The Articles of Confederation was America’s 1st form of gov’t The weakness the national gov’t was originally seen as good because it eliminated tyranny Later, these same weaknesses kept the gov’t from solving serious national problems Confederation Government in New York City The inability of the government to collect taxes led to problems

Shays’ Rebellion proved to be the convincing event that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 Property foreclosures led an uprising among Massachusetts farmers called Shays’ Rebellion in 1787 but the gov’t could not pay for an army to stop it Poor farmers in western MA were angered over high taxes & prospect of debtors jail In 1786, nearly 2,000 debtor farmers in western Massachusetts were threatened with foreclosure of their mortgaged property. The state legislature had voted to pay off the state's Revolutionary War debt in three years; between 1783 and 1786, taxes on land rose more than 60 percent. Desperate farmers demanded a cut in property taxes and adoption of state laws to postpone farm foreclosures. The lower house of the state legislature passed relief measures in 1786, but creditors persuaded the upper house to reject the package. When lower courts started to seize the property of farmers such as Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary War veteran, western Massachusetts farmers temporarily closed the courts and threatened a federal arsenal. Although the rebels were defeated by the state militia, they were victorious at the polls. A new legislature elected early in 1787 enacted debt relief. By the spring of 1787, many national leaders believed that the new republic's survival was at risk. The threat of national bankruptcy, commercial conflicts among the states, Britain's refusal to evacuate military posts, Spanish intrigues on the western frontier, and armed rebellion in western Massachusetts underscored the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. The only solution, many prominent figures were convinced, was to create an effective central government led by a strong chief executive. Daniel Shays led an uprising & closed debt courts & threatened a federal arsenal

The Anti-Federalists were led by Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams Those who opposed the Constitution, feared a stronger national gov’t , and wanted states to remain power were called Anti-Federalists The Anti-Federalists were led by Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams

Patrick Henry, speech in opposition to the Constitution, 1788 “Show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chance of their rulers being good men, without a consequent loss of liberty?” Patrick Henry, speech in opposition to the Constitution, 1788

Those who supported the new Constitution and a stronger national gov’t were called the Federalists Federalist leaders James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote a series of essays called the Federalist Papers to counter the arguments of the Anti-Federalists

“Nothing is more certain than the indispensable necessity of government… People must cede some of their natural rights in order to vest it with requisite powers.” (Federalist #2) “…the smaller the number of individuals composing a majority, the more easily will they execute their plans of oppression. Extend the sphere, and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests; you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will invade the rights of other citizens.” (Federalist #10) “[If the] federal gov’t is entrusted with the care of the common defense…that gov’t ought to be clothed with all the powers requisite to complete execution of its trust.” (Federalist #23)

America’s First National Government: The Articles of Confederation After Shays’ Rebellion, people like Hamilton & Madison began calling for a stronger national gov’t In 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to discuss ways to improve the Articles Instead of revising the Articles of Confederation, the delegates replaced it with the Constitution 34a - explain how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and Daniel Shays' Rebellion led to a call for a stronger central government

The Constitution was a radical shift from the AOC because it gave more power to the national gov’t than to the state gov’ts The supremacy clause establishes the Constitution (not the states) as the "the supreme law of the land"

The national government under the Constitution would have new features & powers that the Articles of Confederation did not have Rather than a single unicameral Congress, the new national government would be divided among three equal branches of government

Unlike the AOC, Congress had the power to tax & coin money Like the AOC, the gov’t had a Congress (legislative branch) to make laws Unlike the AOC, the new gov’t had a president (executive branch) to lead the nation and enforce laws passed by Congress Unlike the AOC, Congress had the power to tax & coin money Unlike the AOC, the new gov’t had a court system (judicial branch) to interpret laws and prosecute federal crimes

Delegates at the Constitutional Convention agreed on some major philosophical ideas for the new national government

Separation of powers: three branches with defined powers Checks & balances: each branch can limit the power of the others

The delegates at the convention had to negotiate a series of compromises in order to agree on a framework for government Many of these compromises dealt with how representatives would be chosen from the states to serve in Congress

Critical Thinking Question A: Large States vs. Small States

The large states supported the Virginia Plan which proposed adding a president to lead the nation and a bicameral congress in which larger states have more representatives The small states supported the a New Jersey Plan which called for a unicameral congress in which states are equally represented just like the AOC

In the Senate each state has 2 reps who serve 6-year terms The Great Compromise resolved the differences between the large & small states by creating a bicameral Congress In the Senate each state has 2 reps who serve 6-year terms In the House of Representatives, the number of reps is determined by each state’s population

Critical Thinking Question B: Southern Slave States vs Critical Thinking Question B: Southern Slave States vs. Northern Free States

Northern & Southern states could not agree whether or not to count slaves towards population size If slaves are counted, Southern states would have more votes and power in the House of Representatives The Three-Fifths Compromise allowed states to count three of every five slaves toward taxation and population size

Critical Thinking Question C: To End Slavery or Not

Many Northerners wanted to use the Constitutional Convention to end slavery, but Southerners threatened to leave the USA anytime slavery was discussed As a compromise for the South, the slave trade could continue for 20 more years & runaway slaves would be returned to slave masters

James Madison negotiated and wrote much of the framework of the new government and is referred to as the “father of the Constitution”

Some states ratified the Constitution quickly, but states with large majorities of Anti-Federalists refused without a Bill of Rights to protect their liberty New Hampshire was the 9th state to ratify the Constitution which went into effect in 1789, but the Federalists wanted all 13 states to ratify the new gov’t In 1789, the Bill of Rights was introduced and the last two states ratified the Constitution by 1790

The Bill of Rights was approved in 1791

Today, the Constitution is the oldest existing written gov’t in the world and is a model for other nations

Closure Activity: Create a symbol or cartoon that describes the main idea of each amendment

Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 which created federal courts During his first term, President Washington focused on domestic issues that would shape the new nation Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 which created federal courts

Congress created the Treasury, State, War, Justice Departments Washington created the 1st cabinet (group of advisors who head departments) Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of Treasury Henry Knox, Secretary of War George Washington, President Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State Edmund Randolph, Attorney General

Alexander Hamilton was named Secretary of Treasury (Treasury Department deals with issues involving money or taxes) Hamilton and Jefferson were the most influential of Washington’s cabinet, but they had different views on the role of government Thomas Jefferson was named Secretary of State (State Department deals with issues involving foreign nations)

In 1793, Washington made an important foreign policy precedent with his Proclamation of Neutrality President Washington believed that America was too young to involve itself in a European war America politicians remained neutral in European affairs from 1793 to 1898

In 1794, Washington faced another crisis: the Whiskey Rebellion Hamilton’s whiskey tax frustrated western farmers in Pennsylvania who saw it as an unfair tax on the poor 10 10

Reminder! When Shays’ Rebellion broke out in 1787, the weak government under the Articles of Confederation could not stop the rebellion When the Whiskey Rebellion began in 1794, President Washington saw the uprising as a threat to public safety 10 10

“Whenever the government appears in arms [against a riot or insurrection], it ought to appear like Hercules, and inspire respect by the display of strength” “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government”

President Washington mobilized an army of 13,000 soldiers which ended the rebellion The quick end to the rebellion revealed the strength of the new national government under the Constitution 10 10

In 1796, Washington chose not to run for a 3rd term as president He was afraid that if he died in office, it would create a precedent that presidents can serve for life There was no term limit in the Constitution, but Washington created the precedent that no president serve more than two terms 10 10

In 1796, George Washington gave advice to the nation in his Farewell Address Washington warned against the growth of “factions” and political parties He warned against growing sectional tensions between the North and South He restated his desire for neutrality by warning against entangling alliances 10 10

After Washington’s retirement, the Democratic-Republicans and Federalists campaigned for the presidency in 1796 Federalist John Adams defeated Republican Thomas Jefferson and won the presidency 10 10

The war between England & France was still going on and continued to cause problems for America France was frustrated with American neutrality and began to seize U.S. merchant ships Adams sent diplomats to France to negotiate an agreement on American trade rights in Europe 10 10

Three French officials (nicknamed X, Y, and Z) demanded a bribe to meet with French ministers Americans were offended by this XYZ Affair and called for war with France, but Adams kept his cool Credit: Forms part of: British Cartoon Prints Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division  In the 1790s the U.S. struggled to remain neutral in a war between Britain and France that would not end until the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815. In 1797 three French officials requested bribes from American diplomats to end the undeclared "Quasi War" during which the French navy had captured more than 300 American merchant ships. In this British satire of Franco-American relations after what became known as the XYZ Affair, a group of Frenchmen flatter "Madame Amerique" with promises of the wealth that their friendship can provide, while John Bull looks on from his stronghold atop "Shakespeare's cliff."  Madame Amerique

Federalists in Congress passed the Alien & Sedition Acts President Adams’ handling of the conflict with France led to criticisms by Democratic-Republicans Federalists in Congress passed the Alien & Sedition Acts The laws made it a crime to criticize government leaders, restricted citizenship for new immigrants, and made deporting immigrants easier This attack on free speech and citizenship backfired and badly damaged President Adams and the Federalist Party

Republicans Thomas Jefferson and James Madison wrote the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions to attack the Federalist Party These essays presented an argument for states’ rights suggesting that states could ignore (nullify) unfair national laws These arguments of states’ rights and nullification will be used by the South to secede from the USA by 1861 and start the Civil War 22 22

Adams and his Federalist Party were unpopular by the election of 1800 Republican Jefferson defeated Adams in the election of 1800 The 1800 election marked the first time in U.S. history when one political party transferred power to another political party Jefferson’s victory over Adams marked the beginning of 30 years of dominance by the Democratic-Republican Party

Closure Activity: Hamilton vs. Jefferson Create a conversation between Federalist Secretary of Treasury Hamilton and Republicans Secretary of State Jefferson that shows their major disagreements ?