Background
King George III taxed American colonists to help pay for debt from
the French and Indian War
Stamp Act of 1765: tax on legal documents
Intolerable Acts: closing Boston Harbor & withdrawing right of Mass.
to govern themselves
First Continental Congress (Sept 1774): all colonies except Georgia
Delegates debate what to do about Great Britain
Second Continental Congress: after Lexington & Concord (April
1775) delegates gathered in Philadelphia an assumed power of central
gov’t (purchased supplies, negotiated treaties, rallied support)
Declaration of Independence
Congress created committee to draft declaration- T.
Jefferson picked to write due to strong writing skills
Some passages removed and editorial changes made
July 4, 1776: Congress approved draft & John Hancock first
to sign
Declaration considered revolutionary because no gov’t had
been founded on principles of human liberty and consent of
the governed
Won praise around the world & helped to influence French
revolution and modeled in Latin America
Parts of the Declaration
Part 1 (Intro)
Statement of purpose and basic human rights
Part 2 (Middle)
Specific complaints against George III
Each describes violation of political, economic and civil
liberties
Part 3 (Conclusion)
States determination to break from Great Britain
Note how efforts for a peaceful solution had failed so no
choice but to declare freedom
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Articles of Confederation
1777- committee appointed by Congress
presented a plan known as the Articles of
Confederation
States wanted a confederation (“league of
friendship”) among 13 independent states
rather than strong national government
By March 1781 all 13 states ratified Articles of
Confederation
Government Under the
Articles
Plan for central gov’t was unicameral (single-chamber)
Congress
No executive branch or President
One delegate per state was in the Committee of the Statesmanaged gov’t when Congress not assembled
No federal court system- Congress settled disputes
Each state had one vote in Congress- state selected and paid
representative
Powers of Congress
Congress only had powers expressed in Articles- mainly lawmaking
Powers included:
Make war and peace
Send and receive ambassadors
Enter into treaties
Raise and equip and navy
Maintain army by requesting troops from the states
Appoint senior military officers
Fix standards of weights and measures
Regulate Indian affairs
Establish post offices
Decide disputes among the states
Weaknesses of the Articles
Although gave Congress power, Articles created weak national gov’t
No state had intention of giving up sovereignty to central gov’t
No power to levy or collect taxes
Raised money only by borrowing or requesting $ from states
Each state collected taxes from citizens and turned money over to nat’l
treasury
Could not do anything if state refused to pay
No power to regulate trade
Economic disputes among states and trouble making business
arrangements with other countries resulted
Weaknesses of the Articles
Could not enforce anyone to follow laws or abide by Articles
Could only advise/request states comply
Needed approval of 9 out of 13 states
Usually only 9 or 10 states in Congress at any time- difficult to pass laws
Each state only had one vote
Amending or changing Article required consent of all states
No executive branch
No unity in policy making and coordinating work of different
committees
No national court system
Achievements of the Articles
Establishment of a fair policy for development of lands west of
Appalachians
Individual states yielded their claims to their territories
Northwest Ordinances of 1787
Territories owned by gov’t were to be developed for statehood on an
equal basis with older states
Peace treaty with Great Britain- 1783
Britain recognized American independence and land acquired enlarged
nation’s boundaries
Creation of Foreign Affairs, War, Marine & Treasury Department
Constitutional Convention
Created due to domestic issues with the economy
and differences among states about a variety of issues
Confederation Congress gave consent to hold
convention in Philadelphia “for the sole and express
purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation”
Began on May 25, 1878
Constitutional Convention
cont…
Delegates all had practical experience in politics as governors,
congressmen and signers of the Declaration and Articles of
Confederation
Great deal of leadership present
George Washington ensured people would trust convention’s
work
Ben Franklin played an active role in debates
James Madison known as ‘Father of the Constitution’ because
he was the author of the basic plan of government- notes he
took reveal a great deal about the convention’s work
Organization
George Washington unanimously chose to preside over the
meetings
Each state would have one vote on all questions
Majority of those states present would make decisions
No meeting could be held unless 7 out of 13 states present
Public and press kept out of the meetings to make it possible
for delegates to talk freely
Key Agreements
Originally came together to revise but ended up
creating new government
Agreed powers of national gov’t should be divided
among three branches
Agreed to strengthen national government
Ideas were proposed and decisions were made on
how to put these ideas into place
Division of the People
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Favored Constitution
Opposed Constitution
Led by many of the founders
Support from farmers & laborers
who feared strong nat’l
government
Support came from merchants &
others in city and costal regions
Argued w/o strong nat’l gov’t
anarchy would begin
Nat’l gov’t would protect from
enemies abroad and fix internal
problems
Also, Bill of Rights not need b/c 8
states already had one
Criticized Constitution for being
drafted in secrecy & taking
important powers from the state
Strongest argument: no Bill of
Rights – worried strong nat’l gov’t
would take away rights
Progress Toward Ratification
In order to gain support Federalists promised to add Bill of Rights
This helped and many small states began to ratify because please with equal
representation in Senate
Needed 9 of 13 states to ratify
Constitution went into full effect in June 1788 when New Hampshire
became 9th state to ratify
However, political debate lasted until May 1790 when Rhode Island finally
voted for approval
NYC chosen as temp capital, Washington elected pres, Adams elected VP
To fulfill promise, Madison introduced 12 amendments during 1st session of
Congress- became the 10 amendments of Bill of Rights
Questions to think about…
Should the Constitution have been ratified as it was
written in 1787?
What does your author say?
Does the Constitution need a Bill of Rights?
Does the Constitution give too much power to the national
government at the expense of the individual states?
If the 1787 Constitution was
presented today would it be
ratified?
What issues are the
same/different as in 1787?