WANTED : A “Just Right” Government

Wanted: A government that… much Has enough ________ to do its job Has enough ________ to do its job Doesn’t give anyone too ______ power Doesn’t give anyone too ______ power Considers the needs of all _________ Considers the needs of all _________ Lets people have a ________ Lets people have a ________ Protects individual __________ Protects individual __________ say states power rights

In 1777, the Americans wrote their first plan for government in a document called the Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation? What’s a confederation?? A confederation is a _________ of individuals _______ together for a _________. The First Attempt: The Articles of Confederation group united purpose

Each state was _________________ and had its own ________________. Each state was _________________ and had its own ________________. Each state would send _______________ to the “Congress of the Confederation.” Each state would send _______________ to the “Congress of the Confederation.” The Congress was the only ____________ government. There was no ___________. The Congress was the only ____________ government. There was no ___________. In Congress, each state got _______ vote. In Congress, each state got _______ vote. independent government representatives central President one

Congress had no way to __________ its _______! Congress had no way to __________ its _______! Congress had no power to collect _________ to pay for the military! Congress had no power to collect _________ to pay for the military! The Articles could only be _________ if ______ the states agreed! The Articles could only be _________ if ______ the states agreed! States get to keep their ______ and ____________ States get to keep their ______ and ____________ No _____________ telling the states what to do No _____________ telling the states what to do Congress had the power to create a _________ to ________all the states Congress had the power to create a _________ to ________all the states The First Attempt: The Articles of Confederation Hey, this sounds great!Wait! Not so fast… independencepower government military protect enforcelaws taxes changed ALL

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There were some good things and some bad things about the Articles of Confederation. In general, people felt like the government wasn’t working! Congress is too weak to end the conflicts between our states!

But there was no easy solution… Large states should have more say! Small states should have more say! More help for fishermen! More help for farmers! Up with central government! Down with central government! We need a President! Who needs a President?

States Had Different Needs Some states depended on, while others mostly grew. fishing crops

States Had Different Sizes Some states had people, while others had. many few

People Had Different Opinions Some people Others thought a central government was. feared necessary a central government. A central government will have too much power! We’ll lose our freedom! But we’ll never get anything done if no one is in charge!!

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Something needed to change, but people didn’t want a central government to have too much power!

The states decided to put aside some of their differences and come together to try to solve the problem of forming a new government…

Articles of Confederation New Idea A New Idea! 1 Branch Legislative—makes laws 3 Branches

A New Idea! Legislative: Makes laws Judicial: Interprets laws Executive: Carries out laws But Wait! How many should each state get in the legislature? votes

The Virginia Plan The New Jersey Plan Battle of the Plans Legislative branch has ___ “chambers” Legislative branch has ___ “chambers” Number of votes for each state depends on the state’s ___________ Number of votes for each state depends on the state’s ___________ ________ states would have more power ________ states would have more power population 2 Larger Legislative branch has ___ “chamber” Legislative branch has ___ “chamber” Each state gets ___ vote Each state gets ___ vote ________ states would have more power ________ states would have more power 1 Smaller 1 (Virginia was a large state, and New Jersey was a small state. Surprise!)

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There were a lot of differences to overcome and a lot of compromises to make…but finally… The Constitution of the United States of America

Legislative: Makes laws Judicial: Interprets laws Executive: Carries out laws Divide Congress Into Two Houses Senate House of Representatives Each state gets 2 votes. The more people the state has, the more votes it gets! And that’s not all… The Constitution Solution

Not only did the Constitution resolve the problem of the legislature, but it solved some other problems as well…

Did the Articles of Confederation require states to treat other states the same as their own citizens?  Yes  No

The Constitution requires each state to treat ________ of other states the ______ as it treats its own citizens. citizens same The Constitution Solution

The Constitution can be changed if ________________ of the members of Congress and ________________ of the states agree. two-thirds (2/3) three-fourths (3/4) The Constitution Solution

The Constitution says that the laws passed by Congress are _________ to laws passed by the _______. superior states The Constitution Solution

The new Americans made compromises and found solutions for their new government. Let’s review the final product of the Constitutional Convention!

A Laws are made by the _______ branch. B executive legislative

Laws passed by Congress are _____ to state laws. superior inferior AB

Congress has ______. 1 chamber 2 chambers AB

Each state gets two votes in the __________. House of Representatives Senate AB

In the House of Representatives, the number of votes each states gets is based on its ________. population taxes AB

A change to the Constitution must be approved by ___________. All states ¾ of states AB

Although they managed to solve the problems created by the Articles, there were still many decisions to be made before everyone accepted the Constitution!

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