The U.S. Constitution
Unit II
• During the Revolutionary Era, most Americans
identified with their local communities rather
than with the American nation.
• “Pennsylvanian, New Englander, Virginian”
• “These united States”
• As a result of the Revolution, more people
(men) began to participate in elections and by
serving on governing bodies.
• In Britain were two major political parties: Whigs
and Tories.
• Tories believed that colonial legislatures existed
to serve the crown.
• Whigs believed that power must be kept in the
hands of the aristocrats. (colonial elites wanted
power)
• These parties both had followers in the colonies.
• Farmers, artisans challenged this and were more
democratic.
State Governments
• As the states began to write their constitutions,
they adopted different forms of government.
• Pennsylvania adopted a “radical democracy”. All
free male taxpayers could vote, no governor.
• New York adopted the middle of the road
position. Property ownership required to serve in
the upper house & governor. Governor’s power
was limited.
• Maryland took the conservative position and
required property ownership to vote and had a
powerful governor.
Precedent to the Bill of Rights
• Virginia Declaration of Rights – June 1776
– All men created equal, life, liberty, property,
people are sovereign, right to abolish government,
due process, trial by jury, press, free exercise of
religion.
Jefferson
• Eliminate the law of
“entail” or
“primogeniture”
• Move toward
democracy in property
ownership.
• Religious freedom
• Great Awakening
caused new sects to
start.
• Wanted to be rid of
STATE or “established”
churches
Getting ideas….Thinking!
• If all men are created
equal and have
rights….why not women,
too!
• They had helped with the
Revolution.
• Abigail Adams
• The Revolution changed
expectations for women,
but they really gained no
new rights.
Getting ideas…Thinking!
• As a result of the ideas spread in
the American Revolution, some
people freed their slaves.
• The population of free African
Americans grew.
• Some adopted “gradual
emancipation” in which children
of slaves would be freed at birth.
• Again, the Revolution did not do
much to improve the condition of
African Americans, but it raised
their expectations for liberty and
equality.
Shays’ Rebellion
• Bankers were foreclosing on
the loans of farmers to pay
back wealthy businessmen.
Farmers were losing their
land.
• Daniel Shays led an uprising
in Massachusetts.
• This caused the people with
wealth and power to fear
popular uprisings.
• Some saw a need for a
strong central government
to put down insurrections.
Post Revolution Economy
• The states owed a lot of money they had
borrowed to pay for the war.
• The economy was in a bad recession.
• States passed laws requiring taxes to be paid in
“hard currency.”
• Some states passed trade restrictions, but traders
just went to states without the restrictions.
• People began to see a need for national laws with
national enforcement.
Annapolis Convention 1786
• Called for a convention of the states to change
the Articles of Confederation to address the
problems.
• They said they were just going to “revise” the
Articles of Confederation.
The Constitutional Convention
• They met in Philadelphia.
• Most of the delegates were educated men:
political leaders, army officers, slave owners,
land speculators, and merchants.
• No ordinary farmers or artisans were present.
• The delegates feared ordinary people and too
much democracy.
The Constitutional Convention
• George Washington was
selected to chair the
convention.
• The sessions were to be
held in secret.
• It quickly changed its
purpose from revising
the Articles to
completely re-drafting a
completely new
constitution.
The Constitutional Convention
• The Virginia Plan – would give the central
government the power to tax the people directly
and to enforce the tax directly, cutting out the
states.
• Two House Legislature:
– House – chosen by popular vote
– Senate – chosen by the state legislatures
Appointed chief executive
Power to veto both state and national legislation.
The Constitutional Convention
• The New Jersey Plan
• One house (unicameral)
Congress
• Equal representation for
all states.
The Great Compromise
• House of Representatives based on population
• Senate with equal representation from each state
• For every 5 slaves, only 3 would count to
determine population for representation
purposed. (3/5 Rule or 3/5 Compromise)
• No restrictions on the importation of slaves for 20
years.
• Executive elected by an electoral college,
executive with veto power over lelgislation
The Constitution
• Sought to limit power from being
concentrated by establishing a system of
checks and balances.
– 3 branches
– Federalism – national, state, local governments
The Constitution
• Nine of the 12 states needed to ratify.
• It was close in several states: New York,
Virginia, Massachusetts.
• North Carolina and Rhode Island rejected it.
The Constitution
Federalists supported ratification.
• They said the size of the U.S. was an advantage
because the interests would be so diverse that no
single faction could dominate.
• Merchants, manufacturers, large landowners,
professionals made up 54% of federalists.
• Federalists tended to be concentrated in the
cities.
• “The Federalist” papers – to persuade people to
ratify.
The Constitution
Antifederalists opposed ratification.
• They said the Constitution helped the rich at the
expense of the people.
• They said the central government had too much power.
• They argued that states and communities would lose
sovereignty.
• They believed it would lead to a loss of rights.
• They were primarily farmers and rural.
• “The Anti-federalist” Papers were written to persuade
people to vote no.
Bill of Rights
• In order to get some states to agree to ratify
the Constitution, the delegates agreed to draft
a Bill of Rights, adopted in 1791, to guarantee
individual liberties and to restrain the central
government’s power even more.
Bill of Rights
•
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•
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Press
Religion
Speech
Assembly
Petition
No Quartering
Arms
Due process
No double jeopardy
• The Bill of Rights was to
be a restraining
influence on the growth
of government.