Let’s set the stage
• We will assemble a multitude of
factors and ideas which will be
infused into the creation of a
new government
End of the Revolutionary
War
• Battle of Yorktown (1781)
• Treaty of Paris (1783)
• Full independence (?)
• Territory west of Appalachians
• Loyalists compensated for seized
property
• Fishing rights off of Newfoundland
Creating a New Government
Ideas of Government
A. Locke’s Social Contract
1. People Sovereign Rulers
John Locke
B. Montesquieu- Separation &
Balance of Powers
C. Virginia Statue of Religious Freedom
D. Republican Motherhood
E. Each state had its own written
constitutions
Charles de Secondat Montesquieu
Land Ordinance of 1785
Will the country grow?
What was the plan?
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
est. of 3 to 5 states, see page 252
defined process for statehood
pop. 60,000, forbade slavery
“empire of liberty” not colonies
“the utmost good faith”
Native Americans
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
One of the major accomplishments of the
Confederation Congress!
Statehood achieved in three stages:
1. Congress appointed 3 judges & a governor to
govern the territory.
2. When population reached 5,000 adult male
landowners  elect territorial legislature.
3. When population reached 60,000  elect
delegates to a state constitutional convention.
The United States in 1787
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance
of 1787
A) divided federal western
land into 640-acre sections
B) greatly hindered
western expansion
C) sought to raise money
by the sale of western
land
D) contained no reference
to slavery
E) provided for the
creation of not less than
three nor more than five
states
Answer:
E) provided for the creation of not less than three nor more than five
states
Explanation: The 1787 Northwest Ordinance was a key accomplishment of Congress
during the Articles period and encouraged western expansion as new states would
come in as equals to the original thirteen. It established a pattern for new states
entering the United States, outlawed slavery in the Northwest Territory, determined
that the land should be divided in not less than three, nor more than five states, and
stated "Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and
the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be
encouraged."
Original System of
Government
III. Articles of Confederation
John Dickinson
Home work- make a T chart that identifies the
advantages and disadvantages of this
system of government.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Loose Alliance
Power given to state
One State = One Vote
Many Restrictions of the Federal
Government
John Dickinson
Weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation
A unicameral Congress
[9 of 13 votes to pass a law].
13 out of 13 to amend.
Representatives were
frequently absent.
Could not tax or raise armies.
No executive or judicial
branches.
State Constitutions
Republicanism.
Most had strong governors with veto
power.
Most had bicameral legislatures.
Property required for voting.
Some had universal white male
suffrage.
Most had bills of rights.
Many had a continuation of stateestablished religions while others
disestablished religion.
Occupational Composition of
Several State Assemblies
in the 1780s
Indian Land Cessions:
1768-1799
Disputed Territorial Claims
Between Spain & the U. S.:
1783-1796
State Claims to Western Lands
Wholesale
Price
Index:
1770-1789
A Young Nation in Turmoil
A Need for Change
*Shay’s Rebellion
Image from Shay’s Rebellion
Shays’ Rebellion: 1786-7
Daniel Shays
Western MA
Small farmers angered by crushing
debts and taxes.
Shays’ Rebellion: 1786-7
Shays’ Rebellion: 1786-7
There could be no
stronger evidence of
the want of energy in
our governments than
these disorders.
-- George Washington
Reactions to Shays' Rebellion
•
Match the correct sources for the following
two quotes about the rebellion led by Daniel
Shays in 1786
•
Quote #1: "The tree of liberty must be
refreshed from time to time with the blood of
patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."
•
Quote #2: "Influence is not government. Let
us have a government by which our lives,
liberties, and properties will be secured, or
let us know the worst at once."
•
•
•
•
•
(A) 1-Sam Adams/2-John Adams
(B) 1-Thomas Paine /2-Henry Knox
(C) 1-Thomas Jefferson 2-George Washington
(D) 1-Paul Revere /2-James Madison
(E) 1-Alexander Hamilton/ 2-John Hancock
Answer:
(C) 1-Thomas Jefferson 2-George Washington
Annapolis Convention (1786)
12 representatives from 5 states
[NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA]
GOAL  address barriers that
limited trade and commerce between
the states.
Not enough states were represented
to make any real progress.
Sent a report to the Congress to call
a meeting of all the states to meet
in Philadelphia to examine areas
broader than just trade and
commerce.
Annapolis Convention
While the 1786 Annapolis Convention was convened to
discuss commerce issues among the various states, its
real impact came in its call for
A) war with Great Britain over western forts
B) a constitutional convention to address
defects in the Articles of Confederation
C) condemning the rebellion led by Daniel
Shays in Massachusetts
D) support for those seeking to overthrow
French King Louis XVI
E) a Bill of Rights
Answer: B) a constitutional convention to address defects
in the Articles of Confederation
Explanation: Only five states sent representatives to
Annapolis in 1786 to discuss commerce issues in a
meeting that lasted only three days. The Convention
concluded, however, with an invitation to a Constitutional
Convention the next year in Philadelphia. Alexander
Hamilton, among others, was eager to correct the defects
in the Articles of Confederation.
Constitutional Convention
at the city of brotherly love
Philadelphia 1787
1. George Washington Chairman and 55
or 54 delegates (No Rhode Island)
2. Set Guidelines
a. hold secret sessions
b. 7 states as a quorum
c. one state/one vote
d. majority vote rules
Now the Debates
• Representation of the Small and
Large States
• How to regulate the Slave Trade
• How to regulate Commerce
• How much voting power should be
entrusted to the people?
Will We Really Last as a
New Nation?
Compromises
1. Virginia Plan
(presented by Randolph,
drafted by Madison)
a. Federalism
b. 3 Branches of
Government
c. two-houses based on
population
2. New Jersey Plan
(Patterson)
a. One House
b. Equal Representation
Edmund Randolph
William Patterson
James Madison
Can’t We All Just Get
Along?
3. Great Compromise
(Sherman)
a. Bicameral- two houses
b. upper –(equal)
lower – (representation
based on population)
Roger Sherman
Other Compromises
4. 3/5 Compromise (Slavery) (N v. S)
James Wilson and Roger Sherman
a. taxation
b. representation
5. Restriction of the Slave Trade
a. importation of slaves until
end of 1807
James Wilson
b. slave owners could pursue
runaway slaves
Another Major Compromise
6. Compromise over commerce
(N v. S)
Economic Differences
a. tariffs
b. imports not exports
Changes in the Constitution
from the Articles
• Stronger union of states
• Equal and population-based
representation
• Simple majority vote (pres. veto)
• Reg. of foreign and interstate trade
• Execution by President (carry out laws)
• Power to tax
• Federal courts
• Easier amendment process
Changes in the Constitution
from the Articles
• Elastic Clause
• (“necessary and proper”)
• Gives Congress the power to pass
laws it deems necessary to
enforce the Constitution
So why is this important?
Constitutional Convention
The delegates to the 1787 Constitutional
Convention in Philadelphia managed to craft a
number of compromises. Which of the following
was not an area of compromise?
(A) trade: no taxes were allowed on exports but
Congress retained the right to control commerce
(B) legislative bodies: a House of
Representatives with representation based on
population, a Senate with each state with two
representatives
(C) slavery: slaves counted as 3/5 of a white
resident for both representation and taxation
(D) assumption of debts: Congress assumed all
of the debts of the 13 states
(E) electing a president: citizens vote for
electoral college members who then vote for the
president
Independence Hall, Philadelphia
site of the Constitutional Convention
Answer:
(D) assumption of debts:
Congress assumed all of the
debts of the 13 states
Constitutional Convention
Which of the following beliefs would
have not been held by those
advocating the ratification of the
Constitution?
(A) the Articles of Confederation
created a weak, ineffectual national
government
(B) the separation of powers into three
independent branches sufficiently
protects the rights of the people
(C) power should be concentrated in
local and state governments
(D) a list of rights is not necessary
Answer:
(C) power should be concentrated (E) only 9 of the 13 states need to
in local and state governments
approve the Constitution before it
becomes the law of the land
Compromises at the Convention
Which of the following was not an element of compromise at the 1787
Constitutional Convention?
A) counting slaves in determining the number of representatives in the House
B) Congress being able to ban the slave trade after 1808
C) a bicameral legislature, with each state receiving two members in the
Senate and proportional representation in the House
D) the location of the nation's capital between Maryland and Virginia
E) a prohibition of taxation on exports
Answer: D) the location of the nation's capital between Maryland and Virginia
Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist
Strongholds at the End of the War
Ratification
• IV. What was/is Ratification?
• A. Federalists-(Strong National Government)
• Federalist Papers
• B. Anti-Federalists-(Strong State Government)
• Lee Papers
• C. June 21, 1788 ratified by 9 states
Why was it important that all the states ratify
the Constitution?
The Federalist
The collection of essays published in 1787 and 1788 as The Federalist included all but
which of the following arguments?
A) a Bill of Rights was a necessary protection of the rights of citizens
B) the Articles of Confederation were insufficient in governing the nation
C) a republican government was best for governing a large territory like that of the U.S.
D) political factions were dangerous
E) a one-man chief executive is necessary for an effective administration
Answer:
A) a Bill of Rights was a necessary protection of the rights of citizens
Ratification Fight
During the fight over the ratification of the
Constitution
A) pro-Constitution forces faced no difficulties
in gaining approval in each of the 13 state
constitutional conventions
B) people living in urban areas tended to oppose
ratification
C) small farmers and rural residents tended to
support ratification
D) most newspapers opposed ratification
E) Anti-Federalists predicted that merchants
and creditors would dominate the newly formed
national government
Answer:
E) Anti-Federalists predicted that merchants and creditors would dominate the newly
formed national government
Explanation: The struggle to win approval of the Constitution was neither quick nor easy.
But journalists, who were important opinion shapers, tended to favor the Constitution.
Eric Foner states that out of 97 newspapers published at the time of ratification, only 12
opposed the Constitution's ratification. Most supporters lived in cities or areas dependent
on merchant business, while opponents tended to be small farmers and others concerned
about the ascendancy of a ruling merchant and creditor class that would stand to benefit
most from the Constitution's ratification.
Constitution