
In your groups discuss the Electoral College.

A. What is it for?

B. Why do we have it?

C. How are the electoral votes per state
determined?

What was America’s 1st form of government?

A = Articles of Confederation

What was its major weakness?

A = could not TAX.

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

A = Thomas Jefferson



What was the purpose of the Declaration of
Independence?
A = for the colonists to declare independence
from England.
What was the 3-part argument of the Dec. of
Indep?



1. Everybody has natural rights
2. The purpose of govt. is to protect people’s
nat. rights.
3. If the govt. is not doing its job, people have
the right to overthrow it and form a new one.



Once the Constitution was made, states had to
vote whether they wanted it to replace the
Articles of Confederation.
Ratification = to vote to accept the Constitution
as the new national government.
9 of 13 states had to vote yes.

People that support the Constitution.

Feel that a stronger national govt. is needed.

Tend to distrust “the people.”




Do not like the Constitution
Some fear a more powerful national
government will end up being
oppressive (like England’s was).
Want power to stay at the state level.
Biggest concern, though, is there is no
listing of individual rights (a Bill of
Rights) in the Constitution.


Newspaper articles written to get people to
support ratifying the Constitution.
Written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and
James Madison.

Vote is close in some states.

But by 1788, 9 states had voted for ratification.

Federalists promised to add a bill of rights once
the Constitution was ratified.


Refers to the 1st 10
amendments
(additions) to the
Constitution.
Lets look at them in
your book!

Passing the Constitution was called what?

A = ratification




People who supported ratifying the Constitution
were called?
A = Federalists.
People opposed to the Constitution were called
what?
A = Anti-Federalists

Series of newspaper articles written to get people to support
the Constitution were called?

A = Federalist Papers.

Who wrote the Federalist papers?

A = John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison.

What was the biggest concern of the anti-federlaists about
the Constitution?

A = It had no Bill of Rights.

What are the 1st 10 Amendments t0 the Constitution called?

A = bill of rights.