 In your groups discuss the Electoral College.  A. What is it for?  B. Why do we have it?  C. How are the electoral votes per state determined?

 What was America’s 1 st form of government?  A = Articles of Confederation  What was its major weakness?  A = could not TAX.  Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?  A = Thomas Jefferson

 What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?  A = for the colonists to declare independence from England.  What was the 3-part argument of the Dec. of Indep?

 1. Everybody has natural rights  2. The purpose of govt. is to protect people’s nat. rights.  3. If the govt. is not doing its job, people have the right to overthrow it and form a new one.

 Once the Constitution was made, states had to vote whether they wanted it to replace the Articles of Confederation.  Ratification = to vote to accept the Constitution as the new national government.  9 of 13 states had to vote yes.

 People that support the Constitution.  Feel that a stronger national govt. is needed.  Tend to distrust “the people.”

 Do not like the Constitution  Some fear a more powerful national government will end up being oppressive (like England’s was).  Want power to stay at the state level.  Biggest concern, though, is there is no listing of individual rights (a Bill of Rights) in the Constitution.

 Newspaper articles written to get people to support ratifying the Constitution.  Written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison.

 Vote is close in some states.  But by 1788, 9 states had voted for ratification.  Federalists promised to add a bill of rights once the Constitution was ratified.

 Refers to the 1 st 10 amendments (additions) to the Constitution.  Lets look at them in your book!

 Passing the Constitution was called what?  A = ratification  People who supported ratifying the Constitution were called?  A = Federalists.  People opposed to the Constitution were called what?  A = Anti-Federalists

 Series of newspaper articles written to get people to support the Constitution were called?  A = Federalist Papers.  Who wrote the Federalist papers?  A = John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison.  What was the biggest concern of the anti-federlaists about the Constitution?  A = It had no Bill of Rights.  What are the 1 st 10 Amendments t0 the Constitution called?  A = bill of rights.