SS4H5 The student will analyze the challenges faced by the new nation.

SS4H5

The student will analyze the

challenges faced by the new nation.

Review:

Articles Of

Confederation

Gave Congressthe power to

declare war and make peace

Congress couldprint and

borrow money

Congress couldorganize new

territories

Created a weak National

government

Could not make the stateswork together

Congress couldnot set up anarmy, control

trade, or create taxes

Essential Question:

• Why was the Constitutional Convention needed?

Vocabulary:

• federal• -a system of government in which the states share

power with a central government• republic• - a government in which citizens elect leaders to

represent them• Compromise• -both sides give up something they want to settle a

disagreement• Ratify• - to officially accept

Constitutional Convention

• The American people began to see that the Articles of Confederation needed to be changed.

• Delegates from all the states except Rhode Island met in Philadelphia for the Constitutional

Convention of 1787.

Who was there?

• Only white, male, landowners could be a delegate at the Constitutional Convention.

• No women, African Americans, American

Indians, or any man that did not own land, took part in the convention.

Leaders of the Constitutional Convention:

• James Madison wasa lawyer from Virginiathat called the meetingtogether. He arrived 2 weeks early so that hecould start planningwhat needed to be done. He was known as theFather of the Constitutionbecause he was a leadingmember and he kept a verydetailed record of all the debates.

Benjamin Franklin

He was the oldest delegate

at the convention.

He urged others to be willing

to listen and convinced

them that the compromise

was important to a free

society.

He supported the ratification

of the Constitution.

George Washington

• He was the hero of

the Revolutionary War.

People rang bells and

cheered when they saw

him at the Convention.

Changes needed:

• The Articles did not give the Congress enough power.

• Some delegates wanted a republic. They thought it would protect citizen’s rights because the citizens would elect the leaders to represent them.

• Other delegates, like James Madison and Washington, wanted a federal system where the states would share power with the central government, but the central government would have more power.

The delegates agreed to create a Federal System where states would share power with the national (federal) government.

• State National

GovernmentGovernment

Creating a New Government

• James Madison suggested that the government should have three branches (parts). His plan was called the Virginia Plan.

• One branch-Congress- would make laws.

• The second branch would carry out the laws.

• The third branch would settle legal

arguments.

Representation:

• The delegates accepted most of Madison’s Virginia Plan except for the part that gives states representation according to its population.

• Delegates from smaller • states thought that this• would give bigger states • more power. They came up • with the New Jersey Plan • which would give each • state one vote. • Delegates argued about • the two plans.

The Great Compromise

Virginia PlanCongress based

On population

New Jersey Plan gave eachState one vote

The Great Compromise

• The state delegates combined the two plans and created the Great Compromise.

• The compromise said that Congress would have two parts- The Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Great Compromise

Virginia PlanCongress based

On population

New Jersey Plan gave eachState one vote

Congress would have two parts

The Senategave each state

one vote

The House of Representativewas based on

population

• The Great Compromise said Congress would be split into two houses:

• The Senate- each state would have equal representation

• The House of Representatives – each state would be represented according to the population.

Another issue:

• Southern delegates wanted to count enslaved people as part of their population.

• Northern delegates said they should not be counted.

• The states came up with another compromise called the Three Fifths Rule.

• It said that every five slaves would be counted as three free people.