Unit 4Chapter 8Lesson 1

Pages 202-205

Think of a time when you were doing something that just

wasn’t working correctly. Did you do something to fix it?

Write at least three lines explaining what you did.

Please Do Now!

Share with your partner.

North America after the Treaty of Paris 1783.

United StatesOf America

The Articles of Confederation was the supreme law of the new

United States of America.

Unfortunately, it was not working well. The Articles were

too weak to fix problems between states, and it didn’t give the U.S. government the

power to tax.

So state leaders decided to meet in Philadelphia in May of 1787 to

try to fix the Articles of Confederation. They soon

realized they needed to start over. This meeting became known as the Constitutional

Convention.

Delegates debated about how the new government should be set up. They worked on it until September. There were many

compromises made.

Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania is given credit for writing most of the final draft, including the Preamble to the

United States Constitution.

What Do You Think?Read pg. 205 in your social

studies book. Write three lines describing why you think

Gouverneur Morris’s story is so special.

Share what you wrotewith your partner.

The delegates signed the final copy of the Constitution on

September 17, 1787.

The Constitution would not become law until 9 of the 13

states ratified, or approved, it.

Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the Constitution on

December 12, 1787.

The Constitution became official on September 13, 1788.

Even though the Constitution was the new supreme law of the

United States, many people were worried it did not

guarantee people their rights.

So in 1791, lawmakers added a list of ten amendments, or changes to a law, to the

Constitution.

This list of amendments is called the Bill of Rights. They list the rights that belong to all United

States citizens.

Farmers in western Pennsylvania tested the power of the new federal government

in 1794 by refusing to pay a high tax on whiskey. This

became known as the Whiskey Rebellion.

George Washington sent 13,000 militia to western Pennsylvania

to confront a group of rebels causing trouble.

This proved that the new government could enforce its

laws.

Exit ActivityWhy was the Bill of Rights

created? Explain why this was important.