Transcript Chapter 1 U.S. Government

Chapter 2
U.S. Government
How Our Constitution was
created
Constitution
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Definition
• A nation’s basic law. It creates political
institutions, assigns or divides powers in
government, and often provides certain
guarantees to citizens.
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Sets the broad rules of government.
The 200+ year old document is still
utilized today because it is not
“specific”
Important English Documents
The way our government works today can be traced
to important documents in history:
The Continental Congresses
First Continental Congress
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The colonists sent a Declaration of Rights to King George
III. (The Declaration of Independence)
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The delegates urged each of the colonies to refuse all trade
with England until British tax and trade regulations were
repealed.
Second Continental Congress
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In 1775, each of the 13 colonies sent representatives to
this gathering in Philadelphia.
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On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was
adopted. The Declaration of Independence listed specific
grievances against the King.
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The Second Continental Congress served as the first
government of the United States from 1776 to 1781.
The Government That Failed
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The Articles of Confederation
• The first document to govern the United
States
• Congress had few powers (could not
tax); States held most power.
• States could engage in foreign trade;
promised to obey Congress; respect the
laws of the other states; and contribute
money to congress
Weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation
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One vote for each State, regardless of size.
Congress powerless to lay and collect taxes or
duties.
Congress powerless to regulate foreign and
interstate commerce.
No executive to enforce acts of Congress.
No national court system.
Amendment only with consent of all States.
A 9/13 majority required to pass laws.
Articles only a “firm league of friendship.”
The Government That Failed
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The Aborted Annapolis Meeting
• An attempt to discuss changes to the
Articles of Confederation.
• Attended by only 12 delegates from 5
states.
• Called for a meeting in May 1787 to
further discuss amendments to the
Articles of Confederation.
The Government That Failed
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Economic Turmoil
• States had different currencies
• States had laws that favored debtors
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Shays’ Rebellion
• A series of attacks on courthouses by a
small band of farmers led by
Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays
to block foreclosure proceedings.
The Agenda in Philadelphia
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The Economic Issues
• States had tariffs on products from other
states
• Paper money was basically worthless
• Congress couldn’t raise money
• National government was powerless to act to
stop domestic disturbances; e.g. Shay’s
Rebellion
• Actions taken:
• Powers of Congress to be strengthened
• Powers of states to be limited
The Madisonian Model
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James Madison “The Father of the
Constitution”.
His system of government was based
upon these principals:
• Limiting Majority Control
• Separating Powers
• Creating Checks and Balances
• Establishing a Federal System
The Madisonian Model
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The Constitution and the Electoral Process:
The Original Plan (Figure 2.2)
The Madisonian Model of Checks and
Balances
Differences arose between the
Delegates
The Virginia Plan
 Three branches of
government
 Bicameral
legislature
 “National
Executive” and
“National
Judiciary”
The New Jersey Plan
 Unicameral Congress
 Equal representation
for States of different
sizes
 More than one
federal executive
Constitutional Compromises
The Connecticut Compromise
 Delegates agreed on a bicameral Congress, one
segment with equal representation for States,
and the other with representation proportionate
to the States’ populations.
The Three-Fifths Compromise
 The Framers decided to count a slave as threefifths of a person when determining the
population of a State.
The Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise
 Congress was forbidden from taxing exported
goods, and was not allowed to act on the slave
trade for 20 years.
The Federalists and AntiFederalists
The Constitution was very
controversial at first, with some
groups supporting it, and others
attacking it.
Federalists thought that the Articles of Confederation were
weak, and argued for the ratification of the Constitution.
Anti-Federalists objected to the Constitution for many
reasons, including the strong central government and the
lack of a bill of rights.
Vocabulary Chapter 2
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Representative
government
Magna Carta
Petition of Right
English Bill of Rights
Virginia Plan
New Jersey Plan
Connecticut Compromise
Three Fifths Compromise
Boycott
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Popular sovereignty
Unicameral
Bicameral
Articles of
Confederation
Federalists
Anti-federalists
Federalist Papers
Ratification