Goals: To understand the basic ideas of state constitutions To understand the idea of Legislative Supremacy

 “My country” would have been the state in which someone resided  The states were only united in fighting the British  All states were required to draft a new state constitution

 Higher Law and Natural Rights – The constitution served as a “higher” law that could not be changed  Social Contract – The people should not fear the government, rather the government should fear the people  Popular Sovereignty – Ultimate authority rests with the people  Representation and Suffrage – Legislatures were formed and voters needed to meet property requirements (even freed blacks and Native Americans)  Checks and Balances – each branch of government had checks on each other's powers

 A government in which the legislature has the most power  The legislature reflected the will of the people  The executive branch couldn’t be trusted because they were less accountable  Judges shouldn’t be trusted with too much power  Pennsylvania’s constitution created a 12- member council in lieu of a governor  Governors were to play a minute role in lawmaking

 John Locke, among others, believed that in a representative government, the legislative branch should be supreme because it is the closest to the people.  Accordingly, the legislative branch is the least likely to violate the people’s rights.  Most early state constitutions reflected this idea and weighted the balance of governmental power in favor of their legislatures.

 Do you agree with Locke’s argument for the supremacy of legislative power? Why or why not?  Does the legislative branch necessarily reflect the people’s will? Explain your response.  What might a government be like in which the executive or judicial branch was supreme rather than the legislature?