessary & proper”
The Senate ratifies
treaties & confirms
judicial appointments
Bill 1
Bill 2
Article II: Executive Branch



The president, or Chief
Executive, is the head of
the government.
Americans vote every 4
years for their leader of
their democratic society.
After elected to serve
his/her country, the
president lives and works
in the White House.


The president is in
charge of the
(Commander and Chief)
armed forces.
The president works
with leaders of other
countries.
Key Ideas of the Constitution
The president can only
recommend legislation to
Congress but can veto bills
The president oversees
the bureaucracy
Chief
Chief
Agenda Setter
of State
Commander-in-
Chief of the military
Article III: Judicial Branch


The Supreme Court is the
highest court is the U. S.,
and is the system of courts
to settle questions about
the laws.
The nine justices can serve
for life, or wish to retire.

Each justice is chosen by
the president and
approved by congress
Key Ideas of the Constitution
The only court mentioned
in the Constitution is the
Supreme Court
Key Ideas of the Constitution
Checks & balances:
each branch can limit the
power of the others
The Struggle for
Ratification
The Struggle for Ratification
• The delegates in Philadelphia knew that
ratification of the new Constitution
would not be easy:
–They had no authority to change the
Articles of Confederation
–They did not inform the public of their
ongoing decisions
–They fundamentally altered the
relationships between the states & the
central government
Federalists & Anti-Federalists
•
•
•
•
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Supported
• Against ratification
ratification of the
–Distrusted
of
a
Constitution
Authored
by that
Madison,
gov’t
Were wellHamilton,
&
Jay
removed
power
Anti-Federalists
argued
organized &
for more protection of from the hands of
educated
individual
liberties
the
people
Used Federalist
–Claimed
the
new
Papers to argue for “The
Constitution is
ratification
itselfConstitution
a Bill of Rights”
favored the upper
Had the support of
class
the media
Ratification of the Constitution
Adding the Bill of Rights
• IfTo
winwas
ratification,
the Federalists
1776
the 1st American
Revolution…
nd American Revolution
1787
was
the
2
agreed to add a Bill of Rights
– With this protection of citizens’
liberty, all 13 states agreed to ratify
the Constitution
– Constitution became the official the
law of the land in 1789
• After bitter fight, most Americans
chose to support the Constitution
Discussion Questions
• Which of the following ideas was most
important to the framers of the Constitution
in 1787?
– Federalism
– Separation of powers?
– Checks and balances?
– Republican democracy?
– Gov’t limited by the people?
• Which is most important today?
The Constitution proved to be a
successful form of government;
Today, the Constitution is the
oldest existing written gov’t in the
world & has become a model for
other nations
Charles Beard, Economic
Interpretation of the Constitution