Paper Preparation solo Just Right Government We are using an open book fold. 1) Fold the paper like a hot dog. 2) Unfold it. Head the paper. Title your paper “Just Right Government”.

Just Right Government (SS.7.C.1.5) - by the end of this lesson, you should be able to: describe how the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation led to the writing of the Constitution identify cause/effect relationships in the development of America’ government

Reading Check: Just Right Government In our readings for this lesson and one more this unit, y’all will be doing all the work. I will start by assigning you numbers. If you choose not to read, you will receive a 0% (F) for this reading check. If you are not ready to read at the right time, you will lose points from your reading check grade.

Reading Check: Just Right Government During the reading, if we come across something you think is a PRO (a good thing) about the Articles of Confederation, write it on the left side of your paper. If you find a CON (a bad thing), write it on the right side of your paper.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 1) When the American colonists gained their independence from the British after the Revolutionary War, the Americans were faced with a problem: What kind of government should they have?

Reading Check: Just Right Government 2) They’d lived for years under British rule, and they had lots of complaints. Now they would create a government from scratch, and they had a few requirements.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 3) Their experience under heavy- handed British rule left the newly independent Americans a little bit skittish. Basically, they wanted a government that couldn’t do much.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 4) They started by drafting a document called the Articles of Confederation. A confederation is a group of individuals united together for a purpose—in this case, the 13 states that had been British colonies before the war.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 5) The Articles of Confederation explained how the 13 states would be governed as one nation. Here are the basics: Each state was independent and had its own government.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 6) Each state would send representatives to the “Congress of the Confederation,” a lawmaking body. Congress was the only branch of government. (No president or courts.)

Reading Check: Just Right Government 7) Finally, in Congress, each state got one vote. On one hand, the Articles of Confederation had qualities that citizens appreciated. Because the Articles did not set up a very strong government, states got to keep their power and independence.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 8) People were happy that there was no powerful government telling them what to do. Citizens also wanted protection, and the Articles gave Congress the power to create a military to protect all the states.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 9) However, there were problems. For one thing, the Articles did not give Congress the power to enforce its laws. Congress also had no power to collect taxes to pay for the military.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 10) And in order to change the Articles, every single state had to agree to the changes. These and other problems meant that, in general, citizens felt like the government wasn't working.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 11) With thirteen different states, there was no easy solution. Different states had different needs, different sizes, and the people had different opinions about government.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 12) States had different needs. For example, some states depended on fishing, while others mostly grew crops.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 13) States had different sizes. Some states had many people; others had few.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 14) People had different opinions. Some people feared a central government, while others thought a central government was necessary.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 15) The fear of government was especially troublesome. Many people feared they would lose their freedom if a central government had too much power. Others were tired of the weak government created under the Articles of Confederation and felt like nothing would ever get done if nobody was in charge.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 16) The states decided to put aside some of their differences and come together to try to solve the problem of forming another government. Some states floated a new idea: Instead of a government with just one branch, Congress, why not create a government with three branches?

Reading Check: Just Right Government 17) The new government could have a legislative branch with a congress to make laws, an executive branch led by a president to carry out laws, and a judicial branch with courts to interpret laws. It sounded good, but one major sticking point kept it from moving forward: How many votes would each state get in the Congress?

Reading Check: Just Right Government 18) Under the Articles of Confederation, each state got one vote no many how many people it had. That meant people in large states had less influence in Congress. Naturally, large states thought this wasn’t fair. They thought they should get more votes because they had more people.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 19) Two different plans emerged— one favoring small states and one favoring large states (like Virginia). The Virginia Plan: The legislative branch has 2 chambers and the number of votes for each state depends on the state’s population.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 20) The New Jersey Plan: The legislative branch has one chamber and each state gets one vote. This plan was much better for the smaller states. Finally, the two sides— large states and small states—reached a compromise.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 21) The Constitution was the second and final attempt to write a document that would govern the United States, and we still follow it today. Under the Constitution, Congress is divided in to two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 22) In the Senate, each state gets two votes no matter what size it is. This favors small states. In the House of Representatives, the more people a state has, the more votes it gets. This favors large states.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 11) The Constitution also solved some other problems found in the Articles of Confederation. The Articles didn’t require states to treat citizens from other states the same as their own citizens, but the Constitution does.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 12) The Articles couldn’t be changed unless all states agreed, but the Constitution can be changed if 3/4 of the states agree.

Reading Check: Just Right Government 13) The Articles didn’t require states to follow the laws Congress passed, but the Constitution says federal laws are superior to state laws.

Left Side: PRO What’s good about the Articles of Confederation? States get to keep their power and independence No powerful government telling the states what to do. Congress had the power to create a military to protect all the states.

What’s bad about the Articles of Confederation? Right Side: CON Congress had no way to enforce its laws! Congress had no power to collect taxes to pay for the military! In order to change the Articles, every single state had to agree!

Back Side Left: Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation had one branch: a legislative branch that could make laws.

Back Side Right: The Constitution The Constitution suggested there should be three branches: legislative to make laws, executive to enforce laws, and judicial to interpret laws.

Back Side Left: Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation allowed states to treat other citizens from other states different from their own citizens. This meant that you might be able to own a horse in the state you live in, but if you travel to another, they might take your horse away.

Back Side Right: The Constitution The Constitution made the states respect each others laws and treat other citizens the same as their own people.

Back Side Left: Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation could only be changed if all 13 states agreed. Today, it would take all fifty states agreeing on something. Since 1960 (the first time we had fifty states in an election), there has never been a winning presidential candidate that won all fifty states.

Back Side Right: The Constitution The Constitution can be changed if three out of four (¾, three-fourths) of the states agree. That meant ten out of thirteen in 1789. Today, it means 38 states.

Back Side Left: Articles of Confederation The Congress of the Confederation created by the Articles of Confederation could make laws, but states didn’t have to follow the laws if they didn’t want to.

Back Side Right: The Constitution In the Constitution, in Article VI (6), has a Supremacy Clause that says the Constitution is the supreme law of the land and no state laws can violate the Constitution or laws made by the federal government.