A New Plan of Government
Unpacking the Standards
Discuss the ideas and figures that shaped the Constitution.
Describe the system of checks and balances.
Explain how Americans reacted to the Constitution.
After reading the section, you will be able to:
What Ideas Influenced the Framers?
Shoulder partner
Why are the men who wrote the Constitution
called its “framers”?
the rigid supporting structure of an object such as a vehicle,
building, or piece of furniture.
A Frame
The Constitution is like an “instruction book” that
explains the basic structure of our government
A Plan of Government
Influences, Cont’d
Charles de Montesquie
u
Shoulder partner What do you
think “tripartite”
means?
Tripartite = 3 part
1 2 3
What Ideas Influenced the Framers?
English Billof Rights
• The monarch had to obey the law
• No taxation without representation
• The accused have the right to a trial by jury
•People had the right to a fair and speedy trial by jury•People had the right of petition
•Natural rights (life, liberty, and property)•Govts job to protect these rights•If gov’t interferes with these rights, people can overthrow the gov’t
Magna Carta
John Locke
SUMMARY:
governmental power must be limited by laws.
The Federal System
STATES
Federal Gov’tCentral Gov’t
National Gov’t
government for the entire nation
Shared Powers
Federalism
Federal Gov’ttaxregulate tradecontrol currencyraise an armydeclare war
State Gov’tpass/enforce lawsregulate tradeest. local govt’sestablish schools
The federal government and the state governments SHARE POWER
THIS IS CALLED FEDERALISM
The Constitution isThe Supreme Law of the Land
no state could make laws that went against
the Constitution
no state could take actions that went
against the Constitution
disputes between the federal gov’t and the
states would be settled in the federal courts on
the basis of the Constitution
The Constitution is the final and supreme
authority
SUPREME
Article I of the Constitution
articles =
parts
CONGRESS House of
Representatives
Senate
Membership 435 members (proportional)
100(2 from each state)
Term of Office
2 years 6 years
Qualifications
25 years oldcitizen for 7 yearsmust live in state
30 years oldcitizen for 9 yearsmust live in state
The Legislative Branch makes
laws
Bicameral
Powers of Congress
collecting taxes coining money regulating trade declare war make all laws needed to fulfill the
functions given to it as stated in the Constitution
Article II of the Constitution
The Executive Branch(enforces the nation’s laws)
Vice-Pres. Cabinet
commander in chief of the armed forces
conducts relations with
other countries
Article III of the Constitution
The Judicial Branch(interprets the nation’s laws)
Back row (left to right): Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen G. Breyer, Samuel A. Alito, and Elena Kagan. Front row (left to right): Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Anthony Kennedy, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Checks and Balances
Montesquieu
Separation of Power
To keep any one branch from gaining too much power.
limitTo “check” =
Shoulder partner What is the
word meaning “3 parts”?
The Debate Over Ratification(argument
)(approval)
U.S. Constitution
Federalists
Anti-Federalist
s
YES
NO
The Federalist Papers
John Jay, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton
a series of essays explaining and defending the
Constitution Mercy Otis Warren
Anti-Federalists would NOT support the Constitution without a . . .
Bill of Rights
Adopting the Constitution
out of states had to ratify the Constitution before it could
go into effect.1st State to Ratify = Delaware
9th State to Ratify = New Hampshire
BUT . . .Without the support of two critical states –
New York and Virginia – the future of the new government was not promising.
9 13
Finally, in May 1790, Rhode Island became the 13th state to ratify
3.3 Summary
Ideas and thinkers of the past influenced the creation of the United States Constitution.
The Constitution outlines the responsibilities and the limits of the three branches of government.
Americans reacted to the proposed Constitution in different ways
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