1. The Articles of Confederation Chapter 5 Section 1
Forming a Government
The Articles of Confederation
Chapter 5 Section 1

2. Ideas About Government
Where did ideas about government come from?
What did the Magna Carta say?
How did the Enlightenment influence the Founders?
Roman Republic, Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, state constitutions.
That the King was also subject to laws.
The belief in a social contract was central to how the Founders wanted to create the government.

3. Governments in America
What were some early forms of government in America?
What is a constitution?
What did Jefferson explain in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom?
Virginia House of Burgesses & the Mayflower Compact.
A set of basic principles and laws
that states the powers and duties of the government.
No person could be forced to attend a particular church or forced to pay for a church with tax money.

4. VOTE! Or someone else chooses for you…
What is suffrage?
Who was allowed to vote in the early republic?
The right to vote.
In most states, only free white men who owned land could vote.
What are some restrictions on voting today?

5. Articles of Confederation
November 15, 1777
Articles of Confederation
What were the Articles of Confederation?
What were some of the powers that Congress had?
What does ratification mean?
The first constitution – Congress would become the single branch of government, but would have limited powers in order to protect individual & state liberties.
Settle conflicts between states, issue coins, borrow money & make treaties with countries or Native American tribes.
To officially approve something. Each state had to ratify the Articles of Confederation for it to take affect (1781).

6. What to do with all this land…
Which modern states comprised the Northwest Territory?
What was the Land Ordinance of 1785?
What was the purpose of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?
How did a territory become a state?
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota & Wisconsin.
Territories were divided into townships of 36 sq. miles (lots), 1 lot for a school, 4 lots to veterans, the rest was sold.
To create a system for bringing new states into the Union.
When a territory’s population reached 60,000, settlers could draft a constitution and ask Congress to join the Union.

7. The New Nation Faces Challenges Chapter 5 Section 2
Forming a Government
The New Nation Faces Challenges
Chapter 5 Section 2

8. Divided We Fall… How were the Articles of Confederation weak?
How did this affect relations with Britain?
…and Spain?
Congress could not force states to provide soldiers for an army & could not force states to pay taxes.
The British took years to leave the forts of the Great Lakes area. British ports were also closed to American ships.
Spain closed the lower Mississippi River to U.S. shipping because Congress could not get a majority of states to vote to negotiate. American merchants were furious.

9. The Dis-United States
How was the economy under the Articles of Confederation?
How did British tariffs hurt the economy?
What is interstate commerce?
BAD!
Britain was still America’s biggest trading partner. High tariffs forced merchants to raise prices in the U.S.
Trade between two or more states – Congress did not have the power to tax this, missing out on lots of $$$.

10. I’m Hurtin’ Here! What is inflation? What is an economic depression?
Increased prices for goods & decreased value of money. States printed lots of paper money to pay of war debts, but they had no gold or silver to back it up.
A period of low economic activity combined with high unemployment. High inflation and the loss of trade with Britain led to the nation’s first economic depression.

11. Shays’ Rebellion August 1786
How were farmers affected by the economic conditions?
Who was Daniel Shays and why was he so angry?
Describe Shays’ Rebellion.
They were hit hardest – many had to sell their land to pay new taxes that states raised to pay war debt.
Poor farmer from Massachusetts, war veteran.
Hundreds of farmers were angry about high taxes and losing their land – they shut down local courts so that they couldn’t seize any more land. Before being captured, they also shut down the Massachusetts Supreme Court.

12. Weaknesses of the Articles
Most power held by the states.
No power to collect taxes.
One branch of government.
Legislative branch had few powers.
No executive branch.
No judicial system.
No system of checks and balances.
No power to raise a national army.

13. Creating the Constitution Chapter 5 Section 3 Chapter 5 Section 1
Forming a Government
Creating the Constitution
Chapter 5 Section 3
Chapter 5 Section 1

14. May 1787
Let’s Fix This!
Why did Madison and Hamilton call for a Constitutional Convention?
What happened there?
Why were some attendees unhappy about the new Constitution?
To improve (not replace) the Articles of Confederation.
Delegates from each state gathered in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to improve the Articles, but a new Constitution was created instead. Attendees were mostly rich, well-educated & important members of high society.
Many felt that it was not legal to create a new Constitution and that the central government would be too powerful.

15. May 1787
Politics as Usual
How was the Virginia Plan different from the New Jersey Plan?
What was the Great Compromise?
Virginia Plan – stronger central government, bicameral legislature based on population.
New Jersey Plan – weaker central government, unicameral legislature, each state gets one vote.
Bicameral legislature – two houses of Congress.
Senate – each state gets two votes.
House of Representatives – votes based on population.

16. Am I Not a Man? May 1787 Describe regional differences over slavery.
What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?
What was decided about the slave trade?
Slavery was legal in every state, but was declining in the North. The South was deeply dependent on slavery.
For representation, 3/5 of the slave population would count for each state. Example: If South Carolina had 50,000 slaves, 30,000 of them would be counted to determine how many representatives in Congress the state would have.
It would become illegal after 20 years.

17. The Great Trifecta May 1787 What is popular sovereignty?
What is the legislative branch?
The judicial branch?
The executive branch?
When political authority is in the hands of the people.
Congress – the Senate & the House of Representatives.
The Supreme Court.
The President.

18. Sharing is Caring What are checks and balances? What is federalism?
What are amendments?
…so that certain branches can’t get too powerful.
What are some examples of checks and balances?
Sharing of power between federal and state governments.
What power does the federal gov’t have? State? Both?
Changes made to the Constitution.

19. Ratifying the Constitution Chapter 5 Section 4 Chapter 5 Section 1
Forming a Government
Ratifying the Constitution
Chapter 5 Section 4
Chapter 5 Section 1

20. Yay or Nay? Who were the Federalists?
Who were Antifederalists? What were they afraid of?
They supported ratifying the Constitution.
They were against the Constitution because they were afraid the federal government would become too powerful.

21. Not Throwing Away my SHOT!
Why was Alexander Hamilton such a boss?
Not rich as a kid. Ran a business at age 14. Poetry earned him a scholarship to college in NY. Fought in Revolution as Washington’s right hand man. Wrote Federalist Papers. 1st Secretary of the Treasury. Created American financial system. Killed in a duel. One of two non-presidents on American currency ($10 bill).

22. Constitutional Propaganda
1788
Constitutional Propaganda
What were the Federalist Papers?
Who wrote them?
Anonymous essays that argued for ratification of the Constitution.
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison & John Jay.

23. Fight for Your Rights! December 1791 What are the Bill of Rights?
How did they help convince the states to ratify the Constitution?
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, that protect the rights of citizens.
The states were convinced that the federal government couldn’t become too powerful with the protection of individual rights.
What do you think are the three most important amendments in the Bill of Rights?