Forming the Constitution

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Forming the Constitution
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Civics and Economics Goals

• 1.05 Identify the major domestic problems of the
  nation under the Articles of Confederation and
  assess the extent to which they were resolved by
  the new Constitution.

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WEAKNESS OF A NEW NATION

• Constitution document that lays out the laws
  and principles of a government.
• Colonies became individual states and drafted
  separate constitutions
• Articles of Confederation (AOC)
• Set up by Congress to attempt a form of national
  government.

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ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

• AOC was set up under a system of cooperation, or
  league of friendship.
• Set up a one-house legislation known as the
  Confederation Congress
• Only government body with control over an army
  and authority to deal with foreign countries on
  behalf of the states
• The colonists refused to give power to the
  confederation in fear of a powerful central
  government.
• In order for any law to be passed by Congress at
  least 9 of the 13 states had to agree.
• Differences among the states made it difficult to
  agree

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WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
LACK OF POWER AND MONEY
Congress had no power to collect taxes
Congress had no power to regulate trade
Congress had no power to enforce its laws
LACK OF CENTRAL POWER
No single leader or group directed government policy
No national court system existed
RULES TOO RIGID
Congress could not pass laws without the approval of 9 states
The Articles could not be changed without the agreement of all 13 states
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AOCS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Ordinance of 1785
• Divided the land into townships and allowed
  Congress to raise money by selling the land to
  settlers.
• Northwest Ordinance
• Laid the basis for the organization of new
  territorial governments and set a precedent for
  the method of admitting new states to the Union.
  Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin

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INDIVIDUAL STATES

• Virginia Plan - Edmond Randolph and James Madison
  proposed a government made up of three branches,
  Executive, Judicial, and Legislative. The
  Legislation called for two house with
  representatives from each state based on
  population. This was popular with the bigger
  states but not the smaller ones who thought there
  would be less representation for their state
  (Montesquieu)
• NEW JERSEY PLAN also called for three branches
  of government, but only one house of legislation
  with equal representation for each state no
  matter the size of population.

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THE COMPROMISES OF THE CONSTITUTION

• The Great Compromise (Connecticut Plan)
• A compromise for the issue of the Legislation
  branch, there would be two houses for the
  legislation branch.
• House of Representatives directly elected by the
  people and each state granted a number of seats
  based on population.
• The Senate elected by state legislatures with
  each state having two senators, regardless of
  population
• Together both houses would comprise CONGRESS
• 3/5 Compromise
• Southern states having WAY more slaves than the
  Northern States wanted to include their slaves as
  part of the population. The North did not want
  slaves counted as it would effect the number of
  representatives in Congress. Compromise ? for
  every 5 slaves, the states would count 3 people.
• Slave Trade and Commerce Compromise
• - The North who opposed the slave trade agreed
  to allow the slave trade to continue for 20 more
  years, after which Congress could impose
  regulations. Important to southerners who
  insisted that their economy could not survive
  without the slave trade.

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THE COMPROMISES OF THE CONSTITUTION

• Electoral College
• The constitution would create an Executive Branch
  with an established office of President of the
  United States as head of the branch. It was not
  practical for every citizen to vote for this
  national office. The President would be chosen by
  electors to the Electoral College (sole purpose
  is to elect the President every four years) If no
  majority can be reached by the Electoral College,
  then the election is decided by the House of
  Representatives (1800 and 1824)
• Bill of Rights
• - The constitution would not be ratified WITHOUT
  the approval of a number of Amendments protecting
  Civil Liberties. North Carolina and Rhode Island
  held off until these amendments had actually been
  submitted to Congress. The first order of
  business in Congress in 1789 was the pass the
  amendments. Consists of the first ten amendments
  (additions) to the constitution and stems from
  the principles for which the American Revolution
  was fought.

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SHAYS REBELLION

• Started by an outraged War Veteran over
• TAXES!!
• Economic depression hits the states after the war
• Many states in debt needed to pay for the war
• Massachusetts raises taxes
• Only individual states could raise taxes
• Daniel Shay starts a small rebellion that
  threatened the state of Massachusetts
• Showed the founders of government that a stronger
  central government was needed