APUSH Exam Review
Session II
(1787-1860)
The Constitutional Period
Session II (1787-1860)
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation:
 No power to tax and was limited to requesting funding
from state govts.
 While the Confederation Congress (CC) could make laws,
it had no power to enforce its decisions.
 The CC could not regulate trade between the states,
many of which were creating international tensions with
their different policies.
 There was no national court to settle differences like
interstate commerce and boundary disputes over
western territories.
 The CC could not raise an army and relied on the states
for a militia for national defense.
Session II (1787-1860)
Accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation:
 Winning the Revolutionary War – especially successful
with diplomacy.
 Land Ordinance (1785) & Northwest Ordinance (1787)
 Established public policy for western lands
 Established policy for setting aside one section of land in each
township for public education
 Established laws that set rules for creating new states.
*When requirements were met for statehood, new states were
admitted as equals into the American Republic.
Session II (1787-1860)
State Constitutions – The experiments of the new American
states in constitution making provided invaluable experience
that would later influence the formation of the US
Constitution. Six principles found in these documents were:
1. Higher Law & Natural Rights
2. Social Contract
3. Popular Sovereignty
4. Representative Government & Right to Vote
5. Legislative Supremacy
6. Separation of Power between legislative, executive, and
judicial branches.
Session II (1787-1860)
The Model from Massachusetts:
 Written in 1780 by John Adams
 Made extensive use of separations of powers and
checks & balances
 Governor to be elected by the people
Had power to veto laws passed by the legislature
Appoint officials to executive branch and judges in
the judicial branch
*The Massachusetts state constitution expressed
the classical republican ideal of mixed
government as a means to prevent the abuse of
power by any member or group in government.
Session II (1787-1860)
Post War Problems:
 Post-war economic recession and reorganization outside
the British system.
 Reluctance by some states to address their state debts
and financial obligations. (war debts, Loyalists
settlements, prewar debts to Britain)
*Because of this, Britain will maintain forts along
the western frontier.
 Lack of uniformity and standardization in interstate
trade.
 Increasingly volatile foreign trade.
 Increasing importance of New Orleans.
Session II (1787-1860)
The Road to the Constitutional Convention:
1786 – Annapolis Convention (Reps from 5 states met to
discuss conflicts between the states over trade &
boundary disputes. Call for a meeting the following
year in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of
Confederation.)
1786 – Shays’s Rebellion (Rebellion by farmers in
Massachusetts protesting state taxes. The national
govt has no power to quell this rebellion.)
1787 – Federal Convention (55 delegates from 12 states
met in Philadelphia to revise the AofC.)
Session II (1787-1860)
Highlights from the Constitutional Convention:
 Debate over representation in the national legislature
 The Virginia Plan – generally favored by states with large
populations
 The New Jersey Plan – favored by states with small
populations
 The Connecticut or Great Compromise – created a bicameral
legislature with representation in the lower House based on
population and elected directly by the peopole; and the
upper chamber (Senate) based on equal representation.
Senators to be elected by state legislatures.
• All bills for taxing and government spending would originate in the
House of Representatives. Direct taxes were to be assigned and
divided (apportioned) among the states by population.
Session II (1787-1860)
The Compromise over Slavery:
 A number of slave states threatened not to ratify the
new Constitution if there were any attempt to interfere
with slavery.
 The Three-Fifths Compromise was agreed to where by
every five slaves would constitute three people when the
state’s apportionment to the House of Reps was
determined.
 The importation of slaves would continue for 20 years.
In 1808, the importation of slaves was set to be
abolished.
 An agreement provided for the return of runaway slaves.
Session II (1787-1860)
Post War Political Situation:
Articles of Confederation (1777-1789)
 First written constitution for the United States
 Reflected the prevailing fear of abuse from a distant,
strong central government
 AofC created a weak national government with a
unicameral legislature, no executive or judicial
branches
 In this unicameral legislature, each state would have
one vote and a unanimous vote was required to pass
legislation
 The most important powers were retained by the
states
Session II (1787-1860)
The New Executive Branch:
 Many feared the creation of a strong executive.
 The new president was to be elected for four-year
terms.
 Citizens would not vote directly for the president (FF
fear of too much democracy might lead to mob rule).
Voter will would be expressed by an Electoral College,
which would act as an insulating layer between the
people and the president.
The Judicial Branch:
 To better ensure an independent federal judiciary,
judges were to be appointed for life by the president
and confirmed by the Senate.
Session II (1787-1860)
Amending the New Constitution:
Wanting to make it difficult, but not impossible, the
new Constitution provided for the following
Amendment process:
 Amendments are proposed by two-thirds of
Congress or by a special convention called by
two-thirds of the state legislatures.
 Amendments must then be ratified by threefourths of the states acting through their state
legislatures or via a special state convention.
Session II (1787-1860)
The Ratification Debate: Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Anti-Federalists: The new Constitution…
 gave too much power to the national govt at the expense of
state govts;
 gave too much power to the executive branch, which would be
a potential threat to the republic;
 did not adequately separate the powers of the executive and
legislative branches
 allowed for the national govt to keep an army during peace
time and the executive was to be the commander-in-chief;
 made no provision for a bill of rights.
Session II (1787-1860)
The Ratification Debate: Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
The campaign for ratification in New York was the focal
point for Federalist forces:
 Federalist advocates Alexander Hamilton, James Madison,
and John Jay wrote a series of essays published in the NY
newspapers. These Federalist Papers became the most
important defense of the Constitution.
 Federalists were able to convince enough people to support
the Constitution with these arguments:
 the organization of the new federal govt would prevent abuse and
tyranny via a complicated system of representation, checks and
balances, and the separation of powers
 The representation of different interests in the govt would protect
basic rights: House of Reps – local interests, Senate – state interests,
Executive – national interests, Judicial – fundamental ineterests
 Federalists ultimately agree to a Bill of Rights to ensure ratification
of the Constitution.
Session II (1787-1860)
Washington Administration:
 George Washington elected president in 1789
 Congress created three executive departments to aid
and advise the new president:
Secretary of the Treasury - Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of State – Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of War – Henry Knox
Attorney General – Edmund Randolph
 Washington appointed John Jay as the nation’s first
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Session II (1787-1860)
Hamilton’s Financial Plans:
In his 1790 Report on the Public Credit, Hamilton wanted to:
 pay off the national debt and have the Federal Government
assume the debts of the states
 he proposed offering the holders of this debts new govt securities
that would pay interest payments of 4%
 this “funded” debt would be paid for with import tariffs
 Hamilton’s hope was that wealthy American/foreign investors
would buy up the federally backed securities and have a vested
interest in the political future of the nation
*To accomplish this, Hamilton compromised with Jefferson &
Madison, the emerging leaders of the faction opposing Hamilton’s
plans, on the location of the federal capital. (New York >
Philadelphia > Washington, DC)
Session II (1787-1860)
Hamilton’s Financial Plans:
 Hamilton proposed a tariff to protect fledgling US
industries; rates were raised only slightly after the
House, led by Madison, feared Euro retaliation against
Southern exports.
 Hamilton advocated for the creation of a National Bank
modeled on the Bank of England.
 Hamilton’s Report on Manufacturers called for additional
customs duties, an excise or “sin” tax on distilled liquors,
the rapid sale of western lands, and federal stimulus of
domestic industrial production via tax subsidies and tax
breaks.