1. Creating the Constitution
Chapter 6

2. Vocabulary Articles of Confederation Constitutional Convention
Northwest Ordinance
Constitution of the United States
Great Compromise

3. INTRO
After years of fighting, George Washington did not want to be the leader of the united colonies, despite the population’s outcry.
Thought he’d be another monarch
The Articles of Confederation, the nation’s first constitution, established a framework for government, but gave the states more power than the federal government
Contributed to poor economy and poor national defense
Things going from bad to worse

4. INTRO A more effective government was needed
The Constitutional Convention took place in philadelphia, 1787, where delegates from each state met to discuss how a proper, more effective government would look.

5. A CONFEDERATION OF STATES
The DOI asserted that the colonies were independent states
All wrote their individual governments
All had 3 things in common
Equality, freedom, democracy EXCEPT that only NJ gave voting rights to women and African Americans who owned property
All had slavery
All states south of Pennsylvania said slaves were not equal in regards to human rights

6. A CONFEDERATION OF STATES
Congress had no authority over states
A national government was needed
But it was a tricky situation. Why?
Drafted the Articles of Confederation
Each state would retain sovereignty, and any power not specified to congress would fall to the states
Only congress could declare war, talk with foreign countries, and establish a postal system
Couldn't impose taxes (that's why the army was so broke)
Took 3 years to be ratified (voted into law)

7. A CONFEDERATION OF STATES
The revolutionary war ended with the Treaty of Paris
Britain gave up a region known as the Northwest Territory
Appalachian mountains to the mississippi river
In 1787 congress passed the Northwest Ordinance to establish rules for the creation of governments in the Northwest Territory and eventually the western states. It set the general guide for admission of future states
When a territory had 60,000 free inhabitants they could form a government
Congress had to approve
Slavery was banned in any state formed within this region

8. A CONFEDERATION IN CRISIS
Many felt that there was too much power in the states
Lack of central authority made relations with foreign countries difficult
Britain agreed to withdraw troops from the NW territories, once it saw that congress was weak it refused to pull them out and instead supplied native americans, encouraging them to attack settlers.

9. A CONFEDERATION IN CRISIS
Trade between states was not ideal
Imposed taxes, did not follow laws, lack of confidence in paper money
Country slid into economic depression
Falling crop prices and loss to foreign markets put Farmer’s tensions at a high.
Summer 1786, angry farmers marched on massachusetts courts, it quickly expanded to include over 1,000 farmers. Known as Shay’s rebellion after its leader, Daniel Shay
Fear of anarchy loomed

10. THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
Every state but Rhode Island
Revising the Articles of Confederation
55 delegates consisting of all the badasses
Ben Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, etc.
James Madison did the most around the constitution
Considered “father of constitution”
Enlightened thinkers like John Locke and Baron de Montesque influenced the drafting of the constitution
Checks and Balances, Separation of Powers

11. THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
Elected Washington as “presiding officer”
Sworn to secrecy
Drafted the Virginia Plan
3 branches of government, checks and balances, Bicameral Legislature (two houses)
New Jersey Plan
Amendments to the Articles of Confederation
Less powerful national government

12. THE GREAT COMPROMISE
The delegates debated the Virginia Plan point by point.
They continued to argue about representation
Finally a plan that called for a bicameral legislature with a different form of representation in each house was presented.
In the Senate, the states would have equal representation.
In the House of Representatives, states would have representation based on their populations.
Known as the Great Compromise

13. OTHER ISSUES
Slavery
Slaves equal to ⅗ a white person, known as the Three Fifths Compromise
Commerce
Executive Branch
Wanted at least two members. In the end, voted for a single president.
The next question was how to elect the president.
Set up a special body called the Electoral College.
made up of electors from each state who would cast votes to elect the president and vice president.

14. RATIFICATION
The plan of government would need to be approved by 9 out of the 13 states.
Federalists and Anti-Federalists
The people who supported the Constitution called themselves Federalists, favored strong central government.
Those who preferred a loose association of states with a weaker central government were called Anti-Federalists.
In The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay provided detailed explanations of key parts of the Constitution.
explained how the system of checks and balances would ensure that no one branch of government would have control over the other two.

16. “If men were angels, no government would be necessary
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”
—James Madison, The Federalist No. 51, 1788

18. BILL OF RIGHTS
By January Five states had ratified. But there was a concern, the lack of a bill of rights.
There were complaints that the Constitution did not protect individual rights and freedoms against encroachment by the national government.
They argued that it should be altered to include such rights
By 1791, enough states had ratified 10 amendments to make them part of the Constitution. These 10 amendments are known collectively as the Bill of Rights.
Over the course of the nation's history, 17 more amendments have been added to the Constitution.