1. BEGINNINGS OF THE CONSTITUTION

2. Declaration of Independence
Statement of reasons for separation from Britain
Divided into 4 sections or parts
1st section: Preamble (introduction)
2nd section: Declaration of Rights
3rd section: Complaints
4th section: Resolution
Signed and adopted July 4th, 1776

3. Beginnings of the Constitution
1776: declaration of independence
1777: wrote the Articles of Confederation
1781: Articles approved by all states
Type of limited national government
One branch of gov't (legislative: make and execute the laws)

4. Problems with the Articles
Each state had its own court system and constitution
Wealthy thought too much power given to the uneducated
Huge debt ($50 million) no way to pay it
High taxes between interstate commerce
Unpredictable behavior of individual states

5. Shay's Rebellion
Wealthy farmers/merchants/etc. had loaned the state govt's money for the war
They weren't being paid back and high taxes were being placed on them (gold/silver)
Daniel Shays led a rebellion, took over the courts in Massachusetts and closed them down
Congress could do nothing (had no power to stop them), state army stopped it
Shays sentenced to death, later repealed

6. VIRGINIA PLAN Bicameral- two houses of legislature
Proportion to state population
Power to tax/regulate foreign and interstate trade
veto state legislature/use force against state
create executive and judicial braches (3 branches)

7. NEW JERSEY Power to tax/regulate foreign and interstate trade
Create executive and judicial braches
Unicameral, one house of legislature
Each state gets the same number of representatives

8. GREAT COMPROMISE Two houses of legislature:
Senate: each state gets the same # of representatives
House of Representatives: reps based on state population
Makes both the large and small states happy

9. THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE
Determining how the slave population would be counted in state population for # of representatives
3/5 of the slave population will be counted in the state population

10. Constitution was finished being drafted on September 17th, 1787
Constitution created a new type of government called the Federal Government
Separation of Powers: no one branch has complete power or authority, each of the 3 branches are given an area of authority
Legislative: makes the laws
Executive:enforces (executes) the laws
Judicial: interprets the laws
Checks and Balances: a system of checks and balances are created to check/stop the other branches in certain ways
This prevents tyranny and misuse of power
In order for the Constitution to become a legal binding document in the United States, 9 of the 13 states had to ratify the document. Groups began forming that either supported or opposed the Constitution. These groups were called Federalists and Anti- Federalists.