Chapter 5: Shaping a New Nation
 Fighting the war gave the states a common goal
 Reluctant about a strong central government
Shaping a New Nation
 Predict:
 What challenges might a new nation face?
 What might colonists want from a new
government?
 How much power will the government receive?
 Who might be left out of the new government?
Choosing a form of Government
 Democracy:
 Government directly by the people
 Republic:
 Government where citizens rule through their
elected representatives
 Why didn’t Americans create a democracy?
 Placed power in the hands of uneducated
masses
 Republican govt: put power in the hands of
capable leaders
State Constitutions
 Similarties:
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Limited the powers of government leaders
Guaranteed specific rights for citizens
Liberty over equality
All reflected a fear of Strong Central Government
 Differences:
 Right to vote
Continental Congress
 Met to try and draft a constitution for the states
as a whole
 Very difficult because of disagreement in the role
of Congress
Representation
 States were unequal in land, wealth &
population
 Each state allowed one vote regardless of
population
Power
 Most people assumed government could not
share power
 Congress proposed a new government in the
Articles of Confederation
 Confederation or alliance
 Both State & National government shared power
 State govt. was supreme in some cases &
National in others
Articles of Confederation
 Powers:
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Declare war
make peace
sign treaties
borrow $
establish a postal service
deal with Natives
Articles of Confederation
 Weaknesses:
 Created a unilateral (one house) Congress
 Each state only received 1 vote
 Did not create an executive dept. to enforce acts of
Congress
 No national court system to decide meaning of laws
 Unable to pass taxes
 No power over states
 No ability to raise an army
 No power over interstate commerce
Shays’ Rebellion 1786-87
 Movement led by Daniel Shay’s in western MA
 Shays & other poor farmers couldn’t pay their
debt in the required hard currency
 Government refused appeals for help 
movement turns violent
 January 1787- Shays & others shut down
courthouse
 Led people to question the strength of national
government
Annapolis Convention
September 1786
 After Shay’s Rebellion - it was time to talk about a stronger national
government
 Meeting called to discuss Articles, weaknesses & what can be done
 Convened as private citizens
 Only 5 states showed & 12 individuals
 James Madison & Alexander Hamilton included
 Nothing is accomplished
 Another meeting is called
Homework
Use your notes & pages 132-133
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1. Why didn’t American create a democracy?
2. What is a republic?
3. What were the Articles of Confederation?
4. List 8 Weaknesses of the Articles.
5. Who was Daniel Shays?
6. Describe Shays Rebellion.
The Constitutional
Convention
May 25, 1787
Philadelphia
Constitutional Convention
 Sanction of Congress- invited all 13 States
 12 States send delegates (55 in all)
 Rhode Island doesn’t show
 Sam Adams & Patrick Henry are no shows - they
each fear strong central government
 PURPOSE: to revise the Articles of
Confederation
 Delegates want to scrap articles & start from
scratch
Convention
 Two important decisions are made
 1. Elect George Washington to presiding officer of
convention
 2. Deliberations were held in secret
 No leaks to press, No talking
 Don’t want to upset public , no outside influence
Convention Issues
 1. Large vs. Small States
 2. Weak or Strong Central Government
 3. Slavery
Issue #1: Large vs. Small State
 Problem #1 - How should each state be
represented in government?
Suggested Solutions to Problem
#1
 The Virginia Plan
 James Madison drew up the plan
 He suggested that Congress be a bicameral , or two
house, legislature
 Made up of the House of Representatives and the
Senate
 Representation in the House of Representatives
would be based on the population of the state
Virginia Plan
 Voters would elect members to the House
 Representatives in the House would select members of
the Senate
 Both houses would vote for the president and judges
 Congress would have power to override state laws
and make laws for the states
 Heavily populated stated favored the plan, less
populated states rejected it
Suggested Solutions to Problem
#1
 The New Jersey Plan
 William Paterson drew up the plan
 He suggested that Congress be a single house
legislature
 All states would be represented by equally in
Congress
 State legislatures, not the people, would elect
members of Congress
 Less populated states favored the plan
The Solution to Problem #1
 The Great Compromise
 Roger Sherman of Connecticut drew up the plan
 The structure of Congress was determined,
Congress would consist of two houses
 Senate (upper house)
 House of Representatives (lower house)
Solution to Problem #1
 The House of Representatives
 States would be represented in the House
according to their population size
 The people would elect their Representatives
 The Senate
 States would be represented equally in the
Senate
 State legislatures would choose Senators
 Representatives & Senators would each have
Problem #2: How to Count slaves
in the population of each state
 Suggestions:
 Southern Suggestion-Count slaves for
population, but not for taxation
 Northern Suggestion- Count slaves for both
representation and population or not at all
The Solution to Problem #2
 The Three-Fifths Compromise
 3/5ths of the slaves would be counted as
population
 Southern states wanted to resume importing
slaves
 Congress could not prohibit the slave trade for
twenty years or until 1808
 James Madison felt it should be addressed in the
Constitution
Problem #3- Who should have
power in the new government?
 Sovereignty: The source of a governments
power or authority
 Solution- The new system of government was a
form of federalism- divided power between the
national & state government
 This division created a balance of power
Problem # 3 - Who should have the
power in the new government?
 Solution #2
 Separation of Powers
 Create 3 branches of
government and give each
branch a specific job
Branches
 The ____________ Branch - Congress
 Job is to make laws
 The ______________ Branch- President
 Job: to execute or carry out the laws
 Elected by the electoral college
 The ____________ Branch- Supreme Court
 Job: interpret laws and declare laws & presidential actions
unconstitutional
 Prevent any branch from becoming too powerful a system
of __________________ was established
Homework pgs. 137-141
 1. Define ratification
 2. How many states were needed to ratify the
Constitution?
 3. What name was taken by those who supported the
Constitution?
 4. What name was taken by those who opposed the
Constitution?
 5. What were the arguments of anti-federalists?
 6. What were the federalist papers? What was their
message?
 7. What is a Bill of Rights?
Ratification
 Official approval by the people of the United
States
 How many states were needed to ratify the
Constitution?
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The Constitution
 What name was taken by those who supported
the Constitution?
 Federalists
 Define Federalist
 People who favored the balance of government
between the state and national govt.
 What name was taken by those who opposed
the constitution?
 Anti-federalists
Anti-Federalist- Arguments
 Feared a strong central govt; argued it would
abuse its power
 Believed the National Govt would serve interest
of privileged minority (wealthy) & ignore the
majority (poor)
 Believed single govt. could not manage the
affairs of the entire country
 Believed Constitution lacked Individual rights
Federalist Papers
 What were the Federalist Papers?
 Series of 85 essays defending the Constitution
 Published under the name “Publius”
 Written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James
Madison
 What was their message?
 Explained the protections offered by the Division
of Powers and the Separation of Powers
Bill of Rights
 What is a bill of rights?
 A formal summary of a citizen’s rights and
freedoms
 Did not appear in the Constitution
 The federalists accepted ideas for amendments
 They promised that if the states ratified the
Constitution a Bill of Rights would be added
Conclusion
 Constitution became the law of the land in 1789
 Bill of Rights were passed in Sept. 1789 &
ratified December 1791