1. A New Nation

2. A New Nation
The Colonies had declared their freedom from Great Britain
They were 13 separate colonies who needed to unite for strength
They formed a committee to draft a document which would explain how the new government would be run

3. The Articles of Confederation

4. Powers given to Congress

5. The Articles of Confederation just weren’t working

6. They met in Philadelphia

7. 50 delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies in May of 1787

8. The Great Compromise

9. The Constitution was written

10. They made 3 branches of the government, so that no one person or group would have all the power

11. The Legislative Branch – they make the laws for our country
Their offices are in the US Capital building in Washington, D.C. They have their meeting there.

12. The Senate – each state gets two senators to represent them
Virginia’s senators are Mark Warner and Tim Kaine

13. House of Representatives – determined by population of state

14. The Judicial Branch is made up of the Supreme Court justices

15. 9 justices serve on this court. The leader is called the chief justice

16. The Executive Branch is made up of our president and his cabinet

17. The President’s cabinet is made up of people who give him information and advise him

18. Some of the departments of the president’s cabinet

19. Each branch has its own responsibilities

20. So that no one branch can have more power than the other two, we have checks and balances

21. First President George Washington

22. He chose a cabinet – a group of men he trusted to help him make good decisions

23. He found a site for our new capital

24. He set up our federal court system including the Supreme Court

25. Differing opinions

26. James Madison Father of the Constitution

27. The Federalist

29. The Bill of Rights

30. Second President John Adams

31. He was the first president elected in a two-party system

32. When John Adams won the election, Thomas Jefferson became his vice president

33. Third President Thomas Jefferson

34. The Louisiana Purchase

35. Fourth President James Monroe

36. The Monroe Doctrine

37. Fifth President James Madison

38. The War of 1812

39. The Star Spangled Banner