Birth of a Nation
Focus Question
• To what degree did the Articles of
Confederation provide an effective form
of government?
– Consider the following: the ideology and
goals of the Revolution, economic
conditions, foreign relations, Western
lands, etc.
Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation
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Loose confederation of
sovereign states
Western land claims delayed
ratification
7 states had huge western land
claims
Maryland delayed ratification
until western claims were given
up
Sale of the lands would provide
a source of national revenues
The United States in 1787
Provisions of the
Articles
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
States had the power
Weak central govt.
No power to tax
No executive or
judicial branch
No power to regulate
interstate commerce
Each state had 1 vote
Could declare but
could not raise army
Advance of settlement to 1790
The Land Ordinance of 1785
• America now feels that this is
their land to settle
– Ordinance of 1785
• Establishes system for
surveying/distributing land
• Sold to help pay national debt
• Townships divided into 36 sq.
miles or 640 acres for minimum of
$1 per acre
• Income from sale of one section
was to go to support public
schools ( 1st ex. Of fed. Aid to
education)
• Still used today
Northwest Territory
• Northwest Ordinance
– System by which territories
could become states
– Chunks of 60,000 people would
be granted statehood
– Still used today
– Guarantees..
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Freedom of speech
Trial by Jury
Forbids slavery north of Ohio River
Southerners could cross state lines
to reclaim fugitive slaves
• Ordinances Speed up
Expansion
– Problems?
Land Division in the Northwest Territory
Newburgh Conspiracy (1783)
- Cause- Soldiers in army were not paid
regularly throughout the war
- High ranking officers wanted to organize
to force states to pay back wages
- Washington convinced officers not to
attack states
- Soldiers got back pay and pensions
SHAY’S REBELLION
• An event that highlighted
the weakness of the Central
(National) government was
Shay’s Rebellion
• Farmers in western
Massachusetts rose up in
protest over increased taxes
• Daniel Shay led 1,200
farmers toward the arsenal
in Springfield
• The event caused alarm
throughout the republic
1787
WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLE OF
CONFEDERATION
• Congress could not collect
taxes
• Each state had one vote
regardless of population
• No executive branch
• No national court system
• Nine of thirteen states
needed to agree to pass any
law
• Lacked national unity
• Weak Central Gov’t
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
• America’s first Constitution
• Established National
governments ability to wage
war, sign treaties, coin
money, run post office
• Land Ordinance of 1785 –
made land parcels small &
affordable
• Northwest Ordinance of
1787 – set requirement for
states
Annapolis Convention
• The Annapolis Convention
(1786)
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James Madison (VA)
purpose- Discuss interstate trade
Only 5 states attend
Alexander Hamilton (NY)
New convention called to revise the
Articles
CREATING A NEW GOVERNMENT
• The 55 delegates at the
Constitutional Convention realized
the need to strengthen the central
government
• Elected George Washingtonchairman
• They soon decided to create an
entirely new Constitution instead
of amending the Articles
• Articles were scraped
• Peaceful overthrow of U.S. govt.
“Compromise”
Father of the Constitution
• James Madison
• National Principlenational govt. stronger
than states
• Power came from people
not states- Popular
Sovereignty
• Federalism
• Separation of PowersBaron de Montesquieu
• Checks and Balances
The Virginia Plan
• Drafted by Madison
• Edmund Randolph
• Powerful national
government
– Impose laws on states
– Levy taxes
– Regulate commerce
• Structure
– Three branches
• Single executive
• National courts
• Bicameral legislature
– Lower house chosen
directly by the people
– State legislatures
nominate candidates for
upper house
– Lower house elects upper
house from these
candidates
– Representation based on
population or financial
contributions
– Favored by large states
The Virginia Plan
Upper House
[proportioned by population]
elects
nominate
candidates
State Legislatures
elect
Lower House
[proportioned by population]
elect
People
The New Jersey Plan
• William Paterson (NJ)
• Small states
• Modify the Articles
– Unicameral Congress
– Equal representation
– New powers to levy
taxes and to regulate
trade
– Multi-person executive
The Great Compromise
• Benjamin Franklin
• Roger Sherman (CT)
– Connecticut
Compromise
• Bicameral legislature
– House of
Representatives
• Based on population
• Directly elected
• Every tax bill would
originate in the House
– Senate
• Each state equally
represented
• Senators selected by the
state legislature
“Mankind may hereafter, from
this unfortunate instance, despair
of establishing governments by
human wisdom, and leave it to
chance, war, and conquest”
~ Benjamin Franklin ~
The Great Compromise
Senate
[two senators per state]
choose
State Legislatures
elect
House of Representatives
[proportioned by population]
elect
People
Presidential Powers
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Military commander-in-chief
Control foreign policy
Veto power over legislation
Enforce the law
SEPARATION OF POWERS
THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE
• Next difficult issue: Slavery
• South- Slaves should count
as parts of population
• North- slaves should not
count
• North- If slaves count,
should also count for tax
purposes
• Compromise- Every five
enslaved persons would
count as three free persons
Commerce Compromises
• Southern fears
– If national government
controls trade, it can
• Ban slave trade
• Tax exports
• Compromise
– Exports cannot be taxed
– Slave trade cannot be
banned for 20 years
• North very willing to
compromise
– Necessity
– Slavery a dying
institution
RATIFYING THE CONSTITUTION
• The Constitutional
Convention adjourned in
September of 1787
• Nine of thirteen states had
to ratify the Constitution
• Supporters of the
Constitution were
Federalists. Those opposed
were Anti-Federalist
FEDERALIST
• Led by Alexander Hamilton,
James Madison and John
Jay, Federalist believed that
while the Constitution was
not perfect, it was far
superior to the Articles of
Confederation
• They favored a strong
central government
James
Madison
“Father of the
Constitution”
The Federalist Papers
• New York
– Gov. George Clinton
• 85 essays to support
Constitution
• Publius
• Federalist 10:
– Control of factions
– “Pluralism”
• Federalist 51:
– Separation of powers
– Alexander Hamilton
“The influence of factious
leaders may kindle a flame
– James Madison
within their particular States,
– John Jay
“Ambition must be made but will be unable to spread a
to counteract ambition.” general conflagration through
the other States”
Map
~ Federalist 51 ~
~ Federalist 10 ~
Chart
ANTI-FEDERALIST
• The Anti-Federalist view
was that the Constitution
did not guarantee the rights
of the people of the states
• Led by Patrick Henry,
George Mason, and Richard
Henry Lee, the AntiFederalists wanted a Bill of
Rights to off-set the strong
central government
Lee penned his views in the
widely read, Letters from the
Federal Farmers
ADOPTION OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS
• To satisfy the States-Rights
advocates, a Bill of Rights
was added to the
Constitution to guarantee
individual rights
• The Bill of Rights was
ratified in December of
1791- three years after the
Constitution was ratified
First Ten Amendments
OLDEST LIVING CONSTITUTION
• The U.S. Constitution is the
oldest written national
constitution in the world
• Constitution- Supreme Law
of the Land
• Elastic Clause key to
flexibility
• Also ability to change, or
“amend” the Constitution
helps preserve it
• 27 Amendments have been
added