1. The Constitutional Convention: Prelude and Aftermath Thus I consent, sir, to this Constitution, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best. The opinions I have had of its errors I sacrifice to the public good… -Benjamin Franklin, 1787

2. Main Ideas The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation led to conferences and conventions to fix the problems The Constitutional Convention

3. Prelude to Change "I have been greatly abused, have been obliged to do more than my part in the war; been loaded with class rates, town rates, province rates, Continental rates and all rates...been pulled and hauled by sheriffs, constables and collectors, and had my cattle sold for less than they were worth...The great men are going to get all we have and I think it is time for us to rise and put a stop to it, and have no more courts, nor sheriffs, nor collectors nor lawyers.“ - Plough Jogger Daniel Shay and Farmer

4. Shays’ Rebellion Demands (1786) (1)reform the tax system (2)scaling down of public debt (3)liberalization of state constitutions (4)issuance of paper money (boost prices/pay off debts) Western farmers turn on the courts, forcibly preventing foreclosures-attack judges and lawyers Shays’ insurrectionary band is quickly suppressed by Massachusetts’ militia Western Massachusetts farmer attack lawyer

5. Two Views of the Rebellion Conservatives: - saw the impotence of the Confederation government to deal with uprisings - wanted a stronger central government Radical: - rebellion was a good omen -agrarian protest movement was seen as a culmination of economic and political grievances “All authorities into one center, that of the nation. The rich, the well-born and the able should be set apart from other men in a senate.” - John Adams “The tree of liberty must periodically be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots.” -Thomas Jefferson

6. Complications Under the Confederation Government International Complications (1)Britain maintained troops in Ohio Valley (2)Spain challenged northern boundary of Florida (3)States failed to adhere to Treaty of Paris (Loyalist property was not paid back) Economic Weakness and Interstate Quarrels (1)widespread economic depression (2)13 states treated each other with suspicion (tariffs and restrictions on interstate trade) (3)territorial boundaries disputed

7. First Attempts at Addressing the Problems The Mt. Vernon Conference (1785) - Maryland and Virginia settled disputes about navigation & trade on the Potomac (agreed to host another conference) The Annapolis Convention (1786): 5 states (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia) (1) attended this commercial convention and issued petition to the Confederation Congress to call a convention of all of the states Washington at his Mount Vernon home in 1790. The house overlooking the Potomac was remodeled and enlarged after his marriage to Martha. It remained their home until their respective deaths.

8. The Confederation Congress Acts February 1787 Congress calls for a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation May 25, 1787 the Convention begins in Philadelphia - 55 delegates from 12 states attend - 18 appointed delegates choose not to attend Independence Hall is the centerpiece of Independence National Historical Park located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, on Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets. It is known primarily as the location where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted.

9. The Constitutional Convention Early Decisions of the Delegates: - choose George Washington to preside - keep the convention closed to the public - create a new form of government - keep no formal written record of their discussions - rejected Articles of Confederation’s requirement for unanimous approval of their work - new government was to operate after 9 states had ratified it (3/4) James Madison came to be known as the father of the Constitution

10. Timeline 1785- The Mt. Vernon Conference 1786- Shay’s Rebellion - The Annapolis Convention 1787- Constitutional Convention

11. Key Names, Events, and Terms Mt. Vernon Conference Annapolis Convention Constitutional Convention Framers of the Constitution James Madison

12. Question In the 1780s, all of the following contributed to dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT (a)high taxes levied by the national government (b)a farmer’s revolt in Massachusetts against the collection of state taxes (c)states refusing to honor the Treaty of Paris (d)worthless paper money printed by many states (e)states restricting trade with one another

13. Answer A: high taxes levied by the national government