Birth of the Republic

Articles of Confederation
Signed in 1781 by the
Continental Congress.
It was an early attempt at
cooperation amongst the
states.
The capital for the country
was in Philadelphia.
The Articles loosely bound
the states together under
Congresss direction.

Articles of Confederation
Under the Articles, the states are semiindependent.
Congress had the power to declare war
and sign treaties.
There was no national standing army and
no states could have one.
It would provide the framework for the
American government from 1781-1788.

Northwest Ordinance
Passed in 1787 and was one of the final
acts passed by the Congress of the
Confederation.
It allowed for the creation of territories in
the Ohio Valley and provided a way to give
these lands future admission as states.
It also outlawed slavery north of the Ohio
River.

Problems with Confederation

The Articles lacked the necessary provisions for
a sufficiently effective government.
The Congress could not tax the states for funds.
Congress had to request funds from the states.
Another criticism of the Articles was that they did
not strike the right balance between large and
small states to its one-state, one-vote process.
The larger states were expected to contribute
more but had only one vote.
States could veto Congressional acts, therefore
the states had more power than Congress did.

Economic Issues
Congress had no money and could not tax
the states.
Each state could print its own money.
Some states had traveling fines for
exiting/entering a state.
Lots of people and Congress had debts
stemming from the Revolution.
Creditors could take the land of citizens
and sell it at auction.

Foreign Policy Issues

Despite turning over the Ohio Valley to the US,
Britain still held forts out West and refused to
evacuate.
Indians were a threat on the frontier lands.
Britain wanted us to compensate loyalists for
their land that was taken.
Spain closed the Mississippi River to trade and
travel to America.
Several European nations wanted their money
back.

Shayss Rebellion
Daniel Shays was a veteran of the Revolution
and had very little money to pay his taxes.
As a farmer from Western Mass., he and his
friends were losing their farms to eastern
creditors.
In the summer of 1786, the farmers, led by
Shays, revolted because of the abuses.
While the revolt was eventually put down, it
showed that there needed to be a change in how
America was running.

Question Time
1. Why were the Articles of Confederation
so weak?
2. Despite its failings, in what ways were
the Articles of Confederation good?

A Shift for a Republic?

A republic is a representative democracy where
citizens elect people to make decisions for them.
As the years after the Revolution went on, many
agreed that the Articles of Confederation werent
working.
Some wanted to give more power to a central
authority.
Because of this, state representatives once again
heard the call of their nation and travelled to
Philadelphia in May 1787.
All but RI attended.

I smell a rat in Philadelphia, tending toward the monarchy Patrick Henry

The Constitutional Convention Starts

George Washington was named the
president of the convention.
Originally, it was designed to make
changes the Articles.
However, the delegates realized that
they needed to come up with
something completely different.
What America needed was a stronger
central government.
However, many people feared that a
stronger central government would
take away rights.
Only 39 of the 55 delegates would sign
it.
Adams, Jefferson, and Henry not
present.
Most of it written by James Madison.

The Virginia Plan

Also referred to the Large State Plan
In the Virginia Plan, the National Congress
would be organized by population.
Every state would be represented by one
person for every x-amount of people.
The larger states of NY, MA, PA, and VA
(the largest) strongly supported this plan.

The New Jersey Plan

Also referred to the Small State Plan
In the New Jersey Plan, the National Congress
would keep the one state, one vote policy.
Every state would be represented by an equal
amount of people and have one vote.
Very similar to the Articles of Confederation plan.
The smaller states of NJ, DE, and CT strongly
supported this plan.

The Great Compromise

Also called the Connecticut Compromise
because its author, Roger Sherman, was from
CT.
Under this plan, the National Congress would
have two bodies: A Senate that would be based
on equality with two votes per state and a House
of Representatives that would be based on
population.
It allowed both states rights and national rights
people to be happy.
This would create the Congress we have today.

The 3/5 Compromise

A compromise between the Southern states and
the Northern states.
Southerners wanted to count slaves as part of
the population for more representation.
Northerners didnt like this because slaves were
property and not citizens.
A compromise was reached where only 3 of
every 5 slaves would be counted for the census.
Also banned international slave trade in 20 years
(1807).

Question Time
3. What is important about being able, as a
nation, to compromise?
4. Which of the three compromises for a
national congress do you think is best, and
why?
5. Why were some people afraid of a
powerful, central government?

Separation of Powers
Comes from the ideas of Baron de
Montesquieu.
Montesquieu preached that no one part of
the government should have total control.
The powers should be broken up.
In our government, we call it checks and
balances.
We have three branches of government:
Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.

Legislative Branch
Comprised of the Senate (which serves 6 year
terms) and the House of Representatives (which
serves 2 year terms).
The legislative branch passes laws.
The Senate signs treaties, declares war, and
approves appointed positions.
The House is responsible for passing a budget.
Congress powers include regulating interstate
commerce, minting money, conducting international
commerce, build up and sustain the armed
services, provide a standard of weights and
measures, run the post office, etc.

Executive Branch
Is the branch of government that carries out the
law.
The President, Vice President, and Cabinet all
fall under the Executive Branch.
The President is the commander-in-chief of the
armed services.
The President can appoint people to
government positions.
He can also sign bills into law or veto them.
President can pardon people.
The Vice President is the head of the Senate.
Presidents term of office is 4 years.

Judicial Branch
Enforces the law.
Judicial branch includes the
Supreme Court and the lower Courts
of Appeal.
The courts also interpret the laws
that have been passed by Congress.
The Supreme Court can also declare
a law unconstitutional; something
that was not originally intended.
SC justices have lifetime
appointments.

The Checks and Balances

President can sign laws, but if he vetoes,
Congress can override it.
President can appoint people, but
Congress has to approve them.
Supreme Court has the right to review
laws to see if they are constitutional or not.

How a Bill Becomes a Law

A member of Congress proposes a bill.
The bill goes into committee where it is worked on and
debated.
If the committee agrees to the bill, it is submitted to the
floor for discussion, debate, and vote.
The bill may be amended during debate. If it is voted on
and passes, it goes to the other house of Congress for
amending, debating and voting.
If it passes both houses, it goes to the president to sign.
If the president signs it, it is law. If he vetoes it, it goes
back to Congress.
A law that is vetoed requires a 2/3 vote in both houses to
become law.
If it is going to be an amendment to the constitution, of
the state legislatures have to approve the law.

Rights Reserved to States

All other powers not expressively written in
the constitution are given to the states.
These powers include setting speed limits,
granting marriages and divorces, property
tax values, gambling laws, taxes, zoning
laws, etc.
This gives that states some powers as
well, however federal law supersedes
any and all state laws.

Electoral College
The founding fathers wanted to have a president
that was elected instead of a king.
To become president, they wanted the people to
vote for him.
However, because they feared a direct
democracy, they implemented the Electoral
College.
The citizens who vote, in reality vote for electors.
The electors choose the president.
Each state gets an elector based on how much
representation in Congress that state gets. (IE a
state has 2 senators and 10 reps., that state
gets 12 electoral votes).

 We the People of the United States, in

Order to form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic
Tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general Welfare,
and secure the blessings of liberty to
ourselves and our posterity do ordain and
establish this Constitution for the United
States of America.

I have often and often in the course of this session and the vicissitude of my
hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that behind the president without
being able to tell whether it was rising or setting: But now at length I have the
happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun." Ben Franklin.

Question Time
6. How does the Enlightenment play a role in
how the Constitution was created?
7. What powers does Congress have?
8. What powers does the president have?
9. Why is it important for the states to have
some powers too?

Ratifying the Constitution

It was hard to get everyone to like the
Constitution.
Many feared a strong central government
would take away state and personal rights.
(Antifederalists)
Others saw that the Constitution would bring
America together and make it strong
(Federalists).
For support, John Jay, James Madison, and
Alexander Hamilton wrote The Federalist
Papers.
The leading Antifederalists were Samuel
Adams, Richard Henry Lee, and Patrick
Henry.

Ratifying the Constitution

To become part of the new republic, each
state had to ratify the Constitution.
Delaware was the first state.
PA, NJ, GA, CT, MA, MD, SC, and NH all
made it official. (needed 9 to pass)
VA, NY and NC all ratified it. RI didnt ratify
it until 1790 and VT became a state in
1791.
The new government officially took over in
1789.

North Carolina and Ratification

Divided between Federalists and
Antifederalists.
Did not ratify it until 1789.
Northeastern NC, a wealthy part of the state
threatened to secede.
Ratified in 1789 in Fayetteville, thanks in
part to William Davie and James Iredell.
Ratified it with the promise of a Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights

For some states, and some people
like Jefferson, to be satisfied, in order
to pass the Constitution, a Bill of
Rights was necessary for ratification.
James Madison, who wrote most of
the Constitution, wrote the Bill of
Rights.
They are the first 10 amendments to
the Constitution.
These rights, at the time, did not fully
apply to women, freed blacks, and
did not apply at all to slaves or
Indians.

The Amendments
1st: Freedom of speech, press, religion,
and assembly.
2nd: Right to bear arms.
3rd: No quartering of soldiers during time of
peace.
4th: You need a warrant. No unreasonable
search and seizures.
5th: Right to due process, no double
jeopardy, right to no self-incrimination.

The Amendments
6th: Rights to a speedy trial. Rights of the
accused.
7th: Right to trial by jury.
8th: No excessive bail or cruel and unusual
punishment.
9th: just because a certain right is not
specifically listed or explicitly protected by
the Constitution does not mean that right
does not exist.
10th: All other unlisted powers and rights are
given to the states and/or people.

Washington is Elected
In 1789, an election was
held for president.
Washington was elected
unanimously by the electors
as president.
John Adams was chosen as
vice president.
The task for Washington,
now, would be to get this
new government up and
running.

Question Time
10. Why is important to give rights to those
who are accused of committing crimes?
11. Why was it important to have these rights
as part of the constitution before some states
ratified it?
12. Which of the first 10 amendments do you
think is the most important and why?