U
3: T

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2.
3.
1.
4.
What were the weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation
What is the Sugar Act?
At which event was the Declaration of Independence signed?
What are some rights you have listed in the US Constitution?

C ONSTITUTIONAL C ONVENTION 1787- P HILADELPHIA
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55 Delegates attended… all states except Rhode
Island
George Washington was asked to preside (lead) over the convention.
James Madison kept notes of the discussions and is often called “The Father of the Constitution.”
All the participants in the Convention were wealthy, white, males… considered to be the
“Founding Fathers”

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The goal was to fix the Articles of
Confederation…. but they soon realized the best approach was to toss it

C ONSTITUTIONAL C OMPROMISES
Founding Fathers had a lot of issues to work out…
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Voting
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Slaves
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Trade
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Representation

I SSUE 1- H OW SHOULD STATES BE
REPRESENTED IN C ONGRESS ?
Virginia Plan
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3 branches of government
Each state should be represented based on
POPULATION
Bicameral legislature- 1 st house elected by people----- 2 nd house elected by 1 st house
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Supported by larger states
New Jersey Plan
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Unicameral legislature based on EQUAL representation
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Supported by smaller states

S OLUTION : C ONNECTICUT C OMPROMISE
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AKA The Great Compromise
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BICAMERAL legislature
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One house based on population (house of representatives)
One house based on equal representation (senate)

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I SSUE 2: S LAVES POPULATION OR PROPERTY ?
Southern States
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Wanted slaves to count as population to get more voting power in the House
Feared they would lose slavery
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Northern States
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Wanted to count slaves as taxable property
Wanted more control and voting power

S OLUTION : 3/5 C OMPROMISE
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Counted each slave as 3/5 a white man
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Southern states benefited with greater representation
Northern states benefited because slave owners had to pay taxes on slaves that were counted

I SSUE 3: S HOULD THE F EDERAL G OVERNMENT
CONTROL INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE ?
Trading or selling of goods
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Northern States
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Wanted Congress to have the power to control ALL trade
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Southern States
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Didn’t want Congress to control any trade
Feared taxes and regulation would end slave trade– feared their economy would fall without slaves

S OLUTION : S LAVE TRADE AND C OMMERCE
C OMPROMISE
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Congress couldn’t interfere with slave trade until 1808
Congress
COULD regulate foreign and interstate trade
Congress could tax imports, but not exports

I SSUE 4: H OW WOULD THE N ATION ’ S
LEADER BE CHOSEN ?

Congress chooses
Citizens elect Congress… Congress elects President
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Citizens choose
Citizens directly elect President

S OLUTION : E LECTORAL C OLLEGE
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Citizens vote in each election
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Congressional Representatives use their votes to put towards the candidate that the citizens chose
Actual election is put in the hands of the Electoral
College… but each states uses the voice of their citizens
# of electoral votes is based on how many each state has in Congress…. NC has 15
2 in Senate
13 in House of Representatives

Candidate with 270 votes wins the election

I SSUE 5: W HO IS STRONGER ?
S TATE VS F EDERAL
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Federalists
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Supported a new constitution
Supported strong central government
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Led by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison
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Anti-Federalists
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Opposed new constitution- thought it would give too much power to central government
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Favored by the wealthy
Believed civil liberties would be taken away- not protected by a Bill of Rights
Led by Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry

F EDERALIST P APERS - S UPPORT OF A
STRONG C ENTRAL G OVERNMENT
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85 letters written to newspapers to encourage the ratification of the Constitution
Made popular the idea of federalism (strong central government)
Federalist Paper 51--James Madison
If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.
What would you say was Madison's general opinion of people in government: angels? devils? something else?

S OLUTION : B ILL OF R IGHTS
If Federalist would add a Bill of Rights, then Anti-Federalists would ratify
VIOLA!
Ratified in 1789

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Trying not to use your notes, describe:
1.
Electoral College
2.
3.
VA and NJ Plans
Federalists and Anti-Federalists
4.
5.
3/5 Compromise
Slave trade and Commerce compromise

S IX B IG I DEAS FOUND IN THE C ONSTITUTION
4.
5.
6.
1.
2.
3.
Limited government
Republicanism
Checks and balances
Federalism
Separation of powers
Popular sovereignty
Using the textbook, or the internet, complete the first TWO columns on your worksheet titled Six
Big Ideas in the Constitution

Three Parts
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Preamble: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America.
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What are the goals of the constitution?

Is this a good intro? Why? Why not?
Articles I-VII

Amendments

Bill of Rights 1-10
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27 Amendments total

I N Y OUR N OTES
With ONE partner… or alone, read through the
Articles found on page 95
For each Article, write a SHORT (1-4 sentence) summary. This will be used for your reference later so be sure to use the descriptions on the side,
ASK QUESTIONS , or last resort use google.
You each must write them in your OWN notes

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How many parts are there in the
Constitution?
The preamble serves as an introduction, what does it really say?
What is the main idea of article 1? Who gets these powers?
What is the main idea of article 2? Who gets these powers?
What is the main idea of article 3? Who gets these powers?

WARM UP
1.
2.
3.
4.
What are the first 10 amendments called?
What is the importance of the 7 th amendment?
What does it say?
Which amendment of the first 10, do you feel to be the most important? WHY?
The first amendment gives you five basic freedoms: speech, petition, assembly, press, and religion. Come up with a way to remember these. EXAMPLE: RAPPS!

1.
2.
3.
Define ex post facto
What are the three branches of government, DESCRIBE what they are responsible for
What does separation of powers do for the government?

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C LAUSES TO R EMEMBER
Necessary and Proper Clause (elastic clause): Article 1
Section 8 Clause 18
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Congress has the power to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out powers
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Allowed to “stretch” the constitution to make things fit
Commerce Clause: Article 1 Section 8 Clause 3
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Enumerated power (specifically stated in the constitution)
Allows to control all forms of commerce
Full Faith and Credit Clause: (Article 4 Section 1)
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Ensures that all states follow the court rulings of other states
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Car accident in NC, but person that hit me lives in FL.
They don’t pay, state of FL enforces judgment.
Supremacy Clause: (Article 6, Clause 2) US
Constitution is Supreme Law of the Land

National and State governments share power

Supremacy clause….but all things not given to federal government, lies with the state
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Expressed powers: federal powers
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Maintaining an army, declaring war, postal system, immigration, making money
Reserved powers: state powers
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Trade within state, creating schools, rules for marriages, licenses
Concurrent powers: SHARED between federal & state
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Taxes
Borrow money
Set up courts
Prisons