1. Shay’s Rebellion, The Convention and the Creation of a New Government

2. Shays’s Rebellion Daniel Shay was a war veteran from Massachusetts who faced a major debt issue (along with several others) as a farmer. In Sept. 1786, Shays led an army to close the courts so that no more farms could be taken away due to debts. In 1787, he marches with his 1,200 man army to the arsenal in Springfield, but was intercepted by State militiamen. What issues did this bring to light, and how did the government handle this rebellion?

3. Government Response Shays’s Rebellion caused panic throughout the nation since several states were filled with debt-ridden farmers This fear of further uprisings led to a convention involving 12 of the 13 states (since RI did not attend), and they met to discuss the Articles of Confederation at Philadelphia in May 1787. The 55 delegates were composed of lawyers, merchants or planters and were considered to be the most educated men of their time. Some of the more notable men in attendance were Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington (who was elected presiding officer by unanimous vote).

4. Conflict & Compromise James Madison’s Virginia Plan William Patterson’s New Jersey Plan Proposed a bicameral legislature with membership based on state population. Voters would elect members of the lower house who in turn would elect the members of the upper house. Proposed a single house legislature in which each state would have one vote. Was supported by the smaller states.

5. The Great Compromise The two plans of big and small states became deadlocked over how the representation should be handled. Roger Sherman from CT suggested what came to be known as the Great Compromise. This plan offered a two-house Congress to satisfy both big and small states. The upper house, or Senate, would have equal representation by state. The lower house, or House of Representatives, would have representation based on population. This plan pleased those who favored government by the people as well as defended states rights. With the House of Representatives being based on population size, what question arose (especially for Southern states)?

6. Three-Fifths Compromise The question of whether slaves should be counted as people when considering the number of representatives in the House of Representatives became hotly debated. The North and South differed on their views, but came to an agreement that 3/5 th of slaves would be counted. With the political issue came an economic one, that being if Congress could regulate foreign trade then it could interfere or abolish the slave trade. The convention gave Congress power to regulate trade, but prevented interference for 20yrs on the slave trade.

7. Creating a New Government The new system of government in place was a form of federalism. It divided the powers between the national and state governments. Powers of the national government were known as delegated or enumerated powers, while powers of the state governments were known as reserved powers. What were the powers of the national and state governments? Enumerated Powers: foreign affairs, national defense, trade regulation between states, and coining money. Reserved Powers: education, marriage laws, and regulating trade within a state. Powers that were shared between national and state governments included rights to tax, borrow money, pay debts, and establish courts.

8. Separation of Power To limit the power of the national government the delegates separated the powers held into three branches. The legislative branch made laws, an executive branch carried out the laws, and a judicial branch interpreted the laws. The delegates also established a system of checks and balances to prevent one branch of the government from dominating over the other two.

9. And for you visual learners…

10. Electing the President What were the two main concerns reflected in how the presidential elections were ran at the time? 1)That since travel and communications were limited, that popular vote would be regionally divided. 2)Many feared that the lower and common classes would vote the upper classes out of power for the wrong reasons. Delegates came up with a different voting system to elect the president in which voters would choose a number of electors equal to a states senator and representative count and they would cast a ballot for their presidential choice. The group of electors were known as the Electoral College.

11. Creating the Constitution The delegates finally provided a means to change the Constitution through the amendment process. This allowed for the Constitution to be firm, yet also flexible. Now the new constitution had to be agreed upon by the voters so it was sent to Congress for states approval.

12. One more visual experience…

13. Reminders HW: SPNotes 145-149 Begin working on review packets early so to get a head start. Keep thinking about the topic… remember, it will be due on the 30 th ! Leave the room better than you found it, and have a great day.