Phillis Wheatley

Thirteen Independent States • Americans needed to establish their own

government and gain Britain’s respect. This brought new challenges.

• The British believed the new government was weak and ineffective.

• States organized their governments and adopted their own state constitutions.

• State constitutions limited the power of the governor to avoid giving one ruler too much power.

• Most states had a bicameral, or two-house, legislature. This further divided the power.

Articles of Confederation

Thirteen Independent States (cont.) • In most states only white males who were 21

years of age could vote. They also had to either be property owners or pay a certain amount of taxes.

• In some states free African American males could vote.

Forming a Republic• Americans agreed that the country should be a

republic, which is a government with elected representatives.

• What they could not agree on was the origin and powers of the new republic.

• At first most Americans favored a weak central government with the powers being given to the states to function independently except for the power to wage war and handle relations with other countries.

• In 1776 the Second Continental Congress meet to draw up a new framework of government for the newly formed country to follow.

• In 1777 the Articles of Confederation were adopted to provide for a central government.

Forming a Republic (cont.)

• The Articles were America’s first constitution.

• The states gave up little of their power. Each state kept “its sovereignty, freedom, and independence.” They were afraid to give all it’s power away to one person.

• Under the Articles of Confederation, the government, which was the Confederation Congress, had the authority (right) to:

•conduct foreign affairs

•maintain armed forces

•borrow money

•issue currency

• The government did not have the authority to:

Forming a Republic (cont.)

- regulate trade

- force citizens to join the army

- impose taxes

• Congress needed to ask state legislatures to raise money and provide troops.

• The government did not have a chief executive (President).

• Each state had one vote in Congress.

• State population did not matter, although larger, more populated states believed that they should have more votes.

• Finally all 13 states approved the Articles on March 1, 1781.

Forming a Republic (cont.)

- It had limited authority.

- It could not pass a law unless nine states voted for it.

- To change the Articles of Confederation, all 13 states had to give consent. It was difficult, therefore, for Congress to pass laws when there was any opposition.

• The new government between the years 1781-1789 had its weaknesses, but it expanded foreign trade, and provided for new states in the West.

New Land Policies• Congress realized it had to extend its authority

over the frontier and bring order and stability to the territory where western settlers reached almost 120,000 by the 1790s.

• Two important laws passed in 1785 & 1787 to help expand and settle the new land in the Northwest Territory. Congress sent out Daniel Boone to build the Wilderness Road to Kentucky.

• The Western ordinances had a large impact on Western expansion and development of the United States.

• In 1784 Congress divided the Western territory into self-governing districts.

• When the number of people in a district reached the population of the smallest existing state, that district could apply for statehood.

• In 1785 the Confederation Congress established a new law that divided the Western territories into larger townships and smaller sections.

• Each smaller section was surveyed and divided into townships 6 miles a square and subdivided into 36 sections 1 mile square (640 acres) and sold at auction for at least $1 an acre to the highest bidder. This was called the Land Ordinance of 1785.

• One section (16) was set aside for public education

• Land speculators bought large pieces of land cheap.

New Land Policies (cont.)

New Land Policies (cont.)

- It created a Northwest Territory out of the lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River.

- It divided the lands into three to five smaller territories.

- It stated that when the population of a territory reached 60,000 citizens, that territory could apply for statehood and write their own Bill of Rights.

- Each new state would enter as an equal to the original 13 states.

- Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude were permitted in the new territories.

• Another ordinance passed in 1787 was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

Trouble on Two Fronts • The Confederate government had trouble with

finances, and with Britain and Spain over landholdings and trade.

• Many Americans felt the country needed a stronger government to better deal with the problems.

• The government had a large debt from fighting the war.

• Congress had borrowed money from American citizens and foreign governments.

• It owed soldiers their wages. But because Congress had no power to tax, it did not have a way to raise revenue and pay off this debt.

Trouble on Two Fronts (cont.) • Money was almost worthless. The paper money

printed during the Revolutionary War had fallen in value, while the prices of food and other goods soared.

• In Boston, for example, high prices led to food riots.

• Because Congress had no power to tax, it and the states issued paper money.

• Because there were so many bills in circulation, the value of the money fell. No gold or silver backed these bills.

Trouble on Two Fronts (cont.)

- British troops remained in several strategic forts in the Great Lakes region even though Britain had promised to withdraw all troops under the Treaty of Paris.

- British merchants closed Americans out of the West Indies and other profitable British markets.

- The British claimed that because Americans had not paid Loyalists for the property taken from them during the war, as agreed to under the Treaty of Paris, and states refused to pay to Loyalist.

• The country’s financial situation worsened.

• The problems with Britain concerned landholdings and trade.

Trouble on Two Fronts (cont.) • The problems with Spain were worse than

those with England. - Spain closed the lower Mississippi River to

American shipping in 1784 in hopes of halting American expansion into their territory of Spanish Florida and lands west of the Mississippi River.

- A compromise was reached with an agreement in 1786 that limited American shipping on the Mississippi.

- In return for this, Spain promised to accept the border between Georgia and Spanish Florida proposed by the Americans.

- Representatives from the South rejected the agreement because it did not include the right to use the Mississippi River.

Economic Depression• The United States went through a

depression, or a time when economic activity slowed and unemployment increased, after the Revolutionary War.

- Because Southern plantations were damaged during the war, they could not produce as much rice as prior to the war.

- As a result, rice exports dropped.

- Farmers could not sell the goods they grew and therefore did not have money to pay state taxes.

Economic Depression (cont.) - As a result, farmers lost their lands when state

officials took their farms to pay the debt they owed.

- Some farmers were even jailed.

- American trade fell off when Britain closed the West Indies to American merchants. As a result, currency was in short supply, and whatever was around was used to pay the war debt.

- The Shay's Rebellion occurred as a result of the problems farmers suffered.

• In 1787 Daniel Shays led a group of more than 1,000 angry farmers in forcing courts in western Massachusetts to close so judges could not seize farmers’ lands.

• Shays led the farmers toward the federal arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts, for arms and ammunition.

• The farmers did not stop, even when the state militia fired over their heads and then directly at them, killing four.

• The uprising was over when Shays and his followers scattered.

• Americans felt the impact of the Shays uprising.

• Many were scared that future uprisings could occur.

Economic Depression (cont.)

• Slavery was a difficult issue that many people and groups began to work toward ending.

Economic Depression (cont.)

- Quakers organized the first American Antislavery Society in 1774.

- In 1780 Pennsylvania passed a law that provided for freeing enslaved people gradually.

- In 1783 a Massachusetts court ruled slavery was illegal.

- Between 1784 and 1804, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey passed laws that gradually ended slavery.

- In 1787 the Free African Society in Philadelphia was formed.

• Some states clung to slavery, especially those south of Pennsylvania.

• The plantation system relied on slavery to survive.

• Yet a number of slaveholders did begin to free slaves after the war.

• Virginia passed a law encouraging manumission, or freeing individual enslaved persons.

• The abolition of slavery divided the country.

• In 1787, when state representatives met to plan a new government because they realized the Articles of Confederation were weak, they compromised on the issue of slavery.

• It would take another war to resolve this issue.

Economic Depression (cont.)

List the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. You can use your notes/textbook for help.

Now write a paragraph explaining the New Government and why it failed.

George Washington

A Call for Change

• Political leaders were divided on the issue of the type of government the country should have.

- One group wanted to remain with a system of independent state governments.

- The other group wanted to create a strong national government. This group called for reform of the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention• The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia

beginning in May 1787 and consisted of 55 delegates, none of whom were Native American, African American, or women.

• Several leaders stood out–George Washington, Ben Franklin, James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris, who wrote the final draft of the Constitution, Edmund Randolph, and James Madison, who became known as “Father of the Constitution” because he authored the basic plan of government that was adopted.

Two groups @ the Convention• Federalist ~ were delegates who favored the

Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay wrote a series of papers known as the “Federalist Papers”. There were 85 essays that supported the Constitution.

• Anti-Federalist ~ opposed the Constitution. They had concerns that they would be giving up too much power to the government. They also wanted a Bill of Rights included to guarantee specific rights.

• George Washington presided. The basic rules were:

• Two plans of government were proposed–the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan.

The Constitutional Convention (cont.)

- each state had one vote on all issues

- a majority vote was needed to finalize decisions

- delegates from at least 7 of the 13 states were required for meetings to be held

- delegates met behind closed doors so they could talk freely, and outside they were to remain silent.

• The Virginia Plan was presented by Edmund Randolph from Virginia.

The Virginia Plan

• This plan called for two houses (House & Senate). Representatives were based on population size. This plan favored the larger states.

• He proposed a Federal Government with 3 branches.

1. Congress (bicameral) make the laws

2. Executive (President) carry out the laws

3. Judicial (Supreme Court) enforce & carryout the laws.

• The New Jersey Plan, proposed by William Paterson.

The New Jersey Plan

- This plan called for a single house legislature with each state sending the same number of delegates. The smaller states favored this plan, because it was equal representation.

Compromise with the delegates

- 1. How the members of Congress were to be elected

- 2. How state representation would be determined in both houses

- 3. Whether or not enslaved people were to be counted as part of the population, which would affect the number of representatives for some states

- 4. Whether or not to ban slavery

• They voted and decided on the Virginia Plan. This was a blue print of the constitution we have today. They had a few problems to work out.

• Roger Sherman of Connecticut proposed the plan. The Great Compromise Plan that everyone agreed with..

- There would be a two-house legislature.

- House of Representatives, the number of seats for each state would vary according to the state’s population.

- Senate, each state would have two members.

- The North and South had to compromise on counting slaves towards the population. “Three-Fifths Compromise” for every 5 slaves 3 would count towards the population and taxation.

The Great Compromise

Powers of Congress

1. Prevent states from issuing money

2. Impose Taxes (tariff)

3. Regulate trade with states & countries

4. Call out the state militia (Nat. Guard)

5. Protect copyright & patents

6. Declare war

7. Govern the capital & all territories

8. Take actions when needed Elastic Clause

9. Impeachment

The Constitutional Debate• Before the Constitution could go into effect, 9 of

the 13 states had to ratify it (approve).

• State legislatures set up special ratifying conventions.

• Rhode Island was the only state that did not call a convention because its leaders opposed the Constitution from the beginning.

Adopting the Constitution• Delaware was the first to ratify on December 7,

1787. New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify on June 21, 1788.

• New York and Virginia, the two largest states did not ratify the constitution. They both wanted the Bill of Rights added to secure their guarantees.

• Virginia ratified at the end of June 1788 after being told the Constitution would have a bill of rights added to it. New York narrowly ratified in July 1788.

• Celebrations took place in hundreds of American towns and cities.

• The Constitution was finally ratified, and the new nation had a new government.

Rising Sun chair, Constitutional Convention

Roots of the Constitution• Many ideas in the Constitution came from the

study of European political institutions and political writers.

• The Enlightenment promoted knowledge, reason, and science as the way to improve society.

• Ideas of John Locke, an English philosopher, included the belief that all people have natural rights, including life, liberty, and property and that government is an agreement, or contract, between the people and the ruler.

• The Constitution was a contract between the American people and their government, and it protected the people’s natural rights by limiting the power of the government.

Roots of the Constitution (cont.) - The French writer Baron de Montesquieu

believed that a separation and balance of powers should exist. Also, the powers of government should be clearly defined and limited.

- They also provided for a system of checks and balances to make sure that no one part would gain too much power.

- The Constitution became the supreme law of the land, the final authority.

Legislative Branch• The federal government is divided into

three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

• The Legislative, or lawmaking, branch is made of the House of Representatives and the Senate..

• Senate ~ elected every 6 years two from each state

• House of Representatives ~ elected every 2 years and based on states population.

• Powers include collecting taxes, coining money and regulating trade, declaring war, raising and supporting armies, and making laws.

• Executive branch carries out the nation’s laws and policies. President & his cabinet.

Executive Branch

- In the Electoral College, each state chooses electors to cast their votes for the president and vice president.

- The president and vice president serve a four-year term.

• The duties of the president include being commander in chief of the armed forces, appointing the supreme court justices, ambassadors, make treaties, and conducting foreign policy.

• The Judicial branch, consists of the Supreme Court and lower courts. They interpret and enforce the laws.

Judicial Branch

• There are 9 judges on the Supreme Court for life.

• The courts hear cases involving the Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and disputes between states.

• Checks & Balances ~ is a system that keeps one branch from becoming more powerful than another. They limit the others from having too much power.

Checks & Balance System

- Both houses of the legislature must pass a bill for it to become a law.

- The president can check Congress by vetoing a bill.

- The judicial branch checks the Congress by making sure the laws it passes do not conflict with the Constitution.

• How the system works:

Checks & Balance System - Congress can check the president by

overriding the veto, but two-thirds of both houses must vote for the bill.

- The judicial branch checks the president by making sure his decisions and actions arelegal.

- The judicial branch decides whether or not decisions or actions by the legislative branch are legal.

- The president appoints Supreme Court justices, but the Senate checks by approving the appointments.

Preamble We the people of the United

States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

HOW LAWS ARE PASSED

Bill is introduced to Congress

House

Senate

Assigned to a committee

Assigned to a committee

Sent back to the House

Sent back to the Senate

If it’s passed goes to the Senate

If it’s passed

goes to the House

Discussed & changed then voted on

Discussed & changedthen voted on

Joint Committee (House & Senate)

They work out all the different versions to say one.

Sent back to the Senate

Sent backto the House

If passed it then goes to the President.

Wait 10 daysWithout signing

or veto

Sign

VetoHouse & Senate

can override the veto

BILL Becomes a LAWIf passed by House & Senate

By 2/3 majority vote.