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Chapter 7: Creating the Constitution
Workbook & Notes
1. Articles of Confederation
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2. Land Ordinance of 1785
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3. Northwest Ordinance of 1787
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4. Shays’ Rebellion
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5. Annapolis Convention-1786 meeting after Shay’s Rebellion to discuss revising the Constitution.
6. James Madison
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7. Roger Sherman
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8. James Wilson
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9. Governuer Morris
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10. George Washington
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11. Benjamin Franklin
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12. The Virginia Plan
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13. The New Jersey Plan
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14. The Great Compromise
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15. The Three-Fifths Compromise
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16. Federalists
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17. Anti-Federalists
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18. Alexander Hamilton
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19. John Jay
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20. George Mason
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21. Bill of Rights
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22. The Federalist Papers
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Colonists’ Beliefs About Government
What do you think the colonists believed about government? One way to find out is to look at
this important document. Any ideas? Underline your guesses.
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political
bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate
and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to
secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the
people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and
transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while
evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But
when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce
them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide
new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is
now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the
present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the
establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid
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Governing a New Nation

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States began to set up new governments by writing ______________________________________
__________ of 13 states wrote new constitutions
Rhode Island and Connecticut used their __________________ but removed references of the
____________
State constitutions tried to avoid problems they had _______________
Limited ________________________
o Take power away from_______________ (state governor) and gave power to _______________
(elected by the people)
o Most legislatures were _________________ (two houses: a senate and house of representatives)
o Allowed more people to vote
o All but a few states barred ____________________
o In New Jersey, ___________ allowed to vote till 1807
o Most states: Had to be a ________, male, _______ or older and ______________________
o 7 states added ________________
o Used to protect individual __________
o Virginia was first to add one
o All 13 agreed that government only existed _______________________________
Articles of Confederation
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
Adopted in _________ by the Continental Congress
______________ by last state in 1781
To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States
affixed to our Names send greeting.
Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the states of New Hampshire,
Massachusetts-bay Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and
Georgia.
I. The Stile of this Confederacy shall be
"The United States of America".
II. Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power,
jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United
States, in Congress assembled.
III. The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for
their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, 3
binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon
them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade
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Confederation?
 A ___________association of ___________ states for a common _________________
 Set up the government for the United States as a “____________________”
 Largest share of power given to _________________
 States retained their “_______________, ________________, and ________________”
Government Set-Up
 __________ branch of government: the legislature or __________
 One-house legislature (_______________)
 All states have a __________ _____________
 _____ states had to agree for law to go into effect
 ________ ________ had to agree before Articles could be ____________
A Limited Government
 Congress could not
o ___________
o ___________
o ___________
 Congress could
o Deal with foreign nations and Native Americans
o _____________
o _____________
o Coin or borrow money
o __________________
Settling Western Lands
 Disputes over ownership of western lands slowed
__________ of _____________
 States did not want to ___________________ to national
government (___________ was last to agree)
 Land Ordinance of 1785
o Surveyors divided land into 6 sq. mile
______________
o 1 sq. mile _____________ sold within the township
o One section in each township set aside for
_________________
 Northwest Ordinance of 1787
o Guaranteed ______________ of settlers and
________________
o Set up a three-step process for admitting states
 Beginning of Settling: Governor, Secretary,
3 Judges
 5,000 free adult male settlers: ______________
 60,000 people: _______________
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Articles of Confederation
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U.S. Constitution
What type of legislature,
unicameral or bicameral?
Number of votes per state
in the legislature?
Who can levy taxes, the
central government or
states?
What are the powers of
the Congress?
Number and name of the
branches of Government?
Number of votes needed
to amend the
Constitution?
Number of votes needed
to pass laws?
Which has more power,
the central government or
states?
What are the possible problems that could happen in the U.S. because of the weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation?
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Now that you have read Arty’s story, you should have a good idea of the answer to the question “What were the
successes and failures of the Articles of Confederation?” Here’s your task – make a list of all of the weaknesses
of the new government under the Articles of Confederation, and then describe the problems that could be
caused by those weaknesses. Make a list of the successes as well. An example has been provided!
SUCCESSES
United the colonies
WEAKNESS
No national court system
Brainstorm!
What are problems that will occur with the weaknesses? Successes?
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After watching the cartoon, what are some of the complaints delegates have about the Constitution?
Compromises of the Constitutional Convention
How will the states be represented in the Legislature?
 ___________________________________
o Created a _______________________________________
 House of Representatives
 Votes (or representatives) based on population
 Senate
 2 votes (or representatives) per state
o This satisfied the people who wanted the New Jersey Plan
o Also satisfied people who wanted the Virginia Plan
Should everyone be allowed to vote or just a select group?
 ___________________________________________
o People would vote for representatives (or legislators) to represent them in Congress
 ___________________________________________
o Each state chooses Electors
o The number of Electors per state is equal to the ____________________________________
from the House and Senate
o The Electors usually decide based on the popular vote, but ___________________________
How should slaves be counted for representation in Congress?
o _____________________________________________
 Each enslaved person counted as _________________________
 So for every __________________________________________ would count towards
representation in the House of Representatives
 This compromise was overturned when slavery was banned in 1865
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Debating the Constitution
 Once the Constitution was written by the delegates, each state had to hold a
__________________ to _______________(approve) the _________________
 The Constitution would go into effect once ______ states ratified it
 Not everyone agreed that the Constitution ___________________________
Issue
Should the Constitution be
ratified?
Federalists
Anti-
Federalists
 Favored a ___________ or national
_________________
 Felt that for the Union to last there
must be a _____________________
______________________________
 Wanted the central government to
have ___________ it did not have
under the___________, like the
power to _______________ laws
 Felt the Constitution made the
government _____________
 Main Arguments:
______________________________
o Felt the too-strong central
government would take away
state power and individual
freedom
_______________________________
o Many state constitutions had
one
o No protection of basic freedoms
________________________________
o If president could be reelected
again, may act like a king
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Important Federalists
Alexander Hamilton
John Jay
James Madison
 Strong supporters of the ___________________
 To try to gain public support, they published a
series of 85 newspapers essays called the
_____________________________
 The essays were very influential
Important Anti-Federalists
George Mason
 The author of Virginia’s __________________________________
 Felt so strongly that the Constitution should have a Bill of Rights that he
______________________________________
 Also felt that the Constitution took away too many ________________ rights
Patrick Henry
 Felt the president would become too much _____________________
 Thought the power was not ________________ enough
 Led the _______________ on the Constitution in ________________
Beginning the New Government
 In June 1788, _________________ became the 9th state to ratify the Constitution, allowing
it to _______________________
 In May of 1790, _______________ was the last state to ratify the Constitution
 ___________________ was elected President with _____________ as Vice President
 The first Congress passed a series of ___________________ which have become our
_____________________________
 Protect people from the ____________________ of the federal government
 Many come out of ____________________ with Britain
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The Bill of Rights Using pgs. 240-242, look over the ten amendments in the Bill of Rights, and then write
them in your own words. I will show you how I remember the amendment, and then you need to come up with
your own way that helps you remember it!
Amendment (in your words)
How Mrs. Hoachlander
Remembers it
How you Remember it
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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