Chapter 2 The Founding and the Constitution. The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts Americans had different financial interests prior to the Revolution.

Chapter 2

The Founding and the Constitution

The Founding and the Constitution

The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts

• Americans had different financial interests prior to the Revolution.– New England merchants– Southern planters– Royalists– Shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers– Small farmers

British Taxes and Colonial Interests

The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts

• Early Tax Revolts– Sugar Act 1764

• Enforced a previous tax on molasses– The Stamp Act 1765

• Required printed materials to have a stamp on them

The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts

• The Boston Tea Party (1773)– East India Trade Company had monopoly on importing tea

and sought to bypass the merchants by selling it directly to the colonists

– Goal was to provoke a government clampdown• Closed the Port of Boston and shut down the

Massachusetts government

The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts

• The Declaration of Independence, 1776– Philosophical document stating that certain rights were

inalienable– Political document explaining that since the king has

violated those rights, the colonists had the right to separate– Addressed multiple audiences

The Declaration of Independence

The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts

• The Articles of Confederation, 1777–1789– First American government weak and ineffective– Created a confederation of 13 states– Weak central government with limited powers– Impractical government requiring 9 of 13 votes to pass

any laws, and all 13 to make amendments– Prevented colonies from creating treaties– Lacked an army or navy to protect citizens– No taxing authority

Shays’ Rebellion

The Second Founding: From Compromise to Constitution

• Shays’ Rebellion, 1787– Goal was to prevent the court from repossessing debt-

ridden lands held by poor farmers in western Massachusetts

– The rebellion revealed the weaknesses of the new central government, which lacked both the power to tax and also a national army.

– Served as a focal point for those who would draft the new constitution

The Second Founding: From Compromise to Constitution

• Constitutional Convention, 1787– Interests: the financial interests of the wealthy were better

protected under the new Constitution.– Principles: the new Constitution embodied leading political

theories of the time regarding liberty, equality, and democracy.

The Second Founding: From Compromise to Constitution

• The Great Compromise: How to form the legislature?– Virginia Plan: states would have delegates proportionate to

population or wealth.– New Jersey Plan: each state would have equal

representation.– Connecticut Compromise: equal representation in the

Senate, proportional in the House of Representatives.

WHO ARE AMERICANS?

Who Benefits from the Great Compromise?

CHAPTER 2

WHO ARE AMERICANS?

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov (accessed 8/16/12).

Representation in the First Congress

VA RI

PA DE

MA NH

NY GA

MD NJ

NC CTSC

Senate Seat

House of Representatives Seat

WHO ARE AMERICANS?

1. Virginia 747,610

2. Pennsylvania 433,373

11. New Hampshire 141,885

3. Massachusetts 378,787

4. New York 340,120

5. Maryland 319,728

6. North Carolina 393,751

7. South Carolina 249,073

8. Connecticut 237,946

9. New Jersey 184,139

10. Georgia 82,548

12. Delaware 59,096

13. Rhode Island 68,825

State Populations, 1790*

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov (accessed 8/16/12).

* The framers calculated the number of representatives per state in 1787

using population estimates. The first census was not taken until 1790.

Total state population includes slave population. Slaves were counted as

3/5 of a person for purposes of apportioning seats in the House.

VA

PA

MANY

MDNC

SC

CT

NJ

GA

NH

DE

RI

The Question of Slavery: The Three-fifths Compromise

The Constitution

• Goals of the Framers– A central government strong enough to promote commerce

and protect property against infringement by the states– Prevent “excessive democracy”– Emphasize ideas that would generate public support– Restrain the federal government from impinging on

liberties and property rights

The Constitution

• The Legislative Branch– Most powerful branch of new government– Two chambers: House and Senate

• Each has different powers• Each is accountable to a different constituency• Different term lengths (2 yrs. House, 6 yrs. Senate)• Share some powers with the other branches

The Constitution

• Power and Consent– New federal government far more powerful than the old.

How to build public trust?• New powers specifically given mostly to Congress

– Congress directly accountable to the people in the House

– Congress directly accountable to the states in the Senate

• New powers were expressly written but flexible enough to adapt and respond to public will

The Separation of Powers

The Constitution

• The Executive Branch– The framers needed an executive both to offset the

potential power of the new Congress and to act with speed during times of crisis.

– They also needed a unifying figure who would serve as the Head of State.

The Constitution

• The Judicial Branch– Goal was to nationalize government power through one

court that was supreme to all the others and that could stand up to the other branches.

The Constitution

• National Unity and Power– The Constitution had to allow states enough freedom to

pursue their own policies and unify the nation enough to have a common economy.

– States were given tremendous leeway, but were asked to respect contracts made in other states.

– The constitution stands supreme over state laws.

The Constitution

The Seven Articles of the Constitution

The Constitution

• Amending the Constitution– The Articles of Confederation were extremely difficult to

amend; required unanimous vote.– New Constitution requires supermajorities, but not

unanimity.• It remains difficult and rare to amend, but more

plausible than Articles would allow.

The Constitution

• Limiting the National Government’s Power– Separation of Powers with checks and balances– Dividing constituencies to make officeholders accountable

to different elements of the public– Federalism– Bill of Rights

The Constitution

• Checks and Balances

The Fight for Ratification

• Ratification was very controversial– Federalists:

• Favored a stronger central government• Federal control over the economy• Clear property rights• Government by elites

– Antifederalists: • Favored the balance of power being with the states• Clearly articulated rights (not just property)• Government by leaders who shared the economic

interests of the people

The Fight for Ratification

The Fight for Ratification

• Federalists versus Antifederalists• Conflict over three fundamental issues:

– Representation– Tyranny– How to limit the government

The Fight for Ratification

Representation– Antifederalists wanted representatives who shared the

same financial interests and backgrounds as those they represented.

• Feared only the rich would be elected and would act against everyone else’s interests

– Federalists thought elections would keep the legislators concerned for their constituents’ interests.

The Fight for Ratification

Tyranny• Antifederalists were concerned government would

be controlled by the wealthy elite.– Feared tyranny of a wealthy minority

• Federalists feared the mass electorate would team up against the wealthy elite, who would always be in the minority.– Feared tyranny of an unsophisticated majority

The Fight for Ratification

Limiting Government Power• Antifederalists wanted a weak central government

with enumerated powers and a Bill of Rights.• Federalists saw the need for a strong central

government, and divided its powers to prevent tyranny of the majority.

The Citizen’s Role and the Changing Constitution

• Amending the Constitution

Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to the Constitution (cont’d)

The Citizen’s Role and the Changing Constitution

• The U.S. Constitution is “higher law.”– Establishes a framework within which ordinary laws are

made

• The U.S. Constitution is a living document, and hence our understanding of it changes over time, even without amendment.

Public Opinion Poll

Do you believe the U.S. Constitution (1787) was driven more by noble principles or political self-interests?

a) Driven primarily by noble principles

b) Driven primarily by political self-interests

c) A mix of noble principles and political self-interests

Public Opinion Poll

Federalists and Antifederalists disagreed about what most influenced elected officials and their policy choices. Which do you think has the most influence on the kinds of laws elected officials support?

a) Their desire to get re-elected or hold higher office

b) Their personal wealth/economic class

c) Their personal opinions and feelings about issues

Public Opinion Poll

Do you think we would have different kinds of laws if elected officials had the same economic background as their average constituent, as the Antifederalists believed?

a) Yes, our laws would be different if elected officials had the same income as their constituents.

b) No, our laws would be the same no matter the income similarity or difference between elected officials and those they represent.

Public Opinion Poll

Small and large states compromised significantly on the structure of the legislature (think of the electoral college, for example). As a result of these compromises, do you think:

a) Small states have little influence on government.

b) Large states have little influence on government.

c) Small states have too much influence on gov’t.

d) Large states have too much influence on gov’t.

Public Opinion Poll

Considering the current number of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the number of amendments that have failed, and the stability of our Constitution, do you believe the process for amending the U.S. Constitution is too difficult, about right, or too easy?

a) Too difficult

b) About right

c) Too easy

Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution

• Quizzes

• Flashcards

• Outlines

• Exercises

wwnorton.com/we-the-people

Following this slide, you will find additional images, figures, and tables from the textbook.

British Taxes and Colonial Interests

The Three-Fifths Compromise

The Constitution, the U.S. Postal System, and the Internet

The American Constitution: A Model for the World?

The Supreme Court and Constitutional Amendments

The Declaration of Independence

The American Constitution: A Model for the World?

The Eighteenth Amendment

The Eighteenth Amendment

The Eighteenth Amendment