Ideas About Government Ch. 7, section 1

1
Ideas About Government Ch. 7, section 1 186-191

• To form a new government, the American people
  drew on several sources
• Ancient Roman Republic Senators, Veto!
• Magna Carta The king must follow the rule of
  law like all other people.
• English Bill of Rights King or queen could not
  create new taxes or change laws w/o Parliaments
  approval.

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Ideas About Government

• Other sources that Americans drew on were
• Enlightenment writer John Locke who believed
  there is a social contract between the people
  and their government.
• It was the governments responsibility to protect
  the peoples unalienable rights.
• New England Town Meeting, Virginia House of
  Burgesses, and the Iroquois League

3
The State Constitutions

• During the American Revolution, every state wrote
  its own Constitution.
• Republicanism Citizens elect representatives
  that are responsible to the people.
• This created Limited Government leaders have to
  obey laws and no one has total power.

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The State Constitutions

• Many states expanded Suffrage voting rights.
• Suffrage examples
• Any white man who was a taxpaying citizen.
• Any white man who owned property.
• Seven of the first state constitutions gave
  voting rights to free African American men
• By the 1860s these rights had been taken away by
  high property or residency requirements.

5
Forming a Union

• During the Second Continental Congress, many
  members believed that a central government was
  necessary to hold the country together.
• In 1781 the Articles of Confederation was created
  and with it, a Confederation Congress.
• Each state was allowed one vote in the new
  central national government.

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Forming a Union

• The Confederation Congress had limited powers
• No president or court system
• Could make coins and borrow money
• Could settle conflicts between states
• Could ask states for money and soldiers
• Could not force states to give money or troops
  even during an emergency.

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The Northwest Territory

• The Confederation Congress had to decide what to
  do with its newly acquired western lands, and pay
  war debts.
• It created the Land Ordinance of 1785 sell this
  land to the public.
• Townships were created of 36 square miles.
• Each township was divided into 36 lots of 640
  acres each.
• One lot was saved for the public school.
• Four lots were saved for Revolutionary War
  veterans.
• The remaining lots were for sale to the public.

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The Northwest Territory
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The Northwest Territory

• There needed to be a political system for the
  western lands as well.
• Northwest Ordinance of 1787 This system helped
  to bring new states into the Union.
• The ordinance created the Northwest Territory
  which included the area that is now Ohio,
  Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin

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A Lack of Respect Section 2 194-199

• It was soon realized that the Articles of
  Confederation and the Confederation Congress were
  not very powerful.
• There was no army to protect the citizens.
• The British were not leaving their forts on the
  US side of the Great Lakes.
• Spain closed the lower Mississippi River to all
  US shipping.

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Trouble with Trade

• After the war, many British colonial ports would
  not allow US ships to trade.
• The British charged high tariffs on all US
  exports that they accepted.
• Tariffs Taxes on imports and exports.
• The Confederation Congress did not have the right
  to create tariffs on British goods.

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Economic Problems at Home

• After the war, most states had a hard time paying
  off war debts and collecting overdue taxes.
• Those problems led those states to print large
  amounts of money.
• The result was Inflation An increase in prices
  for goods and services while the value of money
  is reduced.
• The Confederation Congress did not have the power
  to stop states from printing paper money.

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Economic Problems at HomeExample of Inflation

• Money with Less Value

• Money with Value

• If a states bank had 16 ounces of gold, it
  should print only enough money that equals the
  value of that gold.
• 1 ounce 10.oo
• 16 ounces 160.00
• The state should only print 160.00 worth of
  paper money.

• If a states bank had 16 ounces of gold, it may
  print more money than the value of that gold.
• 1 ounce 10.00
• 16 ounces 160.00
• The state prints 320.00 worth of paper money so
  the gold is worth half its original value.

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Economic Problems at HomeDebtors vs. Creditors

• Debtors People who have borrowed money and are
  required to pay it back.
• Because of inflation, debtors could pay back
  their debts with money that was worth less than
  the coins they had borrowed.
• Creditors People who lend money.
• Because of inflation, creditors were being paid
  back with money that had a lesser value than the
  money they had lent.

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Economic Problems at Home

• Because of rising inflation and a lack of
  profitable trade with Britain, a depression set
  in.
• Depression A period of low economic activity
  combined with a rise in unemployment.

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Debt in Massachusetts

• Massachusetts refused to print money and instead
  tried to pay its war debt by creating a property
  tax.
• Farmers were the primary landowners and in most
  cases could not pay the taxes.
• The states courts began to
• Foreclose on the farms
• Put farmers in Debtors Prison
• Some farmers had to become indentured servants in
  order to pay their debts.

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Shays Rebellion

• In 1786, Daniel Shays a poor farmer and
  Revolutionary War veteran, led angry citizens in
  a revolt in which many Massachusetts court houses
  were closed down.
• Why? They reasoned that if the courts couldnt
  operate, farms and homes couldnt be foreclosed.

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Shays Rebellion

• In early 1787 Shays forces tried to steal the
  weapons from the Springfield Armory.
• In a short battle, state troops defeated Shays
  forces
• Shortly afterwards most of Shays forces
  surrendered or had been arrested.
• 14 leaders were sentenced to death.
• Soon the state let everyone else go including
  Shays , because the state understood the rebels
  motives.

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The Constitutional Convention Section 3 200-205

• In May, 1787 the Constitutional Convention was
  held in Philadelphia.
• 12 states sent a total of 55 delegates.
• Rhode Island refused to participate.
• Goal To discuss ways to improve the Articles of
  Confederation.

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The Great Compromise

• The states had different agendas based on their
  individual wants and/or needs.
• For example
• Number of representatives for each state.
• Slavery
• Tariffs
• How strong to make the national government.

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The Great Compromise

• After four days of discussion, James Madisons
  Virginia Plan was presented to the congress.
• Virginia Plan or Large State Plan
• Give supreme power to the central government.
• Divide the national government into the
  executive, judicial, and legislative branches.
• The legislative branch would be bicameral two
  houses.
• The number of representatives that each state
  could send to the legislature would be based on
  the states population.
• Larger states would have more power than smaller
  ones.

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The Great Compromise

• After a couple of weeks of debate, William
  Patterson presented the New Jersey Plan.
• New Jersey or Small State Plan
• Have a unicameral or one-house legislature.
• Each state would have an equal number of votes.
• The national government should have the power to
  tax all citizens in all states.
• Allow the national government to regulate
  commerce.
• Smaller states would have just as much power as
  larger ones.

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The Great Compromise

• After another month of discussion and debate, a
  committee was formed and proposed an agreement in
  which each side gave up some of their demands so
  the other demands could be met.
• Result of the Great Compromise
• Every state, regardless of its population would
  have an equal vote in the upper house (senators).
• Every state would have a certain number of
  representatives in the lower house based on
  population
• (Congressmen).

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The Three-Fifths Compromise

• The debate over representation continued.
• Southern states wanted slaves counted as part of
  their populations.
• By having this, they would qualify for more
  representatives in Congress.
• Northern states only wanted slaves to be counted
  for the purpose of taxation.
• In the end, they agreed to count three-fifths of
  a states slave population in order to determine
  the correct number in the lower house and for
  taxation.

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The Three-Fifths Compromise
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Our living Constitution

• Most of the convention delegates agreed that a
  strong central government was needed to replace
  the Articles of Confederation, but
• They wanted to protect Popular Sovereignty
  political authority belongs to the people.
• Also, they wanted the power to be shared between
  the central government and the states, so
• The delegates looked to Federalism the sharing
  of power between the central government and the
  states.

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A Delicate Balance

• The federal government has three branches
• Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
• Legislative this is Congress and is made up of
  two houses. Congress makes the laws that we live
  by.
• Upper Houses United States Senate two
  senators represent each state.
• Lower House United States House of
  Representatives the number of congressmen is
  determined by each states population.

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A Delicate Balance

• Executive this is the president and the
  departments that help to run the government. This
  branch makes sure that the laws are carried out.

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A Delicate Balance

• Judicial This branch is the national courts
  with the US Supreme Court being the highest.
  This branch is responsible for interpreting laws,
  punishing criminals and settling disputes between
  states.

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A Delicate Balance
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A Delicate Balance

• A system of checks and balances was created to
  prevent any branch from becoming to powerful.

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Federalists and Antifederalists Section 4
206-211

• When the Constitution was made public the
  American people began to debate.
• Antifederalists people who opposed the
  Constitution because they felt it gave too much
  power to the central government and did not
  include a Bill of Rights.
• Federalists people who supported the
  Constitution because they felt it showed a good
  balance of power and was a compromise between
  many political views.

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Federalists and Antifederalists
34
The Federalist Papers

• Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
  wrote essays to the American public called the
  Federalist Papers. The purpose of these essays
  was to inform the American public that
• The new federal government would not overpower
  the states.
• Because there were so many different points of
  view within the American public, no single group
  could ever control the government.
• The Articles of Confederation was not complete
  enough to protect our country.

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The Ratification Fight

• For the Constitution to be ratified (accepted and
  put into practice), 9 of the 13 states needed to
  approve it.
• Each state except RI held state conventions to
  give citizens the chance to discuss and vote on
  the Constitution.
• Both Federalists and Antifederalists voiced their
  opinions.
• In 1787, Delaware was the first state to ratify
  the Constitution.
• In 1790, Rhode Island was the last state to
  ratify.

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Demanding a Bill of Rights

• Several states agreed to ratify the Constitution
  if a bill of rights was added.
• Many Federalists felt that a bill of rights was
  not necessary, but they knew that certain states
  were counting on it.
• Once a bill of rights was created, it would be
  added to the Constitution as amendments
  official changes, corrections, or additions.
• Article 5 of the Constitution allows for
  amendments.

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Demanding a Bill of Rights

• To create a list of possible amendments the
  legislators drew ideas from
• state ratifying conventions
• Virginia Declaration of Rights
• Declaration of Independence
• Abuses by Great Britain as listed in the DOI were
  made illegal under the new government.
• By the end of 1791, the states ratified the first
  10 amendments.
• These first 10 amendments are known as the Bill
  of Rights.