Chapter 5 The Shaping of a New Nation. The Articles of Confederation.

Chapter 5

The Shaping of a New Nation

The Articles of Confederation

Weakness of the Articles

•1781—1st US government was a confederation

•Governing document was the Articles of Confederation

Weakness of the Articles

•The Founders deliberately chose a government with stronger state governments because they feared giving the national government too much power

Weakness of the Articles

•Several weaknesses were found with the Articles: •1—Lacked national unity•States were only concerned about themselves, not the nation as a whole

Weakness of the Articles

•2—Did not recognize population differences

•Georgia had a population of 25,000, while Massachusetts had 270,000

•Both had only 1 vote in Congress

Weakness of the Articles

•3—Few changes could be made

•All states had to approve amendments to the Articles

•9 of 13 states had to approve new laws

Weakness of the Articles

•4—Federal government had no taxing power

•Had $160 million debt after the revolution and no way to pay for it

Weakness of the Articles

•5—Had no Judicial Branch

•No court to settle legal disputes

•6—Had no Executive Branch

•No president to enforce laws of Congress

Weakness of the Articles

•7—Congress could not regulate foreign or interstate trade

•Could not control imports or exports, and could not tax them

Shays’ Rebellion

•1786—Daniel Shays led a rebellion of farmers who were in debt and in danger of losing their farms

•They blamed high state taxes for their debts

Shays’ Rebellion•The government was able to put down the rebellion, but they realized something was wrong with the government if the farmers were rebelling

•Farmers made up the majority of the population

The Constitution

The Constitutional Convention

•1787—delegates met in Philadelphia to discuss problems with the government

•All but Rhode Island sent representation (they opposed increasing federal power)

The Constitutional Convention

•George Washington was chosen to lead the convention

The Constitutional Convention

•Federalists:•Supported the Constitution•Wanted a balance between state and national governments•George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay

The Constitutional Convention

•Federalists preferred a Republican form of government •Republic: people elect representatives who make the decisions of government for them

The Constitutional Convention

•Anti-Federalists:•Opposed the Constitution•Wanted the state governments to have more power•Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, and Richard Henry Lee

The Constitutional Convention

•9 of the 13 states had to approve (ratify) the Constitution for it to take effect

•Both sides tried to gain support by appealing to the public

The Constitutional Convention•The Federalist Papers:•Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay•Explained the Constitution in clear, everyday language•Helped the people understand and gained support for the Constitution

The Constitutional Convention•The Federalist Papers:

•Alexander Hamilton

•Wrote the majority of the essays

•Believed the new government needed a strong executive to ensure necessary decisions could be made quickly

The Constitutional Convention

•Hamilton said checks and balances would prevent abuse of power

•Each branch has power over the other branches of government

The Constitutional Convention•The Federalist Papers:•James Madison•Wrote the most popular of the essays: No. 10 and No. 51•Discussed the dangers of factions•Special interest groups and political parties

The Constitutional Convention•The Federalist Papers:•Anti-federalists argued that factions protected the rights of the minority•Madison said factions would divide the nation and ignore the rights of the majority and the interests of the nation as a whole

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The Constitutional Convention

•Letters from the Federal Farmer:

•Written by Richard Henry Lee

•Listed the rights that were not protected by the Constitution

The Constitutional Convention•Letters from the Federal Farmer:•Federalists agreed to add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution to gain ratification•Written by James Madison•Nicknamed “The Father of the Constitution”

Key Features of the Constitution

•Federalism

•Powers are divided between the state and national governments

Key Features of the Constitution

•Separation of Powers•Power is divided among 3 branches to prevent abuse of power•Legislative, Executive, and Judicial

•This idea was advocated by Montesquieu

Key Features of the Constitution

•Limited Government•The power of the government is limited, not absolute•The people are the ultimate source of power

Key Features of the Constitution•The Great Compromise•Proposed by Roger Sherman•2-house (“bicameral”) legislature•1-House of Representatives (based on population)•2-Senate (equal representation)

Key Features of the Constitution

•The Three-Fifths Compromise•Southern states wanted to count their slaves toward population (to gain more representation in the House)•3/5 Compromise3/5 of slaves would count toward population

Key Features of the Constitution

•The Three-Fifths Compromise

•The legality of slavery was ignored so that the southern states would ratify the Constitution

•Considered too controversial to address whether slavery was constitutional

The Bill of Rights

•The federalists agreed to add 10 amendments to the Constitution to ensure ratification

•Known as the Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights

•Protect the rights of individuals from the power of the federal government

•#1-9 address individual rights, and #10 addresses states’ rights

The Bill of Rights

•1—freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly

The Bill of Rights

•2—right to possess firearms

The Bill of Rights

•3—government cannot require people to house soldiers during peacetime

The Bill of Rights

•4—no illegal searches or seizures

The Bill of Rights

•5—lists rights of accused persons, including due process

The Bill of Rights

•6—right to a speedy, public trial in criminal cases

The Bill of Rights

•7—right to a trial by jury in civil cases

The Bill of Rights

•8—limits on fines and punishments (no cruel or unusual punishments)

The Bill of Rights

•9—rights of the people are not limited to those listed in the Constitution

The Bill of Rights

•10—all powers not specifically listed in the Constitution belong to the states

Ratification

•December 1787—Delaware became the 1st state to ratify the Constitution

George Read Richard Bassett

Famous Signers

Famous Signers

Signers From Georgia

Abraham Baldwin William Few

Famous Signers

George WashingtonVirginia

James MadisonVirginia

Famous Signers

Benjamin FranklinPennsylvania

Robert MorrisPennsylvania

Famous Signers

Alexander HamiltonNew York

Roger ShermanConnecticut

The Northwest Ordinance

•Divided townships into 36 sections

•Set aside the 16th section for education

•Money from the sale of that parcel went to support education

•Land Ordinance of 1785

The Northwest Ordinance•The Northwest Ordinance of 1787

•Established the procedures for dividing western lands into territories

•Also set the requirements for the admission of new states

The Northwest Ordinance

•Importance of the Northwest Ordinance:

•Influence on Westward Migration

•The creation of new territories opened up new lands for settlement

The Northwest Ordinance

•Influence on Slavery

•Banned slavery in the Northwest Territory

•Established the Ohio River as the boundary between free and slave states

The Northwest Ordinance

•Influence on Public Education:

•Set aside parcels of land for schools

•1st example of federal higher education policy

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