Transcript File

SS8H4
SS8H4 The student will
describe the impact of events
that led to the ratification of
the United States Constitution
and the Bill of Rights
a. Analyze the strengths and
weaknesses of both the Georgia
Constitution of 1777 and the
Articles of Confederation led to
a need to revise the Articles.
1
Georgia Constitution of 1777
Georgia joined the other
colonies in celebrating the
decision to become
independent of Great Britain.
The former colonies were tired
of being governed and living
under laws made
by Great Britain.
2
The colonists believed that
Great Britain was out of touch
and too far away to understand
their needs. The new goal for
each colony was statehood. Each
new state was to develop its own
method of governance and pass
laws that met its needs.
3
Work was begun on a
state constitution to
replace the earlier
“Rules and Regulations”
which had been
used to govern
the state.
4
Writing the new constitution wasn’t easy.
Some citizens wanted a government like
the one already in place with most
of the power in the
hands of a few wealthy
landowners and merchants.
Think-pair-share: What do you have
wanted?
5
The Whigs, a more extreme
group, wanted to give all the
people of Georgia a chance to
govern themselves. Georgia did
decide on a government based on
the separation
of power and the
rights of citizens
to agree with how
they were governed.
6
By May 1777, Georgia
adopted its first state
constitution at a
constitutional convention
held in Savannah.
7
The parish system was done
away with, and eight counties
were formed. However well
meaning the lawmakers
were in
developing the
1777constitution,
there
were problems.
8
Rather than a bicameral
legislature, the Constitution of
1777 provided for
a unicameral, or
one-house legislature.
Thinkpairshare:
Why
might this
be a
9
This single legislative body had
very broad powers, including the
ability to make appointments for
the judicial branch
(the courts) and the executive
branch (the governor).
10
Stung by the loyalty of former
governors to the king, the
members of the constitutional
convention wanted to limit
severely the influence
and power of the governor.
11
They proposed a one-year
term for the governor. He
was to be selected by the
legislature rather than
voted on by the people.
12
The actual power was in the
hands of twelve lawmakers
from the legislature who served
on an executive council. This
council could accept or reject
any proposals initiated
by the governor.
13
The
constitutional
convention
selected
John Treutlen,
a Salzburger,
as governor.
14
The Articles of Confederation
The founding fathers wanted
to make sure their new
government would
be very
different from
the government
of Great Britain.
15
The Articles of
Confederation, ratified in
1781, intentionally
established a weak
national government.
16
The new U.S. government
consisted of a unicameral
legislature, Congress, in which
each state had one vote.
There was no chief executive,
and no national court system.
17
The weaknesses in the
Articles of
Confederation caused
major
problems
for the
new country.
18
1. Under the Articles, the
Confederation Congress that
couldn’t pay the colonial soldiers
during the Revolutionary War
found that it also couldn’t pay
them after the war.
19
The Confederation Congress
asked the states for help,
but many states rejected or
ignored the request.
20
2. The new government didn’t have
the power to regulate trade
between the states or between
the United States and
foreign countries.
21
3. Each state had its own
money system which also
created problems
with trade.
22
4. The British reoccupied some
of the forts in the Northwest
Territory (the area north of the
Ohio River) and the national
government was powerless to do
anything to stop them. As a
result, foreign countries had
little respect for
the new country.
23
George Washington and others
were alarmed at what they saw
happening to the states under
the Articles of confederation.
A movement began to
examine and revise them.
24
An opportunity arose in 1786
when Virginia asked for a
meeting in Annapolis,
Maryland, to discuss the
continuing trade problems
among the states.
25
Representatives from only five
states attended and nothing
was accomplished. The
delegates did ask that a
second convention meet in
Philadelphia that year.
26
They broadened the goals for
the Philadelphia meeting and
asked to discuss all the
problems of the Articles of
Confederation. It was
hoped that some
changed could be made
that would make the
national government
stronger.
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