1. A New World Focus Questions:
What were the achievements and problems of the confederation government?
What were the major agreements/disagreements that arose while creating the new Constitution?
Make sure you can identify and describe each branch of the Federal government.
What did anti-Federalist concerns lead to the creation of?
The purpose of the focus questions is to help students find larger themes and structures to bring the historical evidence, events, and examples together for a connected thematic purpose.
As we go through each portion of this lecture, you may want to keep in mind how the information relates to this larger thematic question. Here are some suggestions: write the focus question in the left or right margin on your notes and as we go through, either mark areas of your notes for you to come back to later and think about the connection OR as you review your notes later (to fill in anything else you remember from the lecture or your thoughts during the lecture or additional information from the readings), write small phrases from the lecture and readings that connect that information to each focus question AND/OR are examples that work together to answer the focus question.

2. Building of a Nation
●Republicanism ●Articles of Confederation: 1781 ●Powers of Confederation

3. Success of the Articles ●Northwest Ordinance, 1787

4. Weakness of the Articles

5. Adopting the Constitution
●Steps towards creating a new government ●James Madison

6. The Constitutional Convention: May-Sept 1787

7. Conflict of the Virginia and New Jersey plans

8. Principles incorporated into the Constitution: Checks and Balances

9. Legislative Branch: Congress

10. Executive Branch: President

11. Judicial Branch: Supreme Court

12. Fight for ratification
●Arguments of the Federalists for ratification
●Arguments of the Anti-federalists against ratification

13. Amendments ●Bill of Rights ●3/5ths Compromise

14. Women, Native Americans and African Americans