1. The Critical Period: From the Articles to the Constitution
Students will be able to:
identify the strengths of the Articles of Confederation
compare the goals of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists
Warm-Up: Complete the worksheet provided. Look at the weaknesses of the Articles. What problems would these have caused in our new country? Complete this individually and then we will share.

2. Was it ALL Bad? What were some strengths of the Articles?
• Brought the states together
• Was able to raise an army and navy
• Set up a postal system
• Congress was established
• Make war and peace
• Print money

3. Land Ordinance of 1785 What is it? Land Ordinance of 1785
To establish order in the West
New western towns were to be thirty-six miles square, with one square mile set aside for schools.
All public lands were to be auctioned off to the highest bidders, providing all Americans the chance to migrate and settle in the West.
Goal: Raise money through the sale of land because the government didn’t have the ability to tax

4. Northwest Ordinance of 1787
What is it?
Later, Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 to establish a process for admitting these territories to the Union as states. Each territory was to be governed by Congress until it contained 5,000 free, white males. Then settlers could vote whether to become a permanent state on equal footing as all the other states in the Union.
The Northwest Ordinance also abolished slavery in the territories and granted freedom of religion and the right to trial by jury. Although the ordinance promised decent treatment to Native Americans, it did not, in reality, extend these rights to them. In fact, the United States obtained much of this land by extortion and violence against Native Americans.

5. Legacy of the Ordinance
These land ordinances were the only major successes that Congress had under the Articles.
The Northwest Ordinance proved incredibly successful and influential because it allowed the small country to grow without devolving into an undemocratic empire. Congress declared that all American territories could become fully equal states with the same status and privileges as the original founding states. In later years many Americans would interpret this to mean that it was their duty to expand democracy as far west as they could.
The Northwest Ordinance also sparked debate about the future of slavery in the West. A growing number of Americans during these years began to question the moral implications of slavery in a land where “all men were created equal.” The ban on slavery in the Northwest Territories would prove to be the first of many restraints on the slaveholding South in the years leading up to the Civil War.

6. Enter… The Constitution
The Constitutional Convention met in 1787 to draft a new Constitution.
• One of the biggest debates at the Constitutional Convention was over
representation—populous states wanted proportional representation,
and emptier states wanted equal representation. The Great Compromise solved the problem. Congress would have two legislative houses—a Congress (with 2 Senators from each state) and a House of Representatives (with 1 Representative for every 30,000 people).
• Anti-Federalists thought that the solution was not good enough. They
wanted more representation. They worried that 1 person could not adequately represent 30,000 people. Federalists disagreed.
• After the Constitution was written, it had to be ratified by 9 states.
There were very extensive debates between Federalists (who
supported the Constitution) and Anti-Federalists (who opposed a
strong central government).
• Today, we are going to read some documents from the New York
Constitution Ratification Convention.

7. Hamilton and Melancton
Read over the document and complete the questions provided in the graphic organizer.
Discussion:
What was Hamilton’s position on representation?
• What was Smith’s position?
• What arguments did they make in support of their claims?
Based on these arguments, what type of people would you guess
tended to be Federalists? Anti-Federalists?
• If you could have chosen, what side would you have supported?
• Do you see versions of these issues being debated today?

8. Summary and the Truth! Federalists and Anti-Federalists Chart
New York ratified the Constitution by a vote of (the narrowest margin of victory of any state that met in ).
• The Anti-Federalists lost the battle, but won the war. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution—the Bill of Rights—were ratified in1791. These addressed many of the issues that the Anti-Federalists raised in the conventions.

9. Exit Activity
What was an achievement of the Articles of Confederation?
Define:
Federalist
Anti-Federalist