Creating - Red Hook Central · PDF file · 2014-07-291787 Constitutional Convention is held in Philadelphia. ... 1781 Articles of Confederation go into effect. ... delegates finally

Creating the

Constitution 1776 - 1791

1791 Bill of Rights is ratified.

1789 George Washington becomes the first president of the United States.

1788 U.S. Constitution is ratified.

1787 Constitutional Convention is held in Philadelphia.

1786–1787 Daniel Shays leads a rebellion of Massachusetts farmers.

1783 Treaty of Paris formally ends the Revolutionary War and recognizes the independence of the United States.

1781 Articles of Confederation go into effect. British surrender at Yorktown.

1777 Patriots win Battles of Saratoga. Continental Congress passes the Articles of Confederation.

US Timeline 1777 - 1791

Terms and People

• constitution – document stating the rules under which a government will operate

• executive – person who runs the government and sees that the laws are carried out

• economic depression – period when business activity slows, prices and wages drop, and unemployment rises

• Daniel Shays – army veteran and Massachusetts farmer who led an uprising to protest economic conditions

Even before independence was won, many colonies—now states—began to create new

state governments.

In most states, the problems colonists had experienced with Britain helped shape the new state constitutions.

State Constitutions

Colonists believed the king had abused his powers.

For this reason, the states gave few powers to the governor.

Powers of the

executive

Powers of the

legislature Most powers went to legislatures elected by the people.

Most states allowed more people to vote than in colonial times.

Still, African Americans and women were not allowed to vote in almost all the states.

Voter Qualifications

• White

• Male

• Over 21

• Property ownership

To make sure that people’s rights would not be

abused again, many states included a bill of rights in their constitutions.

Virginia Bill of Rights

Freedom of Religion

Freedom of the Press

Trial by Jury

Limits on Searches

Limits on Arrests

No Cruel and Unusual Punishment

While the states were writing new constitutions, so was the Continental Congress.

Articles of

Confederation

In 1777, the Congress adopted a new plan of government for the nation: the Articles of Confederation.

During the Revolution the Continental

Congress began to develop the first plan for a

national government. They disagreed about the number

of votes each state should have and about control of the

lands west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Eventually arrived at a final plan called the

. The national government would be run by

a Confederation Congress and each state would have one

vote.

Under the Articles, the powers of the central government were given to Congress - a

legislature elected by the people.

In fact, the legislature was the only branch of government created by the Articles.

Judicial Branch

Executive Branch

There was no chief executive.

There were no national courts.

To make sure the new legislature did not become too strong, its powers were limited.

Powers given to Congress

• deal with foreign countries

• deal with Native Americans

• make laws

• declare war

• coin or borrow money

• run a postal service

Even more important than the powers given to Congress, however, were the powers not given to Congress.

• regulate trade

• collect taxes

Powers not given to Congress

Congress was forced to depend on the states when it needed money. This weakened the central government and gave considerable power to the states.

The national

government had few

powers under the

because

many Americans were

afraid that a strong

government would lead

to tyranny. This left

most important powers

to the states.

Western Land Claims

Some states refused to approve the Articles until other states gave up their claims to lands in the west.

Finally, the Articles were approved, and the land was turned over to the national government.

Moving West

In 1775, Daniel Boone and 30

frontiersmen cut a road over the

Appalachian Mountains into Kentucky.

They hacked through brush, chopped

down trees, and bridged creeks. This

250 mile road was not easy to travel. It

was too narrow for carts or wagons, but

it became the main road into Kentucky.

The trail into Kentucky that Daniel

Boone helped build was called the

. Settlers traveled on

foot or on horseback, drawn to

Kentucky’s rich river valleys. By the

early 1790s, about 100,000 Americans

lived there.

Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers Through the Cumberland Gap

The western lands were very valuable and in great demand.

To provide for the sale and settlement of these lands, Congress passed two new laws.

The Land Ordinance of

1785

The Northwest

Ordinance of 1787

Each section would be sold piece by piece.

Townships would be divided into 36 sections.

Lands would be divided into townships.

The outlined how the land in the Northwest Territory would be divided.

Within each township, one section would be set aside for schools.

The nation’s leaders believed that democracy could not survive without education.

described how the Northwest

Territory was to be governed. As

the territory grew in population, it

would gain rights to self-

government. When there were

60,000 people in an area, they

could apply to become a new state.

It also outlined settlers’ rights,

guaranteed freedom of religion,

trial by jury, and outlawed slavery

in the Northwest Territory. The

Northwest Ordinance was

important because it allowed for

the orderly growth of the nation.

While the government succeeded in organizing the settlement of western lands, it faced mounting problems.

Problems

States taxed each

other’s goods

States used

different money

Other countries ignored

U.S.

Congress had no

money

Debt was a critical problem for our new

government. Congress had borrowed

large sums to pay for the Revolutionary

War. Much of that money was owed to

soldiers of its own army.

In June 1783, hundreds of soldiers

surrounded the Pennsylvania State

House where Congress was meeting.

They were upset about not being paid.

Congress had no power to levy taxes and

the states didn’t send much money, so

the delegates were forced to flee the city.

Congress was not alone in facing an

economic crisis. People throughout the

nation faced hard times.

Weaknesses

It’s the Economy Stupid!

Mt. Vernon Conference

In 1785 representatives from

Maryland and Virginia met at

the Mt. Vernon estate of

George Washington to

discuss a trade dispute

involving the navigation of the

Potomac River.

The delegates resolved far

broader issues of trade and

mutual policy between the

two states.

The General Assembly of

Virginia proposed a broader

trade conference to be held in

Annapolis, Maryland the

following year.

Washington’s Mt. Vernon Estate

In September 1786, delegates from five

states met in Annapolis, Maryland, to

discuss ways to promote trade

among the states. The delegates

believed that creating national trade

laws would help the economies of all

the states.

Making such changes required

amending the Articles of Confederation,

because the national government had

no power to regulate trade among the

states. Still many Americans doubted

that the national government needed

strengthening.

The Annapolis Convention

Shays’ Rebellion

In the mid-1780s, the new United States

faced economic problems. In Massachusetts

people had little money, but the state

continued to levy high taxes. The average

family owed $200 in taxes per year – more

money than most farmers made.

Many farmers fell deeply into debt and, at that

time, if you could not repay your debts your

property could be auctioned off and you could

be put in jail. The jails were packed.

Farmers asked the state legislature for debt

relief. But they refused and the farmers

rebelled. This spelled danger for the new

nation and many leaders called for a

stronger national government.

Shays’ Rebellion

A Revolutionary War veteran

named Daniel Shays commanded

a group of 1,500 men.

Daniel Shays and his men attacking the

Springfield armory in 1787.

Shays’ Rebellion failed, but it focused attention on the weaknesses of the new nation’s government.

In response, Congress asked the states to send delegates to a convention in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation.

Many began to think that a stronger central government was needed.

Strong central

government

Terms and People

• James Madison – delegate from Virginia who took notes at the Constitutional Convention; called the Father of the Constitution

• judicial branch – branch of government that consists of a system of courts to interpret the law

• Roger Sherman – delegate from Connecticut who helped draft the Great Compromise

• James Wilson – delegate from Pennsylvania who argued in favor of election of the legislature

• compromise – agreement in which each side gives up part of what it wants

• Gouverneur Morris – delegate responsible for writing the Preamble to the Constitution

The Constitutional Convention

On February 21, 1787, the Continental Congress

resolved that:

...it is expedient that on the second Monday in

May next a Convention of delegates who shall have

been appointed by the several States be held at

Philadelphia for the sole and express purpose of

revising the Articles of Confederation...

The original states, except Rhode Island, collectively

appointed 70 individuals to the Constitutional

Convention, but a number did not accept or could not

attend. Those who did not attend included Richard

Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, John

Adams, Samuel Adams and, John Hancock.

In all, 55 delegates attended the Constitutional

Convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the

Constitution. The delegates ranged in age from

Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged

81, who was so ill that he had to be carried to sessions

in a chair.

Key Framers of the Constitution

The states sent delegates to Philadelphia to solve the problems of

the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention met

in the Pennsylvania State House, today called Independence Hall.

The purpose of the convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation.

From the beginning, however, many delegates believed that the Articles could not be saved.

Independence Hall

Independence Hall Today

On just the third day of the convention, a proposal was presented to replace the Articles with a totally new plan of government.

The plan was written largely by James Madison of Virginia.

The Virginia Plan called for a strong central government with three separate branches.

Legislative Branch

Congress

• Make Laws

Executive Branch

President

• Carry Out Laws

Judicial Branch

Courts

• Interpret Laws

Central Government

The Virginia Plan also called for Congress to have two separate houses - an upper and a lower house.

Representation in both houses would be determined by a state’s population.

Congress

Upper House

Lower House

Delegates from the small states opposed the Virginia Plan. Each state, they argued, should have the same number of votes in Congress.

William Paterson of New Jersey introduced his own plan, calling for Congress to have one house, and for each state to have one vote.

New Jersey Plan

The issue of representation in Congress nearly tore the convention apart.

Virginia Plan

More people, more votes

New Jersey Plan

One state gets one vote

Finally, Roger Sherman of Connecticut introduced a compromise that gave each side part of what it wanted.

The convention approved Sherman’s

compromise, which became known as the Great Compromise.

The Great Compromise

The issue of representation in Congress came up again—this time concerning slavery. Should slaves be counted as part of a state’s population?

A compromise was reached. Each enslaved person would be counted as three fifths of a free person.

Southern delegates said yes

Northern delegates said no

The Three-Fifths Compromise, however, did not address the issue of the slave trade itself.

Some Northern delegates wanted to completely ban the slave trade. Southern delegates argued that such a move would ruin the South’s economy.

Again, a compromise was reached.

Slave Trade Compromise

•Ships could bring enslaved people into the country for 20 years.

•After 1808, enslaved people could not be brought into the country.

•The slave trade within the country would stay the same.

When the last compromise was reached, the delegates finally agreed on the provisions of the new Constitution.

Gouverneur Morris wrote the Preamble, which identifies the source of the new government’s authority in its opening words.

We the People of the United States . . .

On September 17, 1787, all but three delegates signed the Constitution.

Terms and People

• ratify – approve

• Alexander Hamilton – supporter of the Constitution and an author of the Federalist Papers

• John Jay – supporter of the Constitution and an author of the Federalist Papers

• George Mason – Anti-Federalist leader who argued in favor of a bill of rights

People who

supported the

Constitution were

called

and people who

opposed it were

called

.

In general terms

Federalists lived in

or near the larger

cities while

Anti-Federalists

lived in more rural

areas.

Federalists and Anti-Federalists

James Madison

John Jay

Alexander Hamilton

George Mason

Patrick Henry

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison was a leading Federalist.

Madison and others argued that a strong national government was needed for the Union to survive.

At that time, the national government could not even enforce its own laws.

The

were a collection of essays

that supported ratification of

the Constitution. These essays

first appeared as letters in

New York newspapers and

were later published in a book

called The Federalist.

The essays’ secret authors

were Alexander Hamilton,

James Madison, and John Jay.

George Mason and Patrick Henry were among Anti-Federalists leaders who argued that the new national government would have too much power.

Constitution of the

United States

• weakened the states

• no Bill of Rights

• President could become a king

Ratifying the Constitution

Immediately following the

Constitutional Convention, most

states held special ratification

conventions, with elected officials

representing counties or regions

throughout the state. The New

York ratifying convention was

held in the city of Poughkeepsie.

While many of the smaller states

quickly ratified the new

Constitution, the debate in the two

largest and most important states,

New York and Virginia, raged on

for months.

Supporters of the Constitution turned out in parades like

this one in New York in 1788. The “Ship of State” float has

Alexander Hamilton’s name on it to celebrate his role in

creating the Constitution.

The new government could now be put in place.

A new Congress was elected, too, and one of its first tasks was to take up the question most debated during the ratification process - whether to add a Bill of Rights to the new Constitution.

George Washington was elected President. John Adams was elected Vice President.

George Washington became

the first president of the

United States in 1789. He

was inaugurated, or sworn

in, at Federal Hall in New

York City, on April 30, 1789.

While all of the states eventually accepted the new

government, states such as Virginia and New York

did so only after the addition of a . The

first 10 amendments to the Constitution were added

soon after ratification and became the U.S. Bill of

Rights and stand as the Anti-Federalists greatest

contribution to the Constitution.

The Bill of Rights

was added to the

Constitution in

order to protect

people against the

power of the

national

government.

The Bill of Rights

The first four amendments protect citizens from possible abuses by the federal government.

The Bill of Rights

The next four amendments protect people who are accused of crimes.

The Bill of Rights

The last two amendments limit the power of the federal government.