1. AOC thru Constitutions
American History I

2. After the War The Revolutionary War  Articles of Confederation
states feared a strong central government,
Just escaped from a feared monarchy
Realized “mobocracy” could be as threatening
States drew up their own constitutions
limited power of government leaders, rights for citizens, liberty over equality,

3. Powers under the Articles
Articles of Confederation: a firm league of friendship
A Congress, no other branches
Equal representation of states regardless of size
Confederation could:
declare war,
make peace,
sign treaties,
borrow money,
deal with Native Americans

4. Success under the Articles
Protected interests of the states
Won a war against Great Britain
Negotiated an alliance with France
No national taxes

6. Success under the Articles
Land Ordinance of 1785
established a plan for dividing land and raising money through the sale of that land
Government divided land into townships of 36 sections
Section 16 was to be sold to pay for schools
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
set requirements for new states

7. Problems with the Articles
country lacked unity, each state pursued its own interests
every state had to agree to changes to the confederation
Could only request funds
huge debt after the war
no control over foreign or interstate trade

8. Military Weakness Led to Foreign Problems
Britain would not evacuate military forts on the Great Lakes
Spain was at its western border and closed the Mississippi River to American navigation

9. Shays’ Rebellion - Massachusetts
Poor farmers’ protest
caused panic across the nation among the wealthy
farmers believed they were overtaxed and wanted paper money with less value
marched to the Springfield armory and closed courts
the state militia defeated them

10. Great Compromise
representation became the first big issue to tackle and two plans emerged
Virginia Plan: by James Madison
called for three branches of government with a bicameral legislature
Legislature based on population
The lower house elected by the people, the upper house chosen by the lower house
New Jersey Plan: by William Patterson
called for three branches of government with a unicameral legislature
each state was represented equally

11. Great Compromise (cont.)
After weeks of debate over the two plans the Connecticut Plan was proposed.
by Roger Sherman
three branches of government with a bicameral legislature
A Senate with equal representation, made small states happy
the House of Representatives based on population, made large states happy
Senators elected by State legislatures

12. Three-Fifths Compromise
3/5’s of a state’s slave population could be counted toward population

13. Governmental Concepts
Federalism
Reserved Powers
Enumerated Powers
Concurrent Powers
Checks and Balances
Separation of Powers

14. Federalists Constitution supporters
liked the balance of power between states and the national government
they said separation of powers and checks and balances would protect Americans
they included Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson
they received support from urban centers of merchants, skilled workers, laborers who liked government monitoring trade
The Federalist: 85 essays that defended the Constitution and were published without names but John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison wrote them

15. Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution
felt it gave too much power to a strong central government; they said the government would only serve those of privilege and ignore the rights of the majority; they also said the Constitution did not protect citizens’ rights;
included Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee
received support from rural areas, where people feared a heavy tax burden; large states with strong economies

16. Ratification
The Federalists said the constitution did give limitations to the national government so individual rights were not mentioned in the document but they promised to add a bill of rights if the states would ratify the document
June 1788 New Hampshire would be the ninth state to ratify the Constitution but some large states such as New York and Virginia had not ratified and they were really needed because of their large size/population
it would be 1789 before the Constitution went into full effect

17. Bill of Rights
September 1789 Congress submitted amendments for state legislatures to ratify that would become the Bill of Rights (added to make Anti- Federalists happy)
First Amendment: freedom of religion, speech, press and political activity
Second Amendment: right to bear arms
Third Amendment: prevented government from housing troops in private homes in peacetime
Fourth – Eight Amendments: protect citizens accused of crimes
Ninth Amendment: people’s rights are not restricted to those just listed in the Constitution
Tenth Amendment: People and states have rights not listed in the Constitution
Not everyone included in the rights – Native Americans, women and slaves

18. Questions (Honors)
What was Shays’s Rebellion and what effect did have on the nation?
What was the debate at the Constitutional Convention over representation in Congress?
What are the three branches of government and what was the main duty of each
Why did the founding fathers create the electoral college? How did the procedure work?