1. 8th Grade UBD - Unit 4- Creating a Government

2.  How did decisions made at the Constitutional Convention affect the balance of power in the new nation?

3.  Can We Fix It?- Many delegates who came to the Constitutional Convention believed the Articles of Confederation needed to be reworked to strengthen the government. Others believed a new constitution was needed.  Time to Compromise- The delegates of the Constitutional Convention had to come to agreement on many serious issues, and agreement was reached through compromise. Large and small states disagreed about representation. Northern and Southern states disagreed about slavery. People across the nation worried about protecting individual rights and liberties.

4.  The Articles of Confederation was the first written plan of government for the United States. It was written in 1776 and 1777. Although the states did not ratify it until 1781, it was adopted by Congress and was used as the basis of the new national government.  The Framers agreed that the national government needed to be strengthened.  To prevent the central government from becoming too powerful, the Framers established a system of separation of powers as well as checks and balances among three branches of government.  The Framers decided to protect states’ rights and powers by listing the powers of the national government. Any power not listed was reserved for the states.

5.  The United States Constitution, drawn up by 55 contentious delegates in 1787, has proven to be a resilient blueprint for a stable democratic government.

6. Key Term Constitution- A plan that organizes and outlines the operations of a government.

7. Key Term Delegate- A person who represents, or acts for, others at a meeting such as a convention or a conference.

8. Key Term Framers- Refers to the leaders who attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and wrote, or “framed,” the U.S. Constitution.

9.  The meetings became known as the Constitutional Convention.  The delegates to the Constitutional Convention are now referred to as Framers, because they are the men who designed, or framed, the structure of the U.S. Constitution.

10.  James Madison had an idea for a federal system of government.  A federal system of government is one in which power that comes from the people is divided and shared between a central government and the several governments of the states.

11.  The central government is called the federal government.  Madison’s plan called for a federal government composed of three parts, or branches. 1. The legislative branch would make laws. 2. The executive branch would enforce, or carry out, laws. 3. The judicial branch would explain the meaning of, or interpret, the laws.

12. Key Term Legislative Branch- A branch of government that makes laws.

13. Key Term Executive Branch- A branch of government that executes, or carries out, the laws.

14. Key Term Judicial Branch- A branch of government that interprets the laws and runs the court system.

15.  The Madison’s Plan called for representation in the legislative branch to be based on each state’s population. Under his plan, larger states would elect more representatives to the legislative branch, so larger states would have more power than smaller states. Virginia was the most populous state.

16.  In response to Madison’s Plan, a delegate named William Paterson proposed different plan. Paterson’s plan had some similarities to the Madison’s Plan.  However, one major difference was that, like the Articles of Confederation, it called for the creation of a single national legislature in which each state would have the same number of representatives.  Paterson’s plan was designed to protect the political power of smaller states, such as his home state of New Jersey.

17.  Roger Sherman of Connecticut proposed a compromise. He proposed that the legislative branch be made up of a Congress that had two parts, or houses.  In one house, known as the Senate, each state would have the same number of representatives, just as under the Articles of Confederation.  In the other house, known as the House of Representatives, each state’s population would determine its number of representatives.  Each state would have equal power in the Senate, but larger states would have more power in the House of Representatives. To enact a law, both houses would have to agree. Because Sherman’s plan resolved the deep division between the large states and the small states, it became known as the Great Compromise.

18. Key Term The Great Compromise- An agreement that was reached at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. It resolved differences between large and small states over how representation would be determined in the legislative branch of government.

19. Key Term Senate- This term has been used throughout history to refer to an assembly of citizens that meets to pass laws for a nation or society. In the United States the Senate has 100 members, with 2 senators from each state.

20. Key Term House of Representatives- Along with the Senate, this part of government is also the lawmaking body for the U.S. government. The House of Representatives has 435 members. Each state has a different number of representatives, based on the size of its population.

21.  Another major issue that divided the states was slavery.  Many Northern delegates to the convention opposed slavery, while Southern delegates would not consider outlawing it.  Some Southern delegates threatened to leave the convention if anyone attempted to make slavery illegal.

22.  The Framers did find a way to compromise on the issue of the transatlantic slave trade.  Importing enslaved Africans would be allowed until 1808; after that, Congress could restrict or prohibit international trade of enslaved persons.

23.  Although a compromise over the slave trade was reached, slavery continued to be an issue in other ways.  Because a state’s population determined its representation in the proposed House of Representatives, Southern states wanted enslaved people counted. Northern states objected.  On the other hand, a state’s population could also determine how much it was taxed. For purposes of taxation, Southern states did not want enslaved people counted. Northern states objected again.

24.  The issue was settled with the Three-Fifths Compromise, which said that states would count a portion of their enslaved population both for representation and for taxes.  A state’s population would include “the whole number of free persons,” no “Indians,” and three- fifths of “all other persons,” meaning enslaved people.

25. Key Term The Three-Fifths Compromise- An agreement worked out at the Constitutional Convention that said three fifths of the slaves in each state should be counted as part of the state’s population for determining representation in Congress.

26. The Framers wanted to be sure that the new government would not turn into the sort of government they had just fought to escape from. Their commitment to the rights of the states and of the people has helped to create an enduring democracy. The State House in Philadelphia, now known as Independence Hall, was the birthplace of the Constitution.

27. 1. How did the Philadelphia Convention begin? 2. What was the Great Compromise? 3. How did the question of slavery shape the new government?

28.  Disagreements about representation were resolved by the Great Compromise, which created a Congress composed of a Senate, with equal representation for all states, and a House of Representatives, with representation based on population.  Slavery would continue to be legal, but Congress could prohibit importation of enslaved people after 1808.  For both taxation and representation, population counts would include three-fifths of enslaved people.  The rights of the people would be spelled out in a bill of rights, which Congress promised to incorporate as amendments to the Constitution.

29.  The Framers designed the Constitution to include three important components: enumerated and reserved powers; separation of powers, and checks and balances.

30.  To enumerate is to count or to make a list. Therefore the enumerated powers of government are powers that are specifically listed in the Constitution.  If a power was not listed, it was denied to the federal government and reserved for the states.  These reserved powers included such powers as managing elections and education.

31. Key Term Reserved Powers- Powers that are set aside by the U.S. Constitution for the states or for the people.

32.  To avoid putting too much power in the hands of a few people, the Framers adopted Madison’s plan for a three-branch government with a separation of powers.  For instance, the legislature would make laws but could not enforce them; the executive enforced the laws but could not change them. No one branch of government would control the others or act without their approval.

33. Key Term Separation of Powers- Refers to the separation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government so that no one branch becomes too strong.

34.  In addition to separating powers, the Framers built in checks and balances on the powers of each branch. This means each branch was empowered to stop the others from exercising too much power.  For instance, the president can appoint assistants, advisers, and federal judges, but only with the approval of Congress. Supporters of the new Constitution argued that these provisions would stop any part of the federal government from becoming too powerful.

35. Key Term Checks and Balances- A term used to describe a government in which each separate branch can check, or limit, the power of the other branches.

36.  Because the word federal refers to the national government, people who supported the Constitution became known as Federalists.  Those who did not support the Constitution became known as Anti-Federalists.

37. Key Term Anti-Federalists- Those who did not support the Constitution.

38. Key Term Federalists- People who supported the Constitution.

39. Key Term Federalist Papers- Series of essays that defended the U.S. Constitution and tried to reassure Americans that the states would not be overpowered by the federal government.

40.  What has been the “muddiest” point so far in this lesson? That is, what topic remains the least clear to you?