Transcript
Creating the Constitution
• Republic- a government where people elect their representatives.
• Some patriots wanted people to have more power over government.
• More conservative patriots did not want common people having that much power.
Rejecting executive power
• Unicameral legislature- a single house, whose members were elected by the people.
• Pennsylvania and Georgia adopted this style.
Colonial Traditions • Bicameral legislature- law making body with
two houses, a Senate, and a House of Representatives.
• House of Reps- For the common voters• Senate- For the wealthy and well educated
gentleman.
Who could vote?
• democratic patriots wanted equal rights for ALMOST all free men.
• little or no property.• must be 21.
• Conservative Patriots wanted property requirements.
• allowing poor men to vote will “ confound and destroy all distinctions, and prostrate all ranks to the common level.” - John Adams
**Articles of Confederation
• In 1777, the Continental Congress drafted the original constitution for the Union of the states.
• no strong and centralized nation.• reflected the principles of the Declaration
of Independence.
Structure of the New National Government
• Federal- a government consisted of a congress of delegates, chosen by state legislatures rather than voters.
• states could send 7 delegates but every state had 1 vote.
The Power
• declare and conduct war!!!• foreign affairs.• Indian relations.
Problems• no taxes.• minor issues 7 out of 13 states.• major issues 9 out of 13 states.• amending Articles 13 out of 13.• Ratifying the Articles in 1781
Early State Government
Early National Government
All states were a REPUBLIC
Each state had one vote.
No taxes.
The Westside
The Westside
• Northwest Territory- north of the Ohio River and west of the Penn. to the Mississippi River.
• Land Ordinance of 1785- Congress designed a system for distributing the public lands.
• divide the land into hundreds of townships. (6 square miles)
• subdivided each township into 36 sections of 1 square mile.
• *square mile is 640 acres. **1 acre is about a block
• This ORDINANCE favored the wealthy.• Sometimes Congress broke the rules to
benefit wealthy speculators.
Governing the Western lands.
• Northwest Ordinance of 1787- provided a government for the western territory based on Jefferson’s ideas.
• a governor, a secretary, and three judges.• 5,000 citizens= elected assembly• 60,000= admission into the Union.
The Northwest Territory
• Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.
• Northwest Ordinance says no to slavery.
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