What is Government?
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When studying the POLITICAL aspects of a
society, look for clues that answer these
questions:
Who or what makes the laws?
Who or what enforces laws?
What happens to people who break the laws?
How do people know what the laws are?
The Constitution Debate
Approach (3 C’s)
• Context (Timeframe, Timeline, Place in history
or historical study)
• Content (Historical narrative: What is
happening? Who is involved? What are their
arguments?)
• Conclusions (What is going on here? What are
the resolutions? What are the “ripple effects”
or unintended consequences?)
Context
• 1777: Articles of Confederation (Key points—loose
confederation, wary of central government, gave the United
States no real power over the united states, no executive, no
ability to tax). Ratified in 1781.
• 1787: Constitutional Convention (initially met to revise the
Articles, ended up writing a whole new document. Many
questioned the legality of doing such a thing.)
• 1787-1788: Constitutional Debates
• 1789-1797: George Washington, 1st President (Federalist)
• 1790: Rhode Island finally ratifies the Constitution, bringing
an end to the Constitutional Debate.
• 1791: First ten amendments to Constitution
• 1797-1801: John Adams, 2nd President (Federalist) (Thomas
Jefferson, VP)
• 1801-1809: Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President (Republican)
Federalists and Antifederalists
• Read the text on your notecard.
• Underline or highlight the argument.
• What is the author of the quote trying to
convince his audience?
• Is your author a Federalist (For ratification of
the Constitution or Antifederalist (Against
ratification of the Constitution)?
Note card Practice
• "The most considerable of these remaining objections is
that 2) the plan of the convention contains no bill of rights."
"Bills of Rights are, in their origin, stipulations between
kings and their subjects." The "We the people" clause in
the Preamble to the Constitution "is a better recognition of
popular rights. A bill of rights would sound much better in a
treatise of ethics than in a constitution of government."
"Bills of Rights are not only unnecessary in the proposed
Constitution but would even be dangerous." “It meets two
vital objects of a bill of rights: it 1) declares and specifies
"the political privileges of the citizens in the structure and
administration of the government," and 2) defines "certain
immunities and modes of proceeding, which are relative to
personal and private concerns." (May 28, 1788)
Underline Argument
• "The most considerable of these remaining objections is
that 2) the plan of the convention contains no bill of rights."
"Bills of Rights are, in their origin, stipulations between
kings and their subjects." The "We the people" clause in
the Preamble to the Constitution "is a better recognition of
popular rights. A bill of rights would sound much better in a
treatise of ethics than in a constitution of government."
"Bills of Rights are not only unnecessary in the proposed
Constitution but would even be dangerous." “It meets two
vital objects of a bill of rights: it 1) declares and specifies
"the political privileges of the citizens in the structure and
administration of the government," and 2) defines "certain
immunities and modes of proceeding, which are relative to
personal and private concerns." (May 28, 1788)
Determine the Argument
• A Bill of Rights is unnecessary because the
Constitution already outlines the privileges of
citizens and it outlines immunities which they
may receive in relation to personal and private
concerns.
• Is he a Federalist or Antifederalist?
Is he a Federalist or Antifederalist?
• Federalist
• Because he believes the Constitution, as it is
written, does not need a Bill of Rights added
to it.
Note Taking
• On the back of your note card, make TWO
columns.
• Column I is FOR (Federalist) and Column II is
AGAINST (Antifederalist)
• Write student responses from your convention
in the For or Against column.
Convention Protocol
• Approach as many students in the class as you
can.
• Ask each student individually, “What do you think
of this new document, the Constitution? Why?”
• In all encounters, explain the argument on your
note card (summarize). When you ask another
student, you cannot give YOUR opinion. You can
only give YOUR opinion when you are asked.
• You will need to go to another student before
continuing your exchange with the student who
initially asked your opinion.
Wrap Up
• Divide into Federalist and Antifederalist
groups.
• What were the positions of the Federalists
and Why?
• What were the positions of the Antifederalists
and Why?
• The Constitution set up the Federal system:
What were the characteristics of the federal
system based on the arguments presented in
class today?