chapter 2
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Chapter 2. The Founding and the Constitution. The Founding and the Constitution. The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts. Americans had different financial interests prior to the Revolution. New England merchants Southern planters Royalists Shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Chapter 2
The Founding and the Constitution
The Founding and the Constitution
The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts
• Americans had different financial interests prior to the Revolution.– New England merchants– Southern planters– Royalists– Shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers– Small farmers
British Taxes and Colonial Interests
The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts
• Early Tax Revolts– Sugar Act 1764
• Enforced a previous tax on molasses– The Stamp Act 1765
• Required printed materials to have a stamp on them
The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts
• The Boston Tea Party (1773)– East India Trade Company had monopoly on importing tea
and sought to bypass the merchants by selling it directly to the colonists
– Goal was to provoke a government clampdown• Closed the Port of Boston and shut down the
Massachusetts government
The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts
• The Declaration of Independence, 1776– Philosophical document stating that certain rights were
inalienable– Political document explaining that since the king has
violated those rights, the colonists had the right to separate– Addressed multiple audiences
The Declaration of Independence
The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts
• The Articles of Confederation, 1777–1789– First American government weak and ineffective– Created a confederation of 13 states– Weak central government with limited powers– Impractical government requiring 9 of 13 votes to pass
any laws, and all 13 to make amendments– Prevented colonies from creating treaties– Lacked an army or navy to protect citizens– No taxing authority
Shays’ Rebellion
The Second Founding: From Compromise to Constitution
• Shays’ Rebellion, 1787– Goal was to prevent the court from repossessing debt-
ridden lands held by poor farmers in western Massachusetts
– The rebellion revealed the weaknesses of the new central government, which lacked both the power to tax and also a national army.
– Served as a focal point for those who would draft the new constitution
The Second Founding: From Compromise to Constitution
• Constitutional Convention, 1787– Interests: the financial interests of the wealthy were better
protected under the new Constitution.– Principles: the new Constitution embodied leading political
theories of the time regarding liberty, equality, and democracy.
The Second Founding: From Compromise to Constitution
• The Great Compromise: How to form the legislature?– Virginia Plan: states would have delegates proportionate to
population or wealth.– New Jersey Plan: each state would have equal
representation.– Connecticut Compromise: equal representation in the
Senate, proportional in the House of Representatives.
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
Who Benefits from the Great Compromise?
CHAPTER 2
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov (accessed 8/16/12).
Representation in the First Congress
VA RI
PA DE
MA NH
NY GA
MD NJ
NC CTSC
Senate Seat
House of Representatives Seat
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
1. Virginia 747,610
2. Pennsylvania 433,373
11. New Hampshire 141,885
3. Massachusetts 378,787
4. New York 340,120
5. Maryland 319,728
6. North Carolina 393,751
7. South Carolina 249,073
8. Connecticut 237,946
9. New Jersey 184,139
10. Georgia 82,548
12. Delaware 59,096
13. Rhode Island 68,825
State Populations, 1790*
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov (accessed 8/16/12).
* The framers calculated the number of representatives per state in 1787
using population estimates. The first census was not taken until 1790.
Total state population includes slave population. Slaves were counted as
3/5 of a person for purposes of apportioning seats in the House.
VA
PA
MANY
MDNC
SC
CT
NJ
GA
NH
DE
RI
The Question of Slavery: The Three-fifths Compromise
The Constitution
• Goals of the Framers– A central government strong enough to promote commerce
and protect property against infringement by the states– Prevent “excessive democracy”– Emphasize ideas that would generate public support– Restrain the federal government from impinging on
liberties and property rights
The Constitution
• The Legislative Branch– Most powerful branch of new government– Two chambers: House and Senate
• Each has different powers• Each is accountable to a different constituency• Different term lengths (2 yrs. House, 6 yrs. Senate)• Share some powers with the other branches
The Constitution
• Power and Consent– New federal government far more powerful than the old.
How to build public trust?• New powers specifically given mostly to Congress
– Congress directly accountable to the people in the House
– Congress directly accountable to the states in the Senate
• New powers were expressly written but flexible enough to adapt and respond to public will
The Separation of Powers
The Constitution
• The Executive Branch– The framers needed an executive both to offset the
potential power of the new Congress and to act with speed during times of crisis.
– They also needed a unifying figure who would serve as the Head of State.
The Constitution
• The Judicial Branch– Goal was to nationalize government power through one
court that was supreme to all the others and that could stand up to the other branches.
The Constitution
• National Unity and Power– The Constitution had to allow states enough freedom to
pursue their own policies and unify the nation enough to have a common economy.
– States were given tremendous leeway, but were asked to respect contracts made in other states.
– The constitution stands supreme over state laws.
The Constitution
The Seven Articles of the Constitution
The Constitution
• Amending the Constitution– The Articles of Confederation were extremely difficult to
amend; required unanimous vote.– New Constitution requires supermajorities, but not
unanimity.• It remains difficult and rare to amend, but more
plausible than Articles would allow.
The Constitution
• Limiting the National Government’s Power– Separation of Powers with checks and balances– Dividing constituencies to make officeholders accountable
to different elements of the public– Federalism– Bill of Rights
The Constitution
• Checks and Balances
The Fight for Ratification
• Ratification was very controversial– Federalists:
• Favored a stronger central government• Federal control over the economy• Clear property rights• Government by elites
– Antifederalists: • Favored the balance of power being with the states• Clearly articulated rights (not just property)• Government by leaders who shared the economic
interests of the people
The Fight for Ratification
The Fight for Ratification
• Federalists versus Antifederalists• Conflict over three fundamental issues:
– Representation– Tyranny– How to limit the government
The Fight for Ratification
Representation– Antifederalists wanted representatives who shared the
same financial interests and backgrounds as those they represented.
• Feared only the rich would be elected and would act against everyone else’s interests
– Federalists thought elections would keep the legislators concerned for their constituents’ interests.
The Fight for Ratification
Tyranny• Antifederalists were concerned government would
be controlled by the wealthy elite.– Feared tyranny of a wealthy minority
• Federalists feared the mass electorate would team up against the wealthy elite, who would always be in the minority.– Feared tyranny of an unsophisticated majority
The Fight for Ratification
Limiting Government Power• Antifederalists wanted a weak central government
with enumerated powers and a Bill of Rights.• Federalists saw the need for a strong central
government, and divided its powers to prevent tyranny of the majority.
The Citizen’s Role and the Changing Constitution
• Amending the Constitution
Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments to the Constitution (cont’d)
The Citizen’s Role and the Changing Constitution
• The U.S. Constitution is “higher law.”– Establishes a framework within which ordinary laws are
made
• The U.S. Constitution is a living document, and hence our understanding of it changes over time, even without amendment.
Public Opinion Poll
Do you believe the U.S. Constitution (1787) was driven more by noble principles or political self-interests?
a) Driven primarily by noble principles
b) Driven primarily by political self-interests
c) A mix of noble principles and political self-interests
Public Opinion Poll
Federalists and Antifederalists disagreed about what most influenced elected officials and their policy choices. Which do you think has the most influence on the kinds of laws elected officials support?
a) Their desire to get re-elected or hold higher office
b) Their personal wealth/economic class
c) Their personal opinions and feelings about issues
Public Opinion Poll
Do you think we would have different kinds of laws if elected officials had the same economic background as their average constituent, as the Antifederalists believed?
a) Yes, our laws would be different if elected officials had the same income as their constituents.
b) No, our laws would be the same no matter the income similarity or difference between elected officials and those they represent.
Public Opinion Poll
Small and large states compromised significantly on the structure of the legislature (think of the electoral college, for example). As a result of these compromises, do you think:
a) Small states have little influence on government.
b) Large states have little influence on government.
c) Small states have too much influence on gov’t.
d) Large states have too much influence on gov’t.
Public Opinion Poll
Considering the current number of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the number of amendments that have failed, and the stability of our Constitution, do you believe the process for amending the U.S. Constitution is too difficult, about right, or too easy?
a) Too difficult
b) About right
c) Too easy
Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution
• Quizzes
• Flashcards
• Outlines
• Exercises
wwnorton.com/we-the-people
Following this slide, you will find additional images, figures, and tables from the textbook.
British Taxes and Colonial Interests
The Three-Fifths Compromise
The Constitution, the U.S. Postal System, and the Internet
The American Constitution: A Model for the World?
The Supreme Court and Constitutional Amendments
The Declaration of Independence
The American Constitution: A Model for the World?
The Eighteenth Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment