DO NOW!
Take 5 minutes to respond in your notebook to
the following statement:
“To Be Free, One Must Be Chained”
Be prepared to discuss your response!
After the Revolution …
1.
2.
There is no national government
State governments were very similar in
design
a.
Legislative branch made laws
•
b.
c.
Held the most power
Judicial branch interpreted laws
Executive branch (the governor) carried out
laws
•
Remembering the powerful royal governors,
states chose to limit governors’ powers
A New Type of Government
•
•
•
Americans wanted a republic
• a political system without a monarch
• “with the consent of the governed”
Property-owning citizens would be active in
government
Limitations … women, African Americans,
Native Americans, and poor white laborers
seldom owned property
The Articles of Confederation
•
•
•
Established a confederation - an agreement
between independent states with common
goals
States retained most of their powers
National government had very little authority
• Legislative branch  Continental
Congress
• Each state had only one vote, regardless
of population
State Powers
•
•
•
•
•
Taxation
All powers not delegated to the national
government
Each state had its own judicial system
Power to collect taxes
Power to enforce laws passed by Congress
National Powers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
One branch of government – a legislature which carried out
both legislative and executive functions
Power to petition (ask) the states for money
To have embassies and receive ambassadors
To make and wage war
Appoint ambassadors
To enter into treaties
Establish maritime courts
Authority to settle border disputes between states
Regulate trade with Indian tribes
Set up post offices and charge postage
Appoint officers to the army and navy
Major Flaws
•
•
•
Major issues with $$
• Large war debts
• No power to impose or collect
taxes
• Could not afford an army or navy
• Could not repay money it borrowed
during the war
9 of the 13 states had to agree on
new laws
All 13 states had to agree to amend
the Articles
Congress’ Problems…
Problems with Foreign
Nations
Problems with the States
•
•
Very little power over the
individual states
Could not settle disputes
between states
• There was no national
court system
•
•
•
British did not leave forts in
the Great Lakes region
British and Native
Americans kept American
settlers out of the Northwest
Territory
Negotiating with Spain
about uses of the
Mississippi and port of New
Orleans was difficult
Local Financial Issues
•
•
•
•
•
Everyone was having $$ problems
Trade with Britain and the British West Indies was
lost
Much needed financial aid from Britain was lost
Paper money was issued—led to inflation.
Only states could levy taxes
• Some states required taxes be paid in gold or
silver.
• People who could not pay were jailed.
“New” Land in the West

The “new” territory (west of the Appalachians to
the Mississippi River) was divided under the Land
Ordinance of 1785

Northwest Ordinance (1787)
 Encouraged settlement and formation of new
states
 Promised religious freedom and other civil rights
 Did not allow slavery
Shay’s Rebellion




1786–87 armed farmers demand closing of
courts to avoid losing farms over debts
Shays’s Rebellion—state militia defeats
farmers led by Daniel Shays
Many leaders fear rebellion will spread through
country
Washington calls for stronger national
government
The Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention



The delegates supposed to revise the Articles, NOT
develop an entirely new government
Twelve states attended some or all of the meetings.
 Rhode Island was opposed to a stronger federal
government
Congress had to find a balance between the
large and small states and northern and southern
interests
State
Number of Delegates
Connecticut
3
Delaware
5
Georgia
4
Maryland
5
Massachusetts
4
New Hampshire
2
New Jersey
5
New York
3
North Carolina
5
Pennsylvania
8
Rhode Island
0
South Carolina
4
Virginia
7
Opposing Views
The Virginia Plan:
 Gave more power to states
 Bicameral legislature
 The number of
representatives based on
population.
 Small states objected;
came up with new plan.
The New Jersey Plan:
 Gave more power to
national government
 Unicameral legislature
 Each state would have
equal number of
representatives.
The Great Compromise




Developed by Connecticut
Bicameral legislature (two houses or sections)
In the lower house, representatives for each
state determined by population.
In the upper house, each state has an equal
number of representatives
Issues over Slavery
 Southern states: count slaves for representation but
not taxation
 Northern states object
 Three-Fifths Compromise: all whites plus 3/5 of
slave population count for representation and
taxation
Agreements to keep the peace:
1. Slave trade continues for 20 years.
2. Fugitive Slave Clause: slave who fled to another
state had to be returned to his or her original state.
Division of Powers
Federalism: dividing power between state and
national government
 Nation handles foreign affairs, defense,
interstate trade, money
 States handle education, marriage laws, trade
within state
 Shared powers include right to tax, borrow
money, establish courts
National vs. State Powers
Debates Over the Constitution
 Constitution created a strong national government with
certain powers left to the states
 The drastic changes surprised and worried people –
feared the national government would become too
powerful
 Federalists: supporters of the Constitution
 Antifederalists: opponents of the Constitution
Federalists



Popular in the cities, but outnumbered in the
general population
Well organized and knew how to gather
political support
Led by James Madison, John Dickinson, and
Alexander Hamilton
 Supported by Benjamin Franklin and
George Washington
Antifederalists
 Supported mainly by farmers and
planters
 Worried government would abuse
states’ rights and individual liberties
 Thought new government favored the
educated and wealthy
 Led by Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry,
and Richard Henry Lee
Ratifying the Constitution




Antifederalists demanded a Bill of Rights.
Wanted to protect certain basic rights in the
Constitution
Adding rights became main focus of struggle
over ratification
Congress called for special ratifying conventions
in each state
 9 out of the 13 states needed to ratify the
Constitution
Federalist vs Anti-Federalist


Federalists
The separation of
powers into three
independent branches
protected the rights of
the people.
If we can't list all the
rights, it's better to list
none at all




Anti-Federalists
Too much power to the
national government
National government
could maintain an
army in peacetime
‘Necessary and
proper’ clause gave
too much power to
Congress
The executive branch
held too much power.
Checks and Balances



Checks and balances prevent one branch from
dominating the others
Legislative branch makes laws
 Starts at House then goes to Senate
Executive branch carries out laws
 Can either sign or veto laws
 IF president vetoes, goes back to Congress. They
can re-vote and override the President
Judicial branch interprets laws
 Decide if laws are constitutional or not
The Federalist Papers
 A series of essays discussing and
defending the Constitution published in New
York newspapers
 Read throughout the country
 Main goal: persuade New York delegates to
ratify the document
 Authored by three Federalists: James
Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
Ideas in the Federalist Papers
 Hamilton: decision they were about to make was
important for the whole world
 Madison: warned against the dangers of factions
(groups with specific, often opposing, interests)
 Stated that factions had torn apart some
European governments
 A republican government would help balance
the influence of factions.
 Separation of powers would limit government
powers.
Adding a Bill of Rights
 Several states ratified the Constitution only
because they were promised a bill of rights.
 Once the new Congress was elected, it needed to
add the bill in the form of amendments to the
Constitution.
 James Madison took charge of pushing the Bill of
Rights through Congress.
 The states approved 10 of the 12 amendments
that Congress had approved. They became the Bill
of Rights.
The Bill of Rights
 First eight amendments address individual civil liberties.
 Ninth Amendment states that just because only certain
rights are listed in the Bill of Rights, that doesn’t mean that
other rights don’t exist as well.
 Tenth Amendment defines two kinds of government powers.
 Delegated Powers: powers that the Constitution gives to
each branch of the national government
 Reserved Powers: powers that the Constitution does not
specifically give to the federal government or deny to the
states
 Reserved powers belong to the states or to the people.