“Thus I consent, sir, to this new constitution, because I expect no better and I am not sure that it is not the best…”

“Thus I consent, sir, to this new constitution, because I expect no better and I am not sure that it is not the best…”

The Constitution and New Republic1781-1800

The Articles of ConfederationThe Articles of Confederation The first official government

of the United States. It established a limited

federal government. Single branch-legislative One state-One vote “Super Majority” needed

for laws No power to tax or

regulate commerce It gave significant power to

the states. Remember, the key was to

avoid the power of the monarch we had just left

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The Articles of ConfederationThe Articles of ConfederationAccomplishments: Actually transitioned the

colonies into an independent group, separate from England

Land Ordinance of 1785 promoted public education

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 set rules for creating new states and also prohibited slavery in the new states

States can enter the Union upon reaching 60,000 people and an approved state Constitution

Weaknesses of the ArticlesWeaknesses of the Articles One vote for each state, regardless of size. Congress cannot collect taxes.

This led to the government to issue worthless paper money that caused inflation

Congress powerless to regulate foreign and interstate commerce. This restricted growth of interstate commerce and trade

No separate executive branch to enforce acts of Congress.

No national court system to interpret laws. Amendment only with consent of all the states. A 9/13 majority required to pass laws. Articles only a “firm league of friendship” These weaknesses were demonstrated by Shay’s

Rebellion

Social Changes of the RevolutionSocial Changes of the Revolution

Aristocratic Titles State constitutions abolish

titles to limit class distinctions Separation of Church and State

No tax dollar support of churches is allowed in most states

Women Mostly women remained in

second class status, although they did fulfill their role of “Republican Motherhood”

Slavery There was a push to abolish

the import of slaves following the war, but Southerners resisted and threatened the new Union

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The Constitutional ConventionThe Constitutional Convention 55 Delegates meet in

Philadelphia in 1787 These are mostly wealthy, all

white males George Washington was

elected as the presiding officer Many of the more radical

leaders if the revolution were not included in the convention

Jefferson, Paine and John Adams were unavailable for the Convention as well

The sole purpose of the convention was to amend the Articles of Confederation

Hamilton and Madison quickly directed the convention toward drafting a new document

The Issues of the ConventionThe Issues of the ConventionVirginia Plan It called for the creation of a

bicameral national legislature where each state would send representatives in proportion to the population.

At a minimum this plan made the federal government co-equal with the states

It laid the groundwork for a more federally based system

The new legislature would have the power to tax and to regulate foreign and interstate commerce.

The national legislature would have the power to veto any act of a state legislature.

In addition to the legislative branch, the proposed government would have an executive and judicial branch.

This plan favored larger states

New Jersey Plan It called for the creation of a

unicameral national legislature where each state had an equal number of votes

This plan kept the national government weak and the states powerful.

Congress had the power to tax and to regulate foreign and interstate commerce.

It would create executive and judicial branches.

This plan favored smaller states significantly

This was eventually resolved through the Great Compromise that created a bicameral legislature

Slavery IssuesSlavery Issues Slaves as

population Northerners do not

want slaves counted, people = votes

Clearly, Southerners prefer to count slaves as population

3/5ths Compromise solves the issue

Importation To woo Southern states

slave import is guaranteed until 1808

It is then to be regulated by Congress

Trade and PowersTrade and Powers Trade and Currency

become the sole purview of the Federal government

The powers of government were to be divided between the state and federal governments

This is a system known as federalism

The Presidential term was limited to 4 years, with no limit on the number of terms

The following page discusses the separation of powers and the system of checks and Balances

Division of PowerDivision of Power

Development of Political PartiesDevelopment of Political Parties The Constitution left open for debate some key issues Was the document to be strictly followed? Was there room for interpretation? Should the Federal (central, national) government or state

governments have more power? These questions were the key issues to be decided in the

new nation.

The FederalistsThe Federalists The Federalists were a

group that advocated for increased power for the Federal government

This group included Washington, Madison, Franklin and Hamilton

They felt that central government would provide stability and order

They were convinced that the Constitution would provide safeguards for the rights of the people

The Anti-FederalistsThe Anti-Federalists The Anti-Federalists were

very leery of federal power They feared that the

central government would trample the rights of the people

They also felt that the federal power would usurp the power of states

They insisted on a written guarantee of rights and liberties which became known as the bill of rights

After the convention, Jefferson became the leading advocate for the Anti-Federalists

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The Bill of RightsThe Bill of Rights1. Speech, Assembly, Religion,

Press, petition for redress of grievances, separate church and state

2. Right to bear arms3. No quartering act4. Privacy, search and seizure5. Due process, double

jeopardy, self incrimination6. Speedy, public trial7. Trial by jury8. Prohibits cruel and unusual

punishment9. Rights not specifically

mentioned are also protected

10. All powers not delegated to the Federal government are reserved for the states

Washington’s PresidencyWashington’s Presidency He set many important

precedents during his tenure of office

These included: Two-terms The Cabinet Proclamation of

Neutrality The Federal Court

system was also created in 1789

This act created 13 circuit courts and 3 circuit courts of appeals

Hamilton’s Financial PlanHamilton’s Financial Plan Hamilton wanted to

accomplish several things as he started as Sec. of the Treasury1. Bind the country

together2. Increase Federal power

and prestige3. Pay off debts4. Protect industry

He tried to accomplish this through the following:1. Funding state debts at

par2. A tax on whiskey3. A protective tariff4. A national bank

Jefferson’s ResponseJefferson’s Response Jefferson opposed

much of Hamilton’s Plan

He felt that it was too focused on the wealthy and ignored the concerns of the common man

He also felt that the plan would give power to the Federal government at the expense of the states.

Foreign AffairsForeign Affairs The French Revolution

Americans supported the idea of the Revolution, but were horrified by the mob violence

Proclamation of Neutrality Washington believed that

the US was not strong enough to be involved in foreign wars or alliances

Jay’s Treaty This was an attempt to stop

British impressments of sailors

Pinckney’s Treaty Jay’s Treaty was so bad that

Spain thought the US and Britain were aligning. As a result they basically gave away rights to the Mississippi

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The Presidency of AdamsThe Presidency of Adams The XYZ Affair

France tried to bully the United States delegates into paying a bribe in order to enter negotiations

Adams resisted the call for war The Alien and Sedition Acts

These laws raised the time for citizenship from 5 to 14 years

The Sedition Act made it a crime to criticize the President or Congress

The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions These were responses written by

Madison and Jefferson that railed against the expansion of power in the Sedition Act

These resolutions stated that states should be able to NULLIFY federal laws that are unconstitutional

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The Revolution of 1800The Revolution of 1800 The election of 1800

represented the first time in history that a country had peacefully transferred power from one political group to its rival without bloodshed

Jefferson changed as a leader, as he became more open to expanding powers of the Federal government as shown in the Louisiana Purchase

Jefferson was saddled with a largely Federalist Court system

The influence of the Federalists would carry on for several years past their electoral success