Creating
the Constitution
Compromises
Representation in Congress
How to count slaves?
South: count as people =more representation
North: count as property=more taxes
The slave trade & runaway slaves
The Electoral College
# Reps in the House + Senators= # of electors for your state
Approving
the Constitution
Anti-Federalists:
- opposed Constitution
- Wanted list of individual and state powers
- Congress would ruin country with taxes
- President has too much power
Ratification!
Created 3 branches of government
Listed powers & duties of branches
9 states needed to ratify for it to go into effect
- Delaware was the first to ratify
- New Hampshire was the ninth (enabling the Constitution to go into effect!)
Senate:
# of reps will be equal from all states
(2 from each)
Commerce Compromise:
- Congress could not interfere with slave trade for 20 years
- Congress cannot tax exports
- Congress CAN put a tax on each slave coming into the country
- Runaway slaves must be returned
Great Compromise: BICAMERAL legislature (2 houses)
- Senate represents the STATES
- House of Representatives represents the PEOPLE
3/5 Compromise:
count only 3 out of every 5 slaves as
a person
House of Representatives:
# of reps based on population of state
North: wants Congress to be able to pass laws about business and trade to help Northern industry
South: does NOT want Congress to be able to pass laws about business and trade for fear they might outlaw the slave trade.
- Congress chooses? No
- People choose? No
- A special group of electors from each state: YES
How should we choose the president?
Step 1: The people vote for a candidate= "popular vote"
Step 2: The candidate with the most number of votes in a state is given all electoral votes from the state.
Step 3: There are 538 votes up for grabs in the Electoral college
Step 4 : A candidate must win 270 to be elected.
*Maine & Nebraska can split their vote
Ideas for limiting a ruler's power came from:
- England's Magna Carta (1215)
- Philosopher John Locke: (if a ruler violates people's rights, the people should rebel!)
- Philosopher Baron de Montesquieu: separate the powers into branches
March 4, 1789 the new government begins!
Newspapers in every state printed the Constitution
"I have the happiness to know that it is a rising, and not a setting sun."
Famous Federalists:
- Alexander Hamilton
- James Madison
- John Jay
- Wrote Federalist Papers to generate support
- September 17, 1787
- The Constitution was ready for signing
- Not all delegates signed it
Federalists:
- supporters of Constitution
- wanted strong national gov't
- national gov't would share power with states
- would unite states into a republic
Famous Anti-Federalists:
- John Hancock
- Sam Adams
- Patrick Henry
- said the Constitution did not protect basic liberties
Framers decided the constitution should be ratified (approved) by 9 of the 13 states before it could go into effect.
President
Would only elect someone from their own state
"the president must not be made a flunky of Congress!" - Delegate Governeur Morris