Transcript CreatingConstitns2x - subfreshmanhomework2016-2017

Problems discovered
under the AoC
ISS
Mon. Sept. 19, 2016
What do you recall about the AoC?
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What was it?
When was it created?
When did it become effective?
Who was involved in it?
What was its PURPOSE?
What did the AoC create
that did not already exist?
What did the AoC create
that did not already exist?
• What kind of relationship among the member
States?
What did the AoC create
that did not already exist?
• What kind of relationship among the member
States?
“a firm league of friendship”
Meaning what?
What did the AoC create
that did not already exist?
• “a firm league of friendship” (a strong alliance
between the 13 independent States)
• What kind of governmental institution (place
where power could be exercised) did it
create?
What did the AoC create
that did not already exist?
• “a firm league of friendship” (a strong alliance
between the 13 independent States)
• What kind of governmental institution did it
create?
 ONLY a Congress (a legislative body)
ONLY a Congress (a legislative body)?
Then what was missing at this level?
ONLY a Congress (a legislative body)?
• NO EXECUTIVE power – to carry out
the laws passed by this Congress
• NO JUDICIAL power – to resolve
conflicts over the laws passed by this
Congress or to interpret those laws
WHO was supposed to do these jobs?
• EXECUTIVE power – to carry out the
laws passed by this Congress
• JUDICIAL power – to resolve conflicts
over the laws passed by this Congress
or to interpret those laws
WHO was supposed to do these jobs?
The 13 independent States…
How well do you think that worked?
Why?
Governing under the AoC (Congress)
plus the 13 State governments
WHO had what POWERS or authority to rule
over different aspects of governing?
Governing under the AoC (Congress)
plus the 13 State governments
Who could…?
pass laws?
raise taxes?
declare war and sustain a
military force?
engage in diplomacy with
other countries?
coin its own currency?
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These are what we mean by POWERS of government!
Governing under the AoC (Congress)
plus the 13 State governments
Who could…?
pass laws?
Congress could.
So could each State. States
also had the power to carry
out (or not) the laws
passed by Congress.
raise taxes?
Congress could ASK States
for funds, but not require
them to donate.
Each State could collect
taxes from its citizens.
declare war and sustain a
military force?
engage in diplomacy with
other countries?
coin its own currency?
Governing under the AoC (Congress)
plus the 13 State governments
Who could…?
pass laws?
Congress could.
So could each State.
raise taxes?
Congress could ASK States
for funds, but not require
them to donate.
Each State could collect
taxes from its citizens.
declare war and sustain a
military force?
Congress could in theory,
but without any tax
revenue, this was next to
impossible.
Each State could and did.
engage in diplomacy with
other countries?
Congress could.
So could each State.
coin its own currency?
Governing under the AoC (Congress)
plus the 13 State governments
Who could…?
pass laws?
Congress could.
So could each State.
raise taxes?
Congress could ASK States
for funds, but not require
them to donate.
Each State could collect
taxes from its citizens.
declare war and sustain a
military force?
Congress could in theory,
but without any tax
revenue, this was next to
impossible.
Each State could and did.
engage in diplomacy with
other countries?
Congress could.
So could each State.
coin its own currency?
Congress could and did:
Continental dollars. But
they were seen as
worthless.
Each State had its own
currency. This made it
harder to trade across state
lines.
So what does this say about the
government created by the AoC?
the government created by the AoC?
The AoC created a limited government (only
“Congress”) that was too weak to function
effectively.
The State governments had all of the effective
power.
But if the States couldn’t agree with each other
or couldn’t handle a crisis, then what?
What would happen without an
effective central government?
Conflict between states?
Further attacks by outside enemies?
Threats to individual rights?
Anarchy?
Shays’ Rebellion
In Massachusetts, in 1786:
-- a series of conflicts between poor farmers and
the state government which had raised taxes to pay
off its war-related debts.
-- The state gov’t responded to farmers’ protests by
seizing their property and detaining them without a
formal charge.
This scared everyone into thinking that chaos was
imminent: if even the (progressive) government of
Massachusetts was disregarding its citizens’ rights!
What should they do?
By 1786, the people of the “united”
States of America had:
• Established their independence
• Created State governments
• Created a Congress under the A o C
but also….
What should they do?
By 1786, the people of the “united”
States of America had:
• Established their independence
• Created State governments
• Created a Congress under the A o C
They had also realized that this was not
enough to face the problems of governing
themselves and protecting their rights.
What did they do?
What did they do?
• They called for each State to send a
group of delegates to a special
convention (a meeting) in Philadelphia, in
the summer of 1787, to figure out how to
“fix” the A o C.
What did they do?
• Called a convention in Philadelphia, in
the summer of 1787, to “fix” the A o C.
• What came of that meeting?
What did they do?
The representatives of the States at the
1787 convention in Philadelphia
quickly gave up on the project of
“fixing” the A o C…
What did they do?
The representatives of the States at the
1787 convention in Philadelphia
gave up on the AoC
and instead drafted a NEW
CONSTITUTION for the U.S.A.!
The constitution created in 1787 is the one we
call “the U.S. Constitution” today.
A “living document,” it is made up of the 1787
document plus the 27 amendments that have
been added since then.
Creating constitutions
• Step 1: State constitutions (13!)
• Step 2: the Articles of Confederation
• Step 3: the Constitution of the United States
of America, the first truly NATIONAL
constitution, designed to create “a
more perfect union” among states