Transcript Parson_US Constitution

Focus Question:
Was the Constitution a
fulfilment of their
Revolutionary aspirations?
The Problems encountered with writing the Constitution
• The public didn’t see a need to become one nation.
•The state leaders didn’t want to become one nation as they may lose their
power.
•There were still those who were loyal to Britain.
Washington said "I do
not conceive we can
exist long as a nation
without having
lodged somewhere a
power which will
pervade the whole
Union in as energetic
manner as the
authority of the state
governments extends
over the several
states."
Why was a National Constitution needed?
Some states were in great debt.
America’s economy was suffering
The Articles of Confederation created at
best a loose government but were not
enough to sustain the population.
Three branch system of
Government:
•The Executive would head the
government
•The Legislative would be broken
down into the House of
Representatives and the Senate.
•The Senate would be the smaller
more coolheaded body
•The House of Representatives
would be elected directly by the
people.
•The Judicial would enforce the
Constitution and laws.
Some of the Questions that faced the Delegates:
Should there be a multi person executive or single
head of state?
Should the executive be paid a salary? Or should they
rely purely on patriotism?
If they were paid who would fund their salary?
How long should the executive be in office for?
Could the congress impeach him if he was guilty of
misconduct?
Could they remove him from office?
What if he should die when in office?
Who would take his place?
If there was a vice president what would they do
when the president was still living?
Resolutions:
President would preside over the Executive branch
The President would be chosen by electors from each state
He would serve for four years
Should he die whilst in office a Vice president would take over
The Vice would preside over the senate whilst the President was living
Both would be paid out of the treasury of the new government
Resolutions: The Great
Compromise
•Each state would have two members in the senate with
equal vote
•The House of Representatives would have one
representative for every 40,000 inhabitants. (This was
later changed to 30,000)
Arguments against
the Constitution:
 There was no Bill of
rights, were these not
what they had been
fighting for in the
war?
 It was argued that
Confederation offered
a more secure future
for America.
James Wilson:
"We should
consider that we
are providing a
Constitution for
future
generations and
not merely for
the
circumstance of
the moment."
The Ratifications Began:
 Delaware
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Georgia
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Maryland
South Carolina
New Hampshire
December
December
December
January
January
February
April
May
June
1787
1787
1787
1788
1788
1788
1788
1788
1788
THE UNITED STATES WAS FORMED
 Delaware
December
1787
New Jersey
December
1787
Pennsylvania
December
1787
Georgia
January
1788
Connecticut
January
1788
Massachusetts
February
1788
Maryland
April
1788
South Carolina
May
1788
New Hampshire
June
1788
THE UNITED STATES WAS FORMED
Virginia
June
1788
New York
July
1788
North Carolina
November
1789
Rhode Island
May
1790
What were their revolutionary
aspirations?
Well, they changed…
Thomas Paine wrote:
"The same tyranny which
drove the first emigrants
from home, pursues their
descendants still."
The Declaration of Independence and Thomas Paine’s
Common Sense convey the revolutionary atmosphere of 1776.
What were they fighting for?
• Human rights
• Government representation
• Independence / NO KING!
The Constitution meant:
oThey were independent from Britain
oThey not only a set of rules written by their people for their
people but it established a system of checks that made it
difficult for one person to get too much power
oThe government could not become anything like Britain’s
government.
o Equal representation was provided for all men (and later slaves
and women)
oThe rights of man were protected.
Thankyou for listening!