Chapter 8
Building a New Nation and State
1777-1830
SS8H4 The student will describe the impact of
events that led to the ratification of the United
States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
• a. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both
the Georgia Constitution of 1777 and the Articles
of Confederation and explain how weaknesses in
the Articles of Confederation led to a need to
revise the Articles.
• b. Describe the role of Georgia at the
Constitutional Convention of 1787; include the
role of Abraham Baldwin and William Few, and
reasons why Georgia ratified the new constitution.
SS8H5 The student will explain significant factors that
affected the development of Georgia as part of the
growth of the United States between 1789 and 1840.
• a. Explain the establishment of the University of Georgia, Louisville,
and the spread of Baptist and Methodist churches.
• b. Evaluate the impact of land policies pursued by Georgia; include
the headright system, land lotteries, and the Yazoo land fraud.
• c. Explain how technological developments, including the cotton gin
and railroads, had an impact on Georgia's growth. d. Analyze the
events that led to the removal of Creeks and Cherokees; include the
roles of Alexander McGillivray, William McIntosh, Sequoyah, John
Ross, Dahlonega Gold Rush, Worcester v. Georgia, Andrew Jackson,
John Marshall, and the Trail of Tears.
The Articles of Confederation
• America’s first Constitution
• It was written at the same time as the
Declaration of Independence.
• Button Gwinnett from Georgia was part
of the committee that wrote the document.
• Congress would be the national body of
government with each state having one vote.
• Congress could declare war, sign treaties, deliver
the mail and, create money.
Weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation.
• Congress could not impose taxes. This would
be left to the individual states. The government
was left with massive debt from the war with
Great Britain (England).
• It (Congress) could not control trade or enforce
laws so it could not resolve disputes between
states.
• Many wanted it revised as a result of these
weaknesses.
Taxes in the New Nation
• The new country was left with $42 million
dollars in war debt.
• Many soldiers had not been paid and were
given land in the Northwest Territory instead
of payment.
• Many individual states were in the same
position and taxes were high in most states.
• Many could not pay these taxes and were in
danger of losing their land and homes.
Shay’s Rebellion
• Daniel Shay was a farmer that had served in the
Continental Army.
• He was about to lose his farm because he could
not pay the state taxes.
• He led a group of angry farmers to steal weapons
from the government and the Governor sent
troops to stop them.
• The rebellion ended quickly but emphasized the
weaknesses of the government to collect taxes
and protect the citizens. As a result Congress
called a meeting to address these issues.
The Constitutional Convention of 1787
• William Few and Abraham Baldwin attend from
Georgia. The writers had a difficult job. They had
to create a government that was strong enough
to protect people’s rights, but not have too
much power.
• The Great Compromise: Senate: same number of
votes; House of Representatives: based on
population.
• 3/5s Compromise: Determined that slaves
would count as 3 people for very 5 slaves.
More Compromises
• Slave Trade Compromise: the buying and
selling of slaves would not be outlawed until
1808.
• The Commerce Clause: It gave the national
government the power to collect taxes and
regulate trade between states.
• Division of Powers: see checks and balances
• The Electoral College: the system for electing
the President.
Presidents Not Elected by Popular Vote
• These presidents were elected by the Electoral
College and not popular vote:
who lost by 44,804 votes to
in 1824
who lost by 264,292 votes
to Samuel J. Tilden in 1876
who lost by 95,713 votes to
in 1888
who lost by 543,816 votes to Al
Gore in the
.
You Could Win With 11 States
• California - 55
Texas - 34
New York - 31
Florida - 27
Illinois - 21
Pennsylvania - 21
Ohio - 20
Michigan - 17
Georgia - 15
New Jersey - 15
North Carolina - 15
Total: 271 electoral votes (1/2 of 538 is 269) you need
270 to have a clear victory.
Checks and Balances
Branches of the National Government
Executive
Judicial
Legislative
The President of the
United States
Judges in Federal Courts
The Supreme Court
House of Representatives
and The Senate
To enforce the laws that
are passed by Congress.
The President has veto
power.
Their job is to interpret
the laws. There are 9
Supreme Court Justices.
They have their job for life.
Their job is to pass the
laws for the United States
and send them to the
President for signature.
They can overturn a veto.
Bicameral
The Bill of Rights
• The first ten amendments to the
Constitution.
• Guarantees basic rights such as freedom of
religion, freedom of the press, and freedom
of speech. It also includes freedom to
assemble and the right to keep and bear
arms.
• It protected the “state’s rights”. This will play
a crucial role in the future of our country.
Georgia's State Constitution
• Original government was unicameral ( one
house) and was led by Archibald Bulloch. The
legislature elected the Governor and other
state officials.
• In 1789, Georgia adopted the bicameral (two
houses) government with three branches of
government that was similar to the United
states Federal government.
State Constitution
• Called for local governments that would be set
up as counties with a county seat that could not
be more than a days trip by horse and buggy.
• These county governments would be
responsible for keeping records and establishing
a system of law.
• A new amendment changed the way the
governor was elected. Both houses of the
legislature would elect the governor.
• Established Louisville (in present-day Jefferson
County) as the capital.
Louisville, GA Jefferson County
The Headright System
• This system for dispersing new lands acquired at
the end of the Revolutionary War. Every head
of household (usually a white male) had the
right to land. These heads of household would
declare his honesty and integrity and pay a small
filing fee. This made them eligible for free land:
200 acres plus another 50 acres for each family
member and slave, up to 1000 acres.
Yazoo Land Fraud
• This involved the land in the western part of
Georgia. (what is now Alabama and
Mississippi) The Yazoo Act allowed private
companies to buy large tracts of land.
• The land was bought up by dishonest men
and sold at much higher prices to the settlers.
• Georgians were angered and voted out the
dishonest politicians in the next election.
The Compact of 1802
• This was the reversal of the Yazoo Land Act.
• Georgia gave up ALL lands involved in the Yazoo
Land Fraud and Georgia's boundaries
were set pretty close to what they are today.
• In return the federal government gave Georgia
over a million dollars and promised to remove
all Native Americans from Georgia as soon as
possible.
The Land Lottery
• This was used to distribute land acquired from
the Native Americans.
• The plots of land ranged from 202.5 to 490
acres.
• Applicants to the lottery could be white males
over 18, orphans, or widows. Applicants paid a
small fee to be entered into the lottery. The
names were placed in a barrel and the drawings
were held in Milledgeville.
• “Drawing a blank.”
Georgia and Native Americans
is now growing and
prospering at a tremendous rate.
How does this affect the Native
Americans in Georgia? How will
it affect Georgia settlers and how
will Georgia deal with these
issues?