The Constitution of
The United States
Our Plan of Government, Created in 1787
Ratified in 1789
Amended with Bill of Rights in 1791
The original Constitution is in The
National Archives in Washington, D.C.
Oldest Constitution in the World
Background Vocabulary
 1. Articles of
 10. Bill of Rights
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 11. popular sovereignty
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Confederation
2. democracy
3. republic
4. U.S. Constitution
5. federal system
6. separation of powers
7. checks and balances
8. Federalists
9. Anti-Federalists
 12. Founding Fathers—
also called “framers”
 13. Executive Branch
14. Legislative Branch
 15. Judicial Branch
Articles of Confederation—first weak form of government
Democracy— “people rule”
Republic—representative government
U.S. Constitution—our plan of government
Federal system—powers shared between states and national
government
Separation of powers—each branch of government has
different powers
Checks and balances—each branch of government has
power to curb the power of other branches
Federalists—men who believed in a strong central
government
Anti-Federalists—men who believed in stronger state
governments
Bill of Rights—first ten amendments of The Constitution
Popular sovereignty—rule of the people
Founding Fathers (framers)—men who wrote The
Constitution
Executive Branch—enforces the law (President)
Legislative Branch—writes the law (Congress)
Judicial Branch—interprets the law (Supreme Court)
I.
After the American Revolution,
Americans needed to define what
they stood for and what role the
federal government would play with
the state governments.
II.
 The Articles of Confederation
established a limited national
government with a one-house
legislature. States had more power than
the federal government.
Weaknesses of Articles of Confederation
No army
No navy
No president
No federal courts
States had more power than the
federal government
III.
 George Washington, Alexander
Hamilton, and James Madison criticized
the weakness of the new American
government and wanted the U.S. to
provide a model of a strong democratic
republic to the world.
Mount Vernon, Washington’s home
IV.
 The Annapolis Convention of 12
delegates from 5 states discussed the
issue and called for a Constitutional
Convention in Philadelphia, summer of
1787
V.
 Shays’ Rebellion was a test of the weak
government in Massachusetts
 There was no army to put down the
rebellion of farmers over taxes—no
enforcement of laws!
VI.
 The Constitutional Convention met
with 55 delegates from 12 states (RI did
not attend)
 Founding Fathers were young,
educated, idealistic and wealthy men
 Elected G. Washington as the
convention’s President
 Secrecy
 Many Compromises
Independence Hall, Philadelphia
The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia
 James Madison put it together—called
The Father of the Constitution
 Jefferson was NOT THERE!!
 Created three branches of government
 Created a bicameral legislature
(2 houses)
 Created a federal system with national,
state, and shared powers
VII.
 Federalists and Anti-Federalists argued over
the interpretation of the Constitution
 The Federalist Papers urged states to ratify
or accept it
 9 ratified in 1789
 1788—first president elected
 4 more states ratified in 1791
Parties
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
 Led by Hamilton
 Led by Jefferson
 Loose interpretation of the
 Strict interpretation of the
Constitution
 “spirit of the law”
 Pro-business
 Pro-North
Constitution
 “letter of the law”
 Pro-farming
 Pro-South
The Bill of Rights
 Added in 1791
 First 10 amendments
 List of fundamental
rights of citizens
Capital Cities
 1. New York
 2. Philadelphia
 3. Federal City
(Washington,D.C.)
Influences of The Enlightenment
 18th centuries philosophers and ideas of natural
rights of man
 Greek democracy and Roman republic—
influences on our founding fathers
 Capitol City Architecture looks like ancient
Greece or Rome (columns, obelisks, statues of
heroes, marble “temples”)—Neo-Classicism
Who did not attend the Constitutional
Convention?
 Jefferson—ambassador to France
 J. Adams—ambassador to England
 P. Henry
 Sam Adams
Who wrote The Federalist Papers?
 James Madison
 Alexander Hamilton
 John Jay
Ratification—9 out of 13 states
“Laggard States”—last to ratify in 1791
APUSH--Compromises
 Great Compromise-- created two-house legislature (New
Jersey proposed two reps per state, Virginia proposed rep based on
population—we took BOTH)
 Three-Fifths Compromise—SC wanted to count slaves as full
population—Northern states disagreed—compromised to count
them as 3/5—for every five slaves, count them as three (for
representation and taxation). Also extended slavery for 20 more
years
 Capital Compromise—War debts would be paid by federal
government and southern states complained because they had
already paid—they got the capital in the South!
Parties
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
 Led by Hamilton
 Led by Jefferson
 Loose interpretation of the
 Strict interpretation of the
Constitution
 “spirit of the law”
 Pro-business
 Pro-North
Constitution
 “letter of the law”
 Pro-farming
 Pro-South
APUSH—add to parties
Federalists
(Anti-Federalists)
Democratic-Republicans
John Adams, Madison
Cities, business, merchants
Northern, Eastern
Wealthy men of education
“elite”
“elastic clause” of
Constitution
 Split into “High and Low”
 Pro-English
 Died out after War of 1812
 Called Republicans for
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short (not today’s party!)
Added Bill of Rights
Madison, P. Henry, Burr
Southern, Western
Common men
Farmers, pioneers
Letter of the law
Pro-French
Washington’s Chair
 At the close of the Constitutional
Convention, Benjamin Franklin
remarked that he had often stared
at the George Washington’s chair at
the front of the room. The chair
had a sun carved into the back and
he had wondered whether the sun
was rising or setting. Since this
was a great analogy of whether this
new nation would survive with its
new constitution, Franklin asserted
that he believed that it was
definitely a rising sun.
Land Issues
Land Ordinance of 1785
 Greatest accomplishment of
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The Articles of
Confederation
Provided for orderly creation
of territorial governments
and new states (Ohio was
first from NW territory)
Land sold would pay public
debt
Supported public education
Established townships (6 X 6)
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
 60,000 inhabitants could
lead to statehood
 Excluded slavery north of
the Ohio River
 Gave new states same
status as the original
thirteen
 Public education required
religious indoctrination
The American Northwest in 1780s