Creating the Constitution 1776 - 1791
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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.
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