Forming a Government

Section One - The Articles of Confederation

Ideas about Government

• Constitution - a set of basic ideas and laws that state the powers and duties of the government

The State Constitutions

• Republic - a government responsible to the people
• Suffrage - voting rights

Forming a Union

• Articles of Confederation - First constitution for the federal (national) government
• Federal government was created to be very weak on purpose because the colonies had a tough time under the power of a king.
• Problems with the Articles of Confederation - too weak; no executive branch, no judicial branch, no taxes

The Northwest Territory

• Land Ordinance of 1785 - creates a system to sell land in square plots in the west to make money for the government
• Northwest Ordinance of 1787 - sets up a system for territories to become states; must have 60,000 people to become a state

Section Two - Problems in the New Nation

A Lack of Respect

• Without an army, the government found it hard to protect citizens
• Tariff - taxes on foreign goods; the government under the Articles of Confederation couldn't pass tariffs
• Inflation - increase in prices for goods
• Debtors - people who owe money

Shays' Rebellion

• Daniel Shays - lead a farmer revolt who burn banks and shut down courts to get rid of their debt records
• Illegal, but the government under the Articles of Confederation is too weak to react effectively
• Causes Americans to call for a new, stronger federal constitution and government

Section Three - The Constitution

The Constitutional Convention

• Constitutional Convention (1787) - held in Philadelphia, PA
• James Madison - took notes during the Constitutional Convention

The Great Compromise

• Virgina (Large State) Plan - three branch government; two house legislature with the number of representatives from each state to be based on the state's population. Thus, large states would always have more power than small states
• New Jersey (Small State) Plan - three branch government; one house legislature with each state getting one vote
• Great Compromise - Three branch government; two house legislature with each state getting two votes in the upper house (Senate) and the lower house's representation would be based on the population of the state (House o Representatives)

The Three-Fifths Compromise

• Southern states said that they were going to count slaves in the population of their states to get more votes in the House of Representatives
• North objected to slaves counting at all
• Three-Fifths Compromise - all slaves will count as three-fifths of a person for population counts

Our Living Consitution

• Popular Sovreignty - idea that political power belogs to the people
• Federalism - sharing of political power between the federal govt. and state govts.

A Delicate Balance

• The Constitution balnces government powers between three branches
• Legislative Branch - makes laws; consists of Senate (two senators per state) and House of Representatives (number of represtatives for each state is based on population)
• Executive Branch - enforces the laws; headed by the president
• Judicial Branch - interprets the laws, punishes criminals, and settles disputes
• Checks and Balances - system where each branch can control the power of the others so that no one branch gets to be too powerful

Section Four - Ratification of the Constitution

Federalists and Antifederalists

• Antifederalists - people who opposed the Constitution because they thought the new government would have too much power; wanted the Constitution to have a bill of rights to protect the rights of citizens
• Federalists - Those who felt the United States needed a stronger federal governemtn and backed the new Constitution

The Ratification Fight

• Ratification - 9 of the 13 states had to ratify (approve of) the Constitution before it would take effect
• All states had ratified it by May 1790

Demanding a Bill of Rights

• Several states ratified the Constitution only after they were promised a bill of rights would be added to it
• Amendments - Official changes to the Constitution; must have 2/3's majority in both houses, then be approved by 75% of the states
• Bill of Rights - first ten amendments to the Constitution (for more detail, see chapter eight)
• The US Constitution is the world's oldest written national constitution