1. Unit 2: Tyranny & Revolution
Lesson 2.4: From Confederation to Constitution

2. How did the political, economic, and social turning points of the Revolutionary Era shape American ideals of tyranny and revolution?
Essential Question

3. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? Give three examples.
Who was Daniel Shays and why is his rebellion significant?
What did the delegates decide to do to fix the weaknesses of the Articles?
Activation

4. Beginning of the Constitutional Convention
In February 1787, thanks to Shays’s Rebellion, many state delegates called for a convention of the state “for the sole purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.”
All states sent delegates except Rhode Island.
Met in Philadelphia, PA.
Goal: balance state rights with need for a strong national government.
Beginning of the Constitutional Convention

5. 55 delegates would come to the Constitutional Convention.
Closed to the public.
George Washington was chosen as presiding officer.
Others in attendance: Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison,.
Madison was head of the commerce committee in VA and a member of its assembly.

6. The Virginia Plan Compiled mostly by James Madison.
Called for getting rid of the Articles.
The national government would have power to make laws binding on states.
Raise its own money through taxes.
The Virginia Plan

7. Legislature would have two houses.
Voters in the state would elect members of the first house.
Members of the second house would be nominated by the state governments but elected by the first house.
Benefited larger states like NY, VA, and MA.
Delegates agreed to dividing the government into three branches. However small states were opposed to representation based on population.
Why would they be opposed to this idea?

8. The New Jersey Plan Proposed by William Paterson of NJ.
Wanted to modify the Articles of Confederation to make the central government stronger.
Congress would have a single house that was equally represented.
Had the power to regulate trade and raise taxes.
The New Jersey Plan

9. The Virginia Plan
The New Jersey Plan
Assessment Prompt 1

10. The Connecticut Compromise
After deciding to use the VA Plan, delegates found themselves once again divided.
How would they protect small states from the voting power of bigger states?
How would they address the issue of slavery?
The Connecticut Compromise

11. Benjamin Franklin would chair a special committee to try and rectify these issues.
What became known as the Connecticut Compromise, aka The Great Compromise, was proposed by Roger Sherman.
Proposed that Congress have two houses: Houses of Representatives (based on state population size) and the Senate (each state had equal representation).
Voters in each state would elect members of the House and the state legislature would choose the senators.

12. Franklin proposed that each state should be able to elect a member to the House for every people.
This split the Northern and Southern delegates.
The Southerners wanted to include slaves in the count of the population
The Northerners argued that the enslaved were unable to vote.
The Issue of Slavery

13. A compromise was reached between delegates and is what is now known as the Three-Fifths Compromise.
Every five enslaved people would count as three free people for both representation and tax purposes.

14. They also reached another compromise in which the new Congress could not tax exports.
It could not ban slavery until 1808 or impose high taxes on importing slaves.

15. How could the three-fifths compromise be considered a turning point in American history?
Why is it significant?
Assessment Prompt 2

16. The question remained: How do you divide the power between the national government and the states?
The new constitution hoped to establish a form of government known as federalism in which power is divided between the national government and the states.
To do so the following were required (some of which we will go more in depth with later):
Division of Power

17. Enumerated Powers: powers of the federal government specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
Reserved Powers: powers not delegated to the national government by the Constitution or prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the States.
Concurrent Powers: powers shared by the state and federal governments.

18. The federal government would now consist of :
Delegates also ensured that their was separation of powers within the federal government.
The federal government would now consist of :
Executive Branch: headed by the president; implement and enforce laws passed by Congress.
Legislative Branch: Congress (House and Senate); makes laws
Judicial Branch: System of federal courts; interprets federal law and renders judgement in cases involving those laws.

19. In addition to separating the federal government, the Constitutional Convention created a system of checks and balances to prevent one branch from overpowering another.

21. Why is the idea of “separation of powers” essential in the creation of our nation?
Assessment Prompt 3

22. The Convention also realized that the Constitution may need to be amended over time.
This process was two fold and made extremely difficult on purpose.

24. In a paragraph (5-6 sentences), describe summarize what you have learned about the U.S. Constitution.
Why is its structure so important?
What is the significance of being able to amend the Constitution?
Activity