1. A More Perfect Union Period: 1777 – 1790 President: N/A

2. The Articles of Confederation May 1776 - State Constitutions – Limited power of governors – Created bicameral legislatures – Voters: White males, 21+, property-owners Republic form of government – Citizens rule through elected representatives

3. Articles of Confederation (1777-1781) – First Constitution; created central government – Limited authority (weak v. states) – COULD: Foreign affairs, armed forces, borrow $, issue currency – COULD NOT: Regulate trade, force citizens to join army, impose taxes – States’ issues: representation/votes in Congress (only 1 per state ); disputes over possession of western lands – March 1781 – Finally ratified.

4. 1781 – 1789 – Congress had limited authority – 9 states in favor to pass any law – 13 states in favor to change the Articles – BUT: Expanded foreign trade Settling/governing western territories

5. Land Policies – Ordinance of 1785 Established procedures – buying/selling land Townships – 6 mi. x 6 mi. – 36 sections of 640 acres ea. @ $1 per acre – Northwest Ordinance (1787) Northwest Territory – Statehood: 60,000 + population to petition – Enter on “equal footing” with other states – No slavery – first attempt to stop slavery from spreading – Opened the way for settlement of the west

6. Financial Problems – Money issued during war depreciated No gold or silver backed $ = no real value No power to tax = huge debt Requested $ from states, but they weren’t required to pay http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFRx iX0pQl4 http://www.usdebtclock.org/#

7. – Problems with Britain Troops remained, occupying strategic forts Trade policy – keeping merchants out of key markets States refused to pay Loyalists for property taken in war

8. Problems with Spain – Held FL, lands west of Mississippi – Closed the lower Mississippi River to American shipping – No expansion, access to trade

9. Convention and Compromise Economic Depression – Farms/plantations damaged, trade drop-off – Need to pay foreign debt created shortage of currency Shays’s Rebellion (1786-1787) – Farmers couldn’t sell good = couldn’t pay debts – States seized their land; led to protests and revolt – Daniel Shays forced courts to close in MA so they could not take land Led 1,000+ farmers on federal arsenal in Springfield, MA; four were killed – Worried Americans that gov’t. could not control unrest/violence

10. Slavery (1776 – 1786) – Obvious contradiction between liberty and slavery – 11 states outlawed or heavily taxed slave import – Slavery was legal in all states, even in the North – Plantation system relied on slave labor – economy was dependent – 1774 – Quakers formed 1 st antislavery society – Manumission – owners began freeing slaves – Even those freed faced discrimination – Divisions between North and South begin to grow

11. Constitutional Convention (May 1787) – Philadelphia, 55 delegates Three under 30 yrs old Franklin was over 80 yrs old 26 had college degrees – One of hottest summers ever – Washington chosen as presiding officer – Private meetings – delegates could speak freely – Each state had a single vote – Simple majority ruled on decisions – James Madison – primary “architect” Studied 100’s of books on government, history, politics and economics

12. Virginia Plan (Randolph/Madison) – Balance between different functions of government – Two-house legislature, chief executive, courts – Lower house chosen by people; upper house elected by lower house. – Proportional to population of each state New Jersey Plan (Paterson) – Kept one-house Congress w/equal representation – Expanded powers to tax and trade

13. Why a 2-House Congress?

14. Great Compromise (Sherman) – Two-house legislature: House of Representatives – each state gets seats by population Senate – each state gets two members

15. The Great Compromise

16. Three-Fifths Compromise Counting slaves = a problem South wanted to count toward House of Reps. Seats North objected because slaves were legally property; counted for taxation but not representation Counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a free person for both taxation and representation Issues over slave trade - Congress agreed to leave slave trade alone for 20 years to keep Southern states in the new nation

17. Individual rights – Congress did not draft a Bill of Rights at this time; most believe the document already covered it. Congress approved on Sept. 17, 1787 – Sent to states for consideration and ratification; only 9 of 13 states had to approve for it to be in effect.

18. A New Plan of Government Roots of the Constitution – Ideas from writers of the Enlightenment 1700’s ideas: knowledge, reason, science = improved society John Locke: natural right to life, liberty and property Baron de Montesquieu: powers of gov’t. separate, balanced – Federalism: shared power between national and state governments – Federal powers: Taxation, Trade, Currency, Army, Declare War – State powers: Pass/enforce laws, trade w/in borders, local gov’t., schools, taxation

19. Congress

20. Constitution: “supreme law of the land” – No state can make laws/take action that goes against – Disputes between national and state gov’t. settled in federal courts – Constitution is the final authority Organization of government: – First three articles describe powers/responsibilities U.S. government is distinctive – Separation of powers = divided among legislative, executive and judicial – No one branch can dominate

21. Three Branches: – Legislative (Congress): Makes laws/policies – Executive (President/Cabinet): Enforces laws/policies Electoral College: state electors determine Pres/VP – State legislators choose electors; # equals Senators/Reps – Judicial (Courts): Interpret laws Supreme Court: Chief Justice, 8 associate Justices Power of judicial review = Constitutionality Checks and balances – Each branch has role to check or limit the other branches = no singular, dominant power

22. The Branches of Government

23. Constitutional Debate – States held conventions to review/ratify (except RI) – Citizens debated publicly – conversations, newspapers, town meetings Federalists: Supported Constitution – Included: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay – Feared disorder w/out central government Antifederalists: Opposed Constitution – Main argument: No Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms – Feared government more than disorder

24. Ratification – Dec. 7, 1787: Delaware was first to approve – May 1790: Rhode Island was last to approve – Elections = new government leaders Bill of Rights – Added in 1791 after new government took office First President: George Washington – First Vice President: John Adams