Transcript Chapter 9

Chapter 9
“The Confederation and the
Constitution”
A Revolution of Sentiments
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The exodus of some 80,000 Loyalists robbed the country
of a conservative ballast.
Upper class Patriots rose up to power as the elite.
The new spirit of equality even inspired a few slave
owners to free their slaves.
Challenge to the new government was to come up with a
form of government that was acceptable to all 13 states.
Wanted a government that was strong enough to serve
them but not strong enough to dominate them.
The government must never become tyrannical
Republican Motherhood
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Mothers devoted to their families were
developed as an idea of “republican
motherhood” and elevated women to
higher statuses as keepers of the nation’s
conscience.
John Singleton Copley
Republican Motherhood
State Constitutions
2nd Continental Congress urged the states to
draw up new constitutions.
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Must exclude England, Parliament, king, and
government
All constitutions must be written
Parts of state constitutions
1. Began with a declaration of independence
2. Must have a list of rights against government
3. State governmental framework – bicameral or
unicameral
4. Weakening in the power of governor
Economic Changes From the War
1.
2.
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5.
Loyalist property was parceled and sold
No trade with Great Britain meant the growth of
the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Free trade – no more navigation laws and
mercantilism
Wartime inflation
Distaste for any and all taxes – even necessary
taxes
Articles of Confederation
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2nd Continental Congress, the interim form of
government, drafted the Articles of Confederation in
1777.
Articles were not drafted until 1781 because of a dispute
over western land claims.
The problems was that states like New York and Virginia
had huge tracts of land west of the Alleghenies while
some states had no land claims.
Maryland held up passage of the Articles because
unanimity was required to pass the document
Solution found when the states gave up their land claims
to Congress, after which the Articles passed.
Articles of Confederation
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Articles provided for a loose confederation of states.
Congress under the Articles ran the country.
Equal representations by states. Each state had a single vote, so that
some 68,000 Rhode Islanders had the same voice as more than ten
times that many Virginians
All bills dealing with specified subjects of importance required at least
a two-thirds vote.
Any amendment of the Articles themselves required a unanimous vote.
Congress had no power to regulate commerce
Congress could not enforce its tax-collection program
Powers of Congress included: dealing with other countries, settling
disputes between states, declaring war and coining or borrowing
money.
Citizens of Each State
Elects State Gov’t
NH
MA
RI
CT
NY
PA
NJ
DE
MD
VA
NC
SC
GA
Congress
Each State = 1 Vote
No Executive
No Judicial System
Land Ordinance of 1785
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The Land Ordinance of 1785
provided the acreage of the
Old Northwest should be sold
and the money would go to
Congress.
This area would be surveyed
and then divided into
townships six miles square,
which would then be divided
into 36 square sections with
one set aside for public
schools.
Land Ordinance of 1785
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
aka Add-A-State Plan
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3 stages to eventual full
democracy and statehood
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When a territory has enough
people Congress would send a
governor, secretary, and 3
judges.
When the population reached
5000 free white males of voting
age a legislature would be
chosen by the people
When the population reached
60,000 free white males of
voting age they could apply for
statehood.
Slavery was outlawed in the
Northwest Territory
Failures of the Articles
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United States was not taken seriously by the rest of the world.
No leadership. No president, king, prime minister, etc.
No military
Could not get rid of Great Britain in the west which eventually led to the
War of 1812
Could do nothing when Spain closed off the Mississippi River to
Americans
Unpaid bills – because of the inability to tax states bills could not be
paid
Internal strive
Shays Rebellion – Massachusetts farmers protested government because
of excess taxes
Rioted in Boston and because of the lack of a military the rioters could
not be stopped.
Lack of internal improvements
Shays Rebellion
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It took the United States army
six months to quell the
rebellion. In an effort to
strengthen their power, the
Northern bourgeoisie and the
slaveholding planters of the
South decided to amend the
constitution. In 1787
representatives of the
bourgeoisie and the slaveholders, acting in greatest
secrecy, drafted a new
constitution, which has
remained basically in force to
this day.
Successes of the Articles
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2.
Stepping stone government to the
Constitution
Charting of westward settlement
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3.
4.
Land Ordinance of 1785
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Brought Revolutionary War to an end
Drew up the Treaty of Paris of 1783 with
Great Britain
Annapolis Meeting
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In 1786 in Annapolis, Maryland a
convention was called, but only five states
were represented.
Called upon Congress to summon a
convention to meet in Philadelphia in 1787
to revise the Articles of Confederation
Philadelphia Convention
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On May 25, 1787, 55 delegates from 12 states (Rhode Island was
absent) met in Philadelphia to “revise the Articles of Confederation.”
The 55 delegates were rich and young (average age 42), and they
hoped to preserve the union, protect the American democracy from
abroad and preserve it at home, and curb mobocracy rampant in
various states.
George Washington was unanimously elected chairman
James Madison became the “Father of the Constitution”
Became known as the Constitutional Convention after the Founding
Fathers illegally decided to scrap the Articles and start over again.
Founding Fathers
Stuart, Gilbert,
1755-1828
U.S. Library of Congress
A portrait of Alexander
Hamilton by John Trumbull,
1792.
Gilbert Stuart American,
1755 - 1828
Great Compromise
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Compromise that would determine the number of representatives and
the House.
Big states Vs. little states
Virginia Plan – Proposal that would let population determine the
number of representatives and the House.
New Jersey Plan – Proposal that would call for equal representation
in the House. One vote one state.
Connecticut Compromise – Two house Congress
 Senate – for the small states. Two senators for each state
 House of Representatives – for the big states. Representation based
on population. The bigger the state the more representatives
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All tax and revenue bills must start in the House because big states
shoulder much of the nations tax burden
Compromise on Election of President
► President
elected
indirectly by the
Electoral College,
rather than directly by
the people.
3/5 Compromise
► Southern
state Vs Northern state
► Dealt with representation in the House
► Southerners wanted to count all of their
slaves toward the population
► Northerners them to count none of the
slaves
► Compromise – 3/5 of the slaves counted
toward the population in the south
Trade Compromise
Guarding Against the Masses
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Federal judges elected for life.
Judges chosen by the president and
approved by Congress
Electoral College
Senators originally chosen by state
legislatures not the people
Only one-half of one branch chosen by the
people (House of Representatives)
3 Branches of Government
► Executive
 President
► Legislative
 Congress
► Senate
► House
► Judicial
 Supreme Court
System of Checks and Balances
How a Bill Becomes a
Law
A member of the House or
Senate introduces a bill.
Let's pretend the voters from Senator
Jones' state (constituents) want a law
requiring seatbelts on school buses. He
and his staff write a bill, which is a draft
(early version) of the proposed law. The
bill is then passed out to each Senator.
A Bill is reviewed by committees.
A Standing Committee (a small, permanent
group made up of legislators who studies and
reports on bills) reviews the bill and does one
of three things:
1. Sends the bill back with no changes.
2. Makes changes and sends it back.
3. Tables the bill -- In other words,
they can do nothing.
The Bill is reviewed by committees.
If the committee sends it back with no
changes, then the bill goes on the
Senate's calendar to be voted on. When
that day comes, the bill is voted on and
over half of the senators (51 of 100)
must vote yes to pass it.
The Bill is reviewed by
committees.
If the bill is passed by the Senate, it
then moves to the other branch of
Congress, the House of
Representatives. The bill goes to a
House committee, which studies the
bill, and then is voted on by the
representatives. Just as in the Senate,
over half of the representatives (218 of
435) must vote yes to pass the bill.
The House and Senate vote to
approve the bill.
The bill goes to the President.
Veto or Sign
If the President vetoes
the bill, it returns
to congress.
If the bill gets a 2/3rds
majority vote in
Congress,
it becomes
a law.
If the President signs
The bill, it becomes
law.
Constitution
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Preamble
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Article I - The Legislative Branch
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Article II - The Executive Branch
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Article III - The Judicial Branch
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Article IV - The States
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Article V – Amendment
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Article VI - The United States
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Article VII - Ratification
Bill of Rights
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Amendment
Amendment
Amendment
Amendment
Amendment
Amendment
Amendment
Amendment
Amendment
Amendment
1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression
2 - Right to bear Arms
3 - Quartering of soldiers
4 - Search and Seizure
5 - Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings
6 - Right to speedy trial, confrontation of witnesses
7 - Trial by jury in civil cases
8 - Cruel and Unusual punishment
9 - Construction of Constitution
10 - Powers of the States and People
Signing of the Constitution
Delegates to the Philadelphia convention of 1787 sign the newly written
Constitution in this 1940 painting by Howard Chandler Christy. These men
are often referred to as the "Founding Fathers." (Painting by Howard
Chandler Christy, ctsy. U.S. House of Representatives)
Federalist Vs Anti-Federalists
Electoral College
► Electoral
votes by state
Ratification of the Constitution
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Federalists needed 9 of 13 states to ratify the
Constitution
Four small states quickly ratified the Constitution, and
Pennsylvania was the first large state to act.
Massachusetts finally ratified it after a promise of a bill of
rights to be added later.
Three more states ratified, and on June 21, 1788, the
Constitution was officially adopted after nine states had
ratified.
All but Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode
Island had ratified
Federalist Papers
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The 85 Federalist Papers were
written between October 1787
and May 1788 by Alexander
Hamilton, James Madison, and
John Jay. Through publishing
them, the authors hoped to
both explain the new
Constitution to the people of
America and to garner their
support for it. Originally
published anonymously, under
the name "Publius," the
Federalist Papers appeared in
various New York state
newspapers of the period.
Constitution Ratified!
New York was swayed by The Federalist Papers,
written by John Jay, James Madison, and
Alexander Hamilton, and finally yielded after
realizing that it could prosper apart from the
union.
► North Carolina and Rhode Island finally ratified
after intense pressure from the government
► Conservationism was victorious, as the
safeguards had been erected against mob-rule
excesses.
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Constitution
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President George W. Bush and
Laura Bush view the U.S.
Constitution with National Archivist
John Carlin, second on left, and
Senior Curator Stacy Bredhoff,
second on right, while touring the
National Archives in Washington,
D.C., Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005.
The Bushes also looked at the
Declaration of Independence,
George Washington's handwritten
inaugural address, George
Washington and President George
H. W. Bush's inaugural Bible, and
the Bill of Rights. White House
photo by Eric Draper
The United States in 1787