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Articles of Confederation Constitution of the United States Early American Political History
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Early American Political History

Nov 17, 2014

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GregCaggiano

A brief overview of early American political history, including the Articles of Confederation, Constitution, states' rights, and slavery.
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Page 1: Early American Political History

Articles of Confederation

Constitution of the United States

Early American Political History

Page 2: Early American Political History

After the American Colonies defeated Great Britain in the Revolution, they needed to then set up a government

Debate went on for many years over what type of government should control the new country

The states were very different back then compared with todayToday: a strong national government where the

states have some powerThen: each state operates almost as its own

country, with the national government deciding only important items

Victory in the Revolution

Page 3: Early American Political History

The two early forms of government we set up created a union of states in America

However, before the American Civil War, it was legal for a state to secede (or leave the union)

“No state would have ever joined the union if they did not think they could leave it at a later time.”- Shelby Foote

Union?

Page 4: Early American Political History

Our first form of government, before the constitution

Main pointsEach state keeps its freedom and

independenceThe word “nation” or “government” is not

mentioned once, instead it refers to the states as a “firm league of friendship”

Annual appointment of delegates (term limits)Each state only has 1 vote on national issues,

no matter how large the populationGovernment does not have the power to tax

states

Articles of Confederation (1781-1789)

Page 5: Early American Political History
Page 6: Early American Political History

“The Articles of Confederation are a straightjacket.”- Richard Morris

Page 7: Early American Political History

After a few years, people began to realize that the AOC were not going to work, but fixing it was complicatedWhat kind of government do we want?How much power should the states have?How much power should the national

government have?Concerns:

If congress has too much power, the states have less rights

If the states have too much power, then our union as a country is weak

Changes Made

Page 8: Early American Political History

“The fundamental defect is a want of power in Congress. Too much power in the hands of individual states, making our union feeble and precarious.”- Alexander Hamilton

“We are fast verging to anarchy and confusion.”- George Washington

By 1787:The AOC was falling apartCountry’s first great depressionSmall rebellions being led against taxesNo national unity

The Need for National Strength

Page 9: Early American Political History

In February of 1787, congress saw the need for something to be done about the American government

Call for a convention “for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation and reporting to Congress and the several legislatures such alterations and provisions therein.”

Two men, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, each tried to create the new document, but each had very different ideas of what it should look like

The Path to a Constitution

Page 10: Early American Political History

Federalists (like Hamilton): wanted a strong national government, also known as centralization

Anti-Federalists (like Madison): wanted the states to keep their power and not give the national government too much authority

Two Types of People

Page 11: Early American Political History

Argued for a strong governmentHamilton was a genius (a financial wizard) but his

ideas for a national government were flawedIdeas:

“We must establish a general and national government, completely sovereign, and annihilate the state distinctions and state operations.”

“I believe the British government forms the best model the world ever produced.” (Anyone see a problem with this?)

“Nothing but a permanent body can check the imprudence of democracy. Their turbulent and uncontrolling disposition requires checks.”

Hamilton’s Plan

Page 12: Early American Political History

The idea of an “elected monarchy”:“Let one executive be appointed who dares execute

his powers. An executive is less dangerous to the liberties of the people when in office during life, than for seven years.”

Congress chooses the presidentAssemblymen: 3-year termsSenators: life termsPresident: all military powerNational law has more power than state lawEach state has 1 vote no matter how large a

population (equal representation)

Ideas continued…

Page 13: Early American Political History

James Madison nicknamed the “Father of the Constitution”

Proposes idea of Republican government, where the people elect the president

States are given votes based on how large their population is (proportional representation)

Government has three branches (Can you name them?)

Senators and delegates have term limitsPresident has the power to veto

Madison’s Plan

Page 14: Early American Political History

Lasted from May through SeptemberA meeting where representatives from the states

would finally decide on a document that would govern the United States

Part of the convention took place in the heat of summer, which was made worse because the windows of Independence Hall were nailed shut to keep people from listening in on what was said

Guards posted outsideBenjamin Franklin, who loved gossip, was warned

to not talk about what was going on

Constitutional Convention of 1787

Page 15: Early American Political History
Page 16: Early American Political History

SUCCESS WAS NOT CERTAIN!!!

Page 17: Early American Political History

Madison’s Plan: proportional representation, which benefited big states

Hamilton’s Plan: equal representation, which gave small states an equal voice

Great Compromise: House of Representatives given proportional representation, Senate given equal representation

Two Plans Collide

Page 18: Early American Political History

Even after all of this, there was still one issue NEVER dealt with at the Constitutional Convention. The issue that divided this country to its core and should have been talked about. Take a guess at what it was.

Page 19: Early American Political History

Word “Slave” or “Slavery” never appears in the Constitution.

One man, George Mason (ironically a southerner from Virginia) spoke out at the convention: “Every master of slaves born a petty tyrant.”

Before that, John Jay: “To fight for liberty and to deny that blessing to others involves an inconsistency not be excused.”

Failure to address slavery as a national issue only delayed the inevitable (the elephant in the room)Was such an explosive issue, that it was left for the

states to decide

Slavery and Law

Page 20: Early American Political History

Because total population now meant how many votes a state was getting, this was seen as a problem by northern statesShould slaves count as part of the population?

They could not say yes or no, so AGAIN they compromised, which put off the problem, and did not deal with it once and for all

When adding up slaves to figure out population, each slave would count as 3/5 of a personRemember, the word “slave” does not appear in the

Constitution. They are instead referred to as “those bound to service”

Three-Fifths Compromise

Page 21: Early American Political History

Between 1777 and 1804, all northern states had begun thinking about freeing the slavesOnly Vermont outright banned slavery in 1777All other states gradually freed slaves

Pennsylvania, 1780: all future-born slaves would become free at age 28.

New York, 1799: all future-born boys would be freed at 28, girls at 25

New Jersey, 1804: future-born boys would be freed at 25, girls at 21

Slavery in the north

Page 22: Early American Political History

In 1807, the Constitution would ban the mid-Atlantic slave trade

Northwest Ordinance: In 1787, slavery would be banned north of the Ohio River in any new territories joining the US

Slavery Laws

Page 23: Early American Political History

While the nation was finally united, the states were still torn over the issue of slavery

Into the 1800’s, power in congress became slave states vs. the free states

Slave states wanted new states to have slaves, while free states did not, so that each side could remain in power

This would set up many conflicts and debates in congress, which would lead to the American Civil War many decades later

Division

Page 24: Early American Political History

You must understand that during the founding of this country, people constantly disagreed with each other on many different issues. Sometimes things would get heated and there would be debates and conflicts, yet no matter how much we disagreed, we were always able to compromise and then come together as a nation

The Civil War is the greatest example of how we did NOT compromise, because rather than work together and stick it out, certain states felt they were better off on their own, and tried to break the Union

How does this relate to the Civil War?

Page 25: Early American Political History

Please write a 3-5 sentence response answering the following question:

“Should a state have the right to secede from the United States of America? Why or why not?”

There is no wrong answer as long as you back up your opinion!

Short Answer Essay