Please sit in your assigned seats and quietly follow the directions below: Write down everything you know, or remember, about September 11, 2001.

(Articles of Confederation) PROBLEM (Articles of Confederation) SOLUTION (Constitution) The Articles gave the power of the government to the states. The Constitution set up a federal system in which the power of government was shared between the states and the national government

(Articles of Confederation) PROBLEM (Articles of Confederation) SOLUTION (Constitution) The Confederation government had not been able to solve problems in the delegation and exercise of power by amending the Articles of Confederation unless all of the states agreed The new constitution would make it easier to fix any unforeseen problems by including a provision for amendment by three fourths of the states

(Articles of Confederation) PROBLEM (Articles of Confederation) SOLUTION (Constitution) The structure of the Confederation government proved to be unsatisfactory because there was no executive branch of government to carry out the will of the national congress or a judiciary to resolve disputes The Framers of the Constitution established three branches of government, legislative, executive and judicial, each with its own powers, and a system of checks and balances limited the power of each of the branches

(Articles of Confederation) PROBLEM (Articles of Confederation) SOLUTION (Constitution) The Confederation Congress consisted of one house and each state delegation had one vote, no matter how big or small the population of that state might be The Constitution created a bicameral legislature in which each state has two votes in the Senate and representation in the House of Representatives is based on population. Great Compromise, 3/5’s Compromise

(Articles of Confederation) PROBLEM (Articles of Confederation) SOLUTION (Constitution) The authority of the Confederation government derived from the states so delegates to the Confederation Congress were selected by their state legislatures. The Framers decided that representatives should be directly elected by the voters of their states The also established the Electoral College, and decided that the Supreme Court should be appointed by the President

Branches of Government under the Constitution: Legislative Branch: Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) Bicameral Legislature: two part legislature Executive Branch: President, Vice President, Administration Judicial Branch: Supreme Court

 Compromises: The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise): Virginia Plan: large states wanted to be represented based on population New Jersey Plan: small states wanted to preserve their power and continue to have one vote per state Compromise: a bicameral legislature in which each state has two votes in the Senate and representation in the House of Representatives is based on population

The Great Compromise led to a debate about who should be counted for purposes of representation… The 3/5’s Compromise: Southern states wanted to count slaves Northern states, many of which were in the process of gradually emancipating their slaves, did not want to give southern states this political advantage Compromise: slaves were to count as 3/5 of a person for the purpose of representation

Electing Representatives: The Framers believed in “no taxation without representation” so because they gave the House of Representatives the right to initiate tax measures, they determined that Representatives should be directly elected by the voters of their states (popular vote)

The Framers also feared the uncontrolled will of the people so they… Devised a system for indirect election of Senators Senators were elected by the state legislatures Each state elected two Senators

Developed the Electoral College to buffer the impact of the popular will on the election of the President Electoral College: consists of the electors appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States Decided that Supreme Court Justices (judges) should be appointed by the President

What has changed today? Representatives in the House AND Senators are elected by the popular vote today. What has stayed the same? Although there is a popular vote for the President, he is officially elected by the Electoral College Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the President and serve for life, or until retirement