1777-1790. The Articles of Confederation Essential Question: How effective was government under the...

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A MORE PERFECT UNION 1777-1790

Transcript of 1777-1790. The Articles of Confederation Essential Question: How effective was government under the...

Page 1: 1777-1790. The Articles of Confederation  Essential Question: How effective was government under the Articles of Confederation?

A MORE PERFECT UNION

1777-1790

Page 2: 1777-1790. The Articles of Confederation  Essential Question: How effective was government under the Articles of Confederation?

The Articles of Confederation Essential Question:

How effective was government under the Articles of Confederation?

Page 3: 1777-1790. The Articles of Confederation  Essential Question: How effective was government under the Articles of Confederation?

From Independent States to a Republic MAIN IDEA: The Articles of

Confederation created a weak central government and strong state governments

Important for the Second Continental Congress to create a government that would satisfy the needs of all 13 states

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State Constitutions

By 1780, all 13 states adopted their own state constitutions

Cautious about giving too much power to a single rulerLimited the power of the governorPennsylvania replaced their governor

with an elected council of 12 members

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Limiting Power

States divided the government’s responsibilitiesGovernorBicameral Legislature

○ Two house legislature used to divide government even further

Writers of the constitutions wanted to limit government and keep power in the hands of the people

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Forming a Republic

Americans agreed that their country should be a republicA government in which citizens rule

through elected representatives People assumed the states would act

like independent countries only coming together to wage wars or handle foreign affairs

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Planning a New Government Articles of Confederation adopted on

March 1, 1781States kept most of their power“a firm league of friendship”

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Articles of Confederation

StrengthsCan conduct foreign affairsCan maintain armed forcesCan borrow moneyCan issue currency

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Articles of Confederation Weaknesses

Congress cannot pass a law unless all states vote in favor of it

Consent of all states is required in order to change the Articles of Confederation

Congress cannot regulate tradeCannot force soldiers to join the armyCannot impose taxesno plan for admitting new states into the nationNo chief executiveEach state receives one vote regardless of

population

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New Land Policies

The Northwest Ordinance1787 – Land north of the Ohio River and

east of the Mississippi River were to be divided up into territories

When population reached 60,000 they could petition for statehood

A Bill of Rights was written to guarantee settlers freedom of religion, trial by jury and prohibit slavery!

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Financial Problems By 1781, money printed during the

Revolutionary War was almost useless States printed their own money

No gold or silver to back it up means it has no real value

Prices soared and led to food riots in some places Congress owed a huge debt from the war but

could not pay it offNo power to taxStates not required to give money when asked for

it

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Problems With Other Nations British did not uphold promise made with the

Treaty of Paris to remove troops from lands east of the Mississippi RiverAccurately accused Americans of not paying Loyalists

as promised Spain

To prevent America from expanding into its territory, Spain closed off the lower Mississippi

Americans attempted to reach an agreement with Spain but were unsuccessful

Articles of Confederation were too weak to deal with these problems

Colonial leaders began to realize they needed a stronger government

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Making Connections Why did most states limit the power of their

governor and divide the legislature into two bodies?Experience with British rule made them

cautious about giving too much power to single rulers or political bodies

Why did the Continental Congress have difficulty raising money?Lacked the power to tax or require the

states to contribute money to the government

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Making Connections

How do you think the Northwest Ordinance would affect Native Americans?

How effective was government under the Articles of Confederation?Lacked important economic and

diplomatic powers

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Convention and Compromise Essential Question:

Why is the Constitution a document of compromise?

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Convention and Compromise By 1786, many Americans were blaming the

inadequate Confederation for the nation’s foreign policy problems as well as its economic troubles. Edmund Randolph of Virginia, one of 55 delegates call to Philadelphia for the specific purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation, delivered the opening speech saying, “It is absolutely necessary in this difficult crisis to prevent America’s downfall.” from Our Nation’s Great Heritage

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A Call For Change

The government under the Articles of Confederation faced many problemsUS experiences a depressionSouthern plantations damaged during

the warTrade declined when British cut off the

West Indies What little money they had went to

paying off debt

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Trouble For Farmers

Americans farmers sufferedCould not sell their goodsHad their land taken when they couldn’t

pay high state taxesMany put in jailEventually, they started to rebel

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Shays’s Rebellion 1786 – Led by former Continental Army Captain

Daniel Shays, farmers in Massachusetts forced courts to close so judges could not imprison anyone

1787 – Shays leads more than 1,000 farmers to Springfield, Massachusetts in search of weapons and ammunition

State militia fired on farmers, killing four and ending the rebellion

The rebellion worried Americans that the government could not control unrest and prevent violence

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The Issues of Slavery

Revolutionary War ideals caused many people to question slavery

1774 – Quakers organized the first Americans anti-slavery societyMany northern states adopted laws that

gradually end slaveryVirginia passed a law that encouraged

manumission and the number of free African Americans in America grew

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The Constitutional Convention James Madison and Alexander Hamilton

were active in the movement for change of the Articles of Confederation

Hamilton proposed a convention in Philadelphia to discuss changes

Presence of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin made people trust the outcome of the convention

55 delegates – No Native Americans, African Americans or women

James Madison – “Father of the Constitution”

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Organization

George Washington chosen to preside over the meetings

Each state had one vote Meetings were not open to the public

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Virginia and New Jersey Plans Both Plans

Were federal systems with three branches – legislative, executive and judicial

Gave the federal government more powers than it had under the Articles of Confederation

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Virginia Plan Legislative Branch

Powerful LegislatureTwo houses, with membership proportional to

state’s populationLower house elected by the peopleUpper house elected by the lower house

Executive BranchChosen by legislatureLimited powerCould veto legislation, subject to override

Judicial BranchWould serve for lifeCould veto legislation, subject to override

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New Jersey Plan Legislative Branch

One house with equal representation from all states

Legislature could collect taxes from all states Executive Branch

Chosen by CongressWould serve a single termSubject to recall on request of state governors

Judicial BranchAppointed by executive branchWould serve for life

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Compromise Wins Out

The states voted to work toward a national government based on the Virginia Plan

Had to resolve the issues of representation in small and big states

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The Great Compromise

Agreement proposed to solve issue of representation between big and small statesLower house – House of

Representatives – seats for each state would be based on representation

Upper house – The Senate – each state has two members

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The Three Fifths Compromise Delegates compromised on how to

count enslaved people as part of a state’s population

Three Fifths CompromiseCount enslaved people as 3/5 of a

person for taxation and representation

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Slave Trade

Northern states banned slave trade and wanted Southern states to do the same

Slave trade was essential to Southern economy

Northerners agreed not to interfere in the slave trade until 1808

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Approving the Constitution Committee finished writing the

Constitution on September 17, 1787 and assembled in Philadelphia to sign

Sent to the states for approval 9 of 13 states required for adoption

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Making Connections

What key issues had to be resolved to create a Constitution most states would accept?

Why is the Constitution a document of compromise?Delegates had to compromise on issues

like power distribution, representation and slavery

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A New Plan of Government Essential Question:

What ideas and features are found in the US Constitution?

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A New Plan of Government As Benjamin Franklin was leaving the last

session of the Constitutional Congress, a woman asked, “Well Doctor, what have we got: a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin answered, “a republic, if you can keep it.” He meant that in order to maintain a republic – a system of government in which the people elect representatives to exercise power for them – citizens must take an active role. Quoted in “Papers of Dr. James McHenry 1787”

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Roots of the Constitution

As the Framers wrote the Constitution, they borrowed ideas from other political systems and philosophersEnglish Magna Carta (1215) placed limits on

the power of the monarchEnglish Bill of Rights of 1609John Locke: Natural Rights to life liberty and

propertyBaron de Montesquieu: Powers of government

should be separated and balanced against each other

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The Federalist System Federalism

Sharing of powers between federal and state governments

Federal government developed the legislative, executive and judicial branches

States had the power toRegulate trade within their bordersEstablish local governments and schools Set marriage and divorce lawsTaxAdminister criminal justice

The Constitution became the supreme law of the land

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The New Government - Branches

The Constitution divides and limits its power among three branches of governmentLegislativeExecutiveJudicial

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Legislative

Law making branch House of Representatives and Senate

(Congress) Collect taxes Coin money Declare war Raise and support armies Make all laws “necessary and proper” to

fulfill its functions

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Executive

Headed by the President Commander in chief of the armed forces Carry out the nation’s laws and policies Conducts relations with foreign nations President and vice president elected by

the electoral college Serves a 4 year term

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Judicial

“one supreme court” and any other lower federal courts

Hear cases involving the Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and disputes between states

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Debate and Adoption A great debate took place throughout the

country as 9 out of the 13 states had to ratify the new Constitution

FederalistsSupporters of the new ConstitutionGeorge Washington and Benjamin FranklinFederalist Papers: series of essays explaining

and defending the Constitution Anti-federalists

Anti-federalist PapersAfraid a strong national government would take

away American libertiesFavored local governments

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Adopting the Constitution Several states approved the

Constitution only with the understanding that it would include a Bill of Rights amendment Something added to a document

May 1790 – The nation celebrated its new government

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Bill is written and introduced to the House of Representatives by a member

Bill is read aloud for the first time and assigned to a committee

Bill is read for the second time

Members of the House debate Bill and vote on whether or not it should be a law

The committee studies Bill and makes a report

Bill is accepted by the Senate

Bill is sent to the Senate, where it goes through the same process

Bill is accepted by the House

The President vetoes the bill. The legislature may override the veto with a two-thirds vote.

The President signs the bill into law.

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Making Connections Why does the Constitution divide power among

branches of government?

If a state law conflicts with a federal law, which law will prevail? How do you know?Federal – The Constitution is the Supreme law of

the land

  Answer the Essential Question: What ideas

and features are found in the United States Constitution?