The U.S. Constitution Guided Notes
How was it formed?
• The first national government was the
•
First official U.S. “President” was
•
Followed by
– Elias Boudinot
– Thomas Mifflin
– Richard Henry Lee
–
– Nathan Gorman
– Arthur Saint Clair
– Cyrus Griffin
•
Each President served a
•
What was wrong with the AoC?
and held little power
– It created a
of Independent states
– Allowed for a
legislature
– There were no executive or judicial branch
– Only states could
– Every state could coin money
– No regulation of
between states
– Most power was held by
From the AoC to the Constitution
• Shays’ Rebellion showed the discontent with the AoC.
•
In 1787, Congress approved a
to create a new document to replace the
AoC.
•
was held in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania
State House, where the Declaration of Independence was
.
Constitutional Convention
• Began on
•
George Washington unanimously voted
•
Rules that were set for the convention:
– All
.
about the Constitution were to be kept
– All discussions were to be kept
– All notes were to be
– Doors and windows were to be kept
in the
during session
–
was NOT allowed
Constitutional Convention Continued
Two Plans
•
Plan
•
– James Madison’s plan
–
government
with
New Jersey Plan
– Proposed by William Paterson
–
branches
legislature
– Two house
– Each state would have
– People would vote on house
representation
members
–
would
on Senators
– Seats in legislature would depend on
state
The Great Compromise
• Proposed by Roger Sherman
•
Included a
•
Representatives in the house would be
•
Was approved by the delegates by a very small margin
•
Constitution is now known as the
house (
) legislature
by
What did this new document provide?
• Popular Sovereignty (
) – Idea that the authority of
government is created and sustained by the consent of its people
•
Limited Government –
government, by law, to intervene in the civil
liberties (personal rights) you are given.
•
Federalism - Divided powers between
and the
government.
•
Separation of Powers – Divided gov’t powers between the legislative,
, and
executive branch.
•
Checks & Balances – Gave each branch of gov’t a way to limit the
of the
other branches.
A New Government
• After many opposing views and compromises, a new document was created.
•
The convention drew to a close and the document was signed on
•
The delegates to the convention are also known as “
because they had framed and shaped our type of government.
”–
•
The document allowed for
to be made as government grew.
Opposing Views During Ratification
In order to go into effect, the Constitution had to be
by at least nine states.
The Federalists
• Supported the
.
•
Approved a
•
They argued that a strong federal gov’t could provide protection, maintain order,
, federal/national government
and
•
,
the rights of citizens.
They also liked that it would make sure that the nation’s
American money remained
The Anti-Federalists
•
were paid and that
both local and abroad
the ratification of the Constitution.
•
Feared that a strong federal gov’t would endanger people’s
•
“Necessary & Proper” – This saying in the Constitution scared the Anti-Federalists because it gave
Congress power to produce any
.
that it deemed was
for
the public.
•
was left out of the Constitution – They
Did not like that a
feared that the national government would not
Opposing View Points in Writing
The Anti-Federalists Papers
• A collection of
the rights of citizens.
developed and produced for the public to oppose the
ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
•
Many were written under
•
Anti-Federalists:
– Patrick Henry
– Richard Henry Lee
The Federalist Papers
• A collection of essays written as a
•
.
to the Anti-Federalists papers.
Stated strengths of the Constitution and claimed that without a strong national gov’t, America would be
at a greater risk for other countries
•
them.
Federalist Paper Writers
– James Madison
– Alexander Hamilton
– John Jay
Ratification
• The Federalists agreed to
a Bill of Rights be added to the Constitution.
– This encouraged the anti-federalists to ratify the Constitution.
– Ratified in June of
– By spring of 1790 all 13 states had ratified the Constitution. With Virginia passing it by
votes and New York passing it by
votes.
Why was the Constitution created to be altered and amended?
• Governmental needs change overtime.
•
Changes to the Constitution would occur in the form of
•
Since the ratification, there have been
.
amendments made to the Constitution,
including the first ten (The Bill of Rights).
How Was the Document Organized?
• The
to the Constitution states the goals of our government.
– To Form a More Perfect Union = The Framers were seeking a
than what was established under the AoC. They wanted to
the 13 states
under an effective national government.
– Establish Justice = Settling
between individuals, individual and gov’t,
and between the national government and state governments.
– Insure Domestic Tranquility = Our gov’t tries to establish a
were people are protected from unlawful acts of others.
– Provide for the Common Defense = Gov’t seeks to protect citizens from the
of other
.
– Promote the General Welfare = Gov’t tries to create
that
will benefit all American citizens.
– Secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and our Posterity = Gov’t seeks to give people
the freedom to choose where they
,
, what they
, and who represents them in gov’t. However, our liberties should
with the rights of others. Gov’t protects the liberties of all
not
citizens, current and
American citizens.
Divided into Seven Articles
– Article One – The
– Outlines powers and organization of
Branch
– Article Two – The
– Gave powers to
– Article Three – The
Branch
individual, the President
Branch
– Framers set up a
that neither Congress or the
President controlled
– Article Four – The
– States rights and
– Article Five –
the laws of other states
the Constitution
– Included instructions for making amendments
– Article Six – The
– Makes the Constitution the
of the Constitution
of the land
– Article Seven –
– Established the
for ratifying the Const.