Birth of a Nation. Focus Question To what degree did the Articles of Confederation provide an effective form of government? To what degree did the Articles.

Birth of a Nation

Focus Question

• To what degree did the Articles of Confederation provide an effective form of government?

– Consider the following: the ideology and goals of the Revolution, economic conditions, foreign relations, Western lands, etc.

Articles of Confederation

Articles of Confederation

• Loose confederation of sovereign states

• Western land claims delayed ratification

• 7 states had huge western land claims

• Maryland delayed ratification until western claims were given up

• Sale of the lands would provide a source of national revenues

The United States in 1787

Provisions of the Articles

1. States had the power2. Weak central govt.3. No power to tax4. No executive or judicial

branch5. No power to regulate

interstate commerce6. Each state had 1 vote7. Could declare but could not

raise armyAdvance of settlement to 1790

The Land Ordinance of 1785• America now feels that this is

their land to settle– Ordinance of 1785

• Establishes system for surveying/distributing land

• Sold to help pay national debt• Townships divided into 36 sq.

miles or 640 acres for minimum of $1 per acre

• Income from sale of one section was to go to support public schools ( 1st ex. Of fed. Aid to education)

• Still used today

Northwest Territory• Northwest Ordinance

– System by which territories could become states

– Chunks of 60,000 people would be granted statehood

– Still used today– Guarantees..

• Freedom of speech• Trial by Jury• Forbids slavery north of Ohio River• Southerners could cross state lines to

reclaim fugitive slaves

• Ordinances Speed up Expansion– Problems?

Land Division in the Northwest Territory

Newburgh Conspiracy (1783)- Cause- Soldiers in army were not paid regularly throughout the war- High ranking officers wanted to organize to force states to pay back wages- Washington convinced officers not to attack states- Soldiers got back pay and pensions

SHAY’S REBELLION

• An event that highlighted the weakness of the Central (National) government was Shay’s Rebellion

• Farmers in western Massachusetts rose up in protest over increased taxes

• Daniel Shay led 1,200 farmers toward the arsenal in Springfield

• The event caused alarm throughout the republic

1787

WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLE OF CONFEDERATION

• Congress could not collect taxes

• Each state had one vote regardless of population

• No executive branch • No national court system• Nine of thirteen states

needed to agree to pass any law

• Lacked national unity • Weak Central Gov’t

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

• America’s first Constitution• Established National

governments ability to wage war, sign treaties, coin money, run post office

• Land Ordinance of 1785 – made land parcels small & affordable

• Northwest Ordinance of 1787 – set requirement for states

Annapolis Convention

• The Annapolis Convention (1786)– James Madison (VA)– purpose- Discuss interstate trade– Only 5 states attend– Alexander Hamilton (NY)– New convention called to revise the

Articles

CREATING A NEW GOVERNMENT

• The 55 delegates at the Constitutional Convention realized the need to strengthen the central government

• Elected George Washington-chairman

• They soon decided to create an entirely new Constitution instead of amending the Articles

• Articles were scraped• Peaceful overthrow of U.S. govt.

“Compromise”

Father of the Constitution

• James Madison• National Principle-

national govt. stronger than states

• Power came from people not states- Popular Sovereignty

• Federalism• Separation of Powers-

Baron de Montesquieu• Checks and Balances

The Virginia Plan• Drafted by Madison• Edmund Randolph• Powerful national

government– Impose laws on states– Levy taxes– Regulate commerce

• Structure– Three branches

• Single executive• National courts• Bicameral legislature

– Lower house chosen directly by the people– State legislatures nominate candidates for upper house– Lower house elects upper house from these candidates– Representation based on population or financial

contributions

– Favored by large states

The Virginia Plan

PeopleelectLower House

[proportioned by population]

Upper House[proportioned by population]

State Legislatureselectsnominate

candidates

elect

The New Jersey Plan

• William Paterson (NJ) • Small states• Modify the Articles

– Unicameral Congress– Equal representation– New powers to levy

taxes and to regulate trade

– Multi-person executive

The Great Compromise• Benjamin Franklin• Roger Sherman (CT)

– Connecticut Compromise

• Bicameral legislature– House of

Representatives• Based on population• Directly elected• Every tax bill would

originate in the House– Senate

• Each state equally represented

• Senators selected by the state legislature

“Mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair

of establishing governments by human wisdom, and leave it to

chance, war, and conquest”~ Benjamin Franklin ~

The Great Compromise

PeopleelectHouse of Representatives

[proportioned by population]

Senate[two senators per state]

State Legislatureschoose

elect

Presidential Powers

• Military commander-in-chief• Control foreign policy• Veto power over legislation• Enforce the law

SEPARATION OF POWERS

THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE

• Next difficult issue: Slavery• South- Slaves should count

as parts of population• North- slaves should not

count• North- If slaves count,

should also count for tax purposes

• Compromise- Every five enslaved persons would count as three free persons

Commerce Compromises• Southern fears

– If national government controls trade, it can

• Ban slave trade• Tax exports

• Compromise– Exports cannot be taxed– Slave trade cannot be

banned for 20 years• North very willing to

compromise– Necessity– Slavery a dying

institution

RATIFYING THE CONSTITUTION

• The Constitutional Convention adjourned in September of 1787

• Nine of thirteen states had to ratify the Constitution

• Supporters of the Constitution were Federalists. Those opposed were Anti-Federalist

FEDERALIST

• Led by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, Federalist believed that while the Constitution was not perfect, it was far superior to the Articles of Confederation

• They favored a strong central government

James Madison “Father of the Constitution”

The Federalist Papers

• New York– Gov. George Clinton

• 85 essays to support Constitution• Publius

– Alexander Hamilton– James Madison– John Jay

• Federalist 10:– Control of factions– “Pluralism”

• Federalist 51: – Separation of powers

Chart

Map

“The influence of factious leaders may kindle a flame

within their particular States, but will be unable to spread a general conflagration through

the other States”~ Federalist 10 ~

“Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.”

~ Federalist 51 ~

ANTI-FEDERALIST• The Anti-Federalist view

was that the Constitution did not guarantee the rights of the people of the states

• Led by Patrick Henry, George Mason, and Richard Henry Lee, the Anti-Federalists wanted a Bill of Rights to off-set the strong central government

Lee penned his views in the widely read, Letters from the Federal Farmers

ADOPTION OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS

• To satisfy the States-Rights advocates, a Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to guarantee individual rights

• The Bill of Rights was ratified in December of 1791- three years after the Constitution was ratified

First Ten Amendments

OLDEST LIVING CONSTITUTION

• The U.S. Constitution is the oldest written national constitution in the world

• Constitution- Supreme Law of the Land

• Elastic Clause key to flexibility

• Also ability to change, or “amend” the Constitution helps preserve it

• 27 Amendments have been added