Creating A Republic The War is Won… Now What?

Key Terms Constitution- A document that outlines how government will run Bill Of Rights- Lists the freedoms that the government promises to protect Articles of Confederation- Creates a loose alliance of the colonies Legislative Branch- Makes the Laws Executive Branch- Enforces the Laws Judicial Branch- Makes sure that laws are constitutional

Key Terms Republic- A government in which citizens rule themselves Habeas Corpus- No person shall be held in prison without being charged with a crime

Confederation State v. Nation Most of the new states wrote their own constitutions They all had different rules and ideas Some included a bill of rights They created legislatures elected by the people In most states only white men over the age of 21 who owned a certain amount of property and paid a certain amount of taxes could vote New Jersey briefly allowed women to vote if they met the requirements The continental congress was planning for the nation as a whole

State v. Nation Most people felt loyal to their own state as opposed to the nation as a whole People also feared that a national government would bring tyranny like Great Britain had The Articles of Confederation were approved in 1777 Limited Powers Federal powers were less than state powers Congress could declare war, appoint military officers and coin money Congress could not regulate trade, tax the states and had to get state approval for laws

Weakness of the Confederation Conflicts between states threatened the union Congress had no power to stop them The United States owed millions to individuals and governments thanks to the war The dollar had no value as it was not backed by gold or silver (no fort Knox) States began to print their own money Congress did have the power to admit new states Once an area had 60,000 settlers it could petition for statehood and be equal to all other states

Convention Weaknesses of the articles of confederation had people calling for a convention to fix things Began on May 25th, 1787 All but Rhode Island sent representatives Two rival plans emerged The Virginia Plan Strong national government with 3 branches 2 houses based on population The New Jersey Plan 3 branches 1 house legislature with one vote per state

The Great Compromise Created a two house legislature The House of Representatives would be elected by popular vote as the large states wanted The Senate would be chosen by state legislatures There would be 2 Senators from each state As the smaller states wanted North and South argued as well Slavery was the main issue of contention Three- Fifths compromise 3 of 5 slaves would be counted as part of the population which would decide how many house delegates a state would have Northern states agreed that congress could not outlaw slavery for 20 years

Ideas of the Constitution Roman Example The founding fathers admired the example set by their Roman predecessors They saw citizens who desired to serve the state for the good of others They also saw that the Roman empire declined once citizens began to value luxury more than independence

Great Britain as an Example? The Magna Carta Leaders still had to obey the law All people have the right to private property and trial by jury English Bill of Rights Protected the rights of citizens Parliamentary election regularly Affirmed Habeas Corpus- cannot be jailed without being charged with a crime

Enlightenment Theory Locke and Natural Rights Separation of Powers All people have rights to life, liberty and property Government is an agreement between the ruler and the ruled Founding fathers saw the constitution as a contract between the people and their government Separation of Powers Powers of government should be clearly defined and divided up Three branches of government