SS8H4 DESCRIBE THE IMPACT OF EVENTS THAT LED TO THE RATIFICATION OF THE US CONSTITUTION & THE BILL OF RIGHTS

SS8H4a  Articles of Confederation: America’s 1 st written constitution   Provided Americans with an extremely weak central government  Based on American experience with British monarchy  Goal was to give as much power to the people through autonomy of the states  Too many limitations which hindered smooth functioning  National government could:  Declare war, coin money, establish post offices, send & recall ambassadors  National government could not:  Impose taxes to fund government  Regulate trade between states, but states could tax each other  Weaknesses:  Strong legislature, but no executive or judicial branches  Each state had its own currency  All 13 colonies had to approve a low for it to pass  1 vote per state regardless of size Analyze the strengths & weaknesses of both the GA constitution of 1777 & the Articles of Confederation & explain how weaknesses in the Articles led to its revision

GA Constitution of 1777  Similar to the Articles of Confederation  Based on idealistic principles of the Declaration of Independence  Was not a constitution capable of meeting the needs of governing a state  Did have 3 branches of government, but most of the power was held by the unicameral legislative branch  Legislature could appoint members to the judicial and executive branches, including the state governor  Governor had little power & limited to only 1 yearly term  Offered many freedoms (freedom of press, religion and trial by jury)  Georgians could not ratify (make something valid) it  Remained state constitution for 12 years  Constitution of 1789 changed the model of the US Constitution

SS8H4b:  Founders realized the Articles of Confederation was too weak to effectively govern the country (1787)  Continual threats from European powers & Native American tribes  States were fighting about land & sea rights  Could not maintain an Army & Navy, build roads and canals because funds could not be raised  Was too difficult to pass laws because not all of the 13 states agreed on legislation  No separation of powers (no judicial or executive branches)  Important leaders (George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Ben Franklin) knew change had to happen  Representatives from all 13 states met in 1787 to discard or the Articles of Confederation & write a new constitution or rewrite the articles  Left the convention having written the current US Constitution  Three-fifths Compromise: allowed slaves to count towards a states population, counting them as 3/5 of a person  Great Compromise: created a bicameral legislature where each state had 2 members in the Senate, but representation in the House of Representatives was based on a states population Describe the role of GA at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, include Abraham Baldwin & William Few & reasons why GA ratified the new constitution

Bill of Rights  1 st 10 Amendments of US Constitution  Written by James Madison in response to states desires for greater constitutional protection  Accepted in 1791  Amendment 1: Freedom of religion, press, speech, assembly, petition  Amendment 2: Right to bear arms  Amendment 3: Freedom from quartering soldiers  Amendment 4: Freedom from unreasonable search & seizure  Amendment 5: Due process of the law  Amendment 6: Right to a speedy & fair trial  Amendment 7: Trial by jury  Amendment 8: No excessive fines, no cruel & unusual punishment  Amendment 9: All people have rights not defined within Constitution  Amendment 10: Powers not held by federal government are held by the states

GAs role at the Constitutional Convention  2 important roles:  Helped pass the 3/5 Compromise because of southern states united stance on slavery  Contributed to the great divide between the North & South (eventually led to war)  Abraham Baldwin: given credit for changing his vote on Congressional representation, which allowed the Great Compromise

Abraham Baldwin  Born in Connecticut  Graduate of Theology from Yale  Chaplain in the US Army during the American Revolution  Became a lawyer after the war  Moved to GA in 1784 where he became a successful politician  1 of 4 Georgians sent to the Constitutional Convention & 1 of 2 that signed the new constitution  Served 5 years in Congress & 2 terms in the Senate  Died in 1807  Played a role in the creation of the University of Georgia where he served as the university’s 1 st president  Many UGA buildings are modeled after buildings found at Yale

William Few  Soldier (American Revolution)  Signer of US Constitution  Judge  Legislator for 2 states  Born in North Carolina  Moved to GA in mid-1770s  Appointed as a GA representative at the Constitutional Convention  GA State Senator, representative & judge  Moved to New York in 1799 where he became a member of the NY legislature for 4 years  Bank president