The American Constitution

Essential Question: Why was a new Constitution written and what compromises were necessary?

Articles of Confederation 1781-1788 First written U.S. Constitution Drafted by Congress in 1777 Under the A of C the states retained their individual “sovereignty, freedom, and independence” They (American colonists) had fought hard to defeat one tyrant, they didn’t want another one

Weaknesses of the A of C Could not regulate tax Too many imported goods Not enough business for American craftsmen Could not regulate currency Could not tax Couldn’t pay debts To finance the Revolutionary War the colonists borrowed money by paying soldiers in notes to be redeemed in the future Unable to pay States adopted their own economic policies

Constitutional Convention, May 1787 Delegates gather to amend/fix the A of C Decide to replace the A of C Have to find a balance between the freedom of the people and the necessary power of the government

What did the Founding Fathers agree on? The gov’t would represent the people Congress needed to be able to raise money (tax) on its own Did not want anything close to a monarchy

What did they disagree on? The proper balance of power between the federal and state governments Large vs. small states What to do about slavery And the list goes on...

The Virginia plan vs The New Jersey plan Introduced by James Madison Proposed the creation of a 2- House legislature with a state’s pop. determining its representation in each Fails New Jersey Plan Called for a single-house Congress in which each state casts one vote Fails

Compromise Senate Each state has 2 members Elected for 6 year terms Elected by state representatives House of Representatives Representation is based on population Elected for 2 year terms Elected by the people Barbara Boxer Dianne Feinstein Devin Nunes

3/5ths Compromise Delegates were careful in how they addressed slavery Pushed through the 3/5ths Compromise that indicated 60% of the slave population would be counted in determining each state’s representation House of Reps and its electoral votes for president

Characteristics of the Constitution Adaptable Amendment Process ⅔ vote in both houses Federalism Division of Powers Executive (president), Legislative (Congress), Judicial (Supreme Court) Relationship between the national and the state gov’ts Strengthened national authority Checks and Balances Prevents any branch of the gov’t from dominating the other two

Annotations and Summary -After completing the fill-in notes, add annotations to the left margin, including questions, clarifications, terms, examples, etc. -Then, summarize the notes by answering the essential question (Why was a new Constitution written and what compromises were necessary?) in the space provided. -Annotations and summary must be completed in order to get full credit for your notes.

Vocabulary Limited Gov’t: restricted with reference to governing powers by limitations prescribed in laws and in a constitution Representative Gov’t: system of governance by chosen representatives, usually elected from among a large group Federalism: a political system in which a national government and state governments share power Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances: provisions that prevent any branch of the government from dominating over the other two Consent of the governed: the authority of a government should depend on the consent of the people, as expressed by votes in an election Inalienable Rights: a right according to natural law, a right that cannot be taken away