Adopting a New Constitution

Due to the weakness of the Articles the Confederate Congress decisions were more advisory rather than binding.

republican form of govt- democratic govt chosen by the people... elected representatives

Provisions for change

Social

SOCIAL

Adopting a New Constitution

Republicanism

Principles

of the

Constitution

Organization of New Government

3 Branches of Government

Legislative- power to make laws, declare war, borrow and issue money, pay for military forces, and regulate commerce (trade)

Preamble- introduction to the Constitution

Organization of U.S. Constitution

gave 6 purposes for new constitution and government

Preamble- States purpose

Article 1- defines powers and structures of

Legislative Branch: Congress (Lawmakers)

Executive-

• President is Commander-in-chief or army & navy
• President has power to appoint ambassadors, negotiate treaties, and appoint Supreme Court justices.
• President enforces the nation's laws.... new laws require his signature
• serves 4 year terms & chosen by indirect election through the Electoral College

Ratification Debate

Article 2- creates the Executive branch of govt

Executive: U.S. President (Enforcers)

underline

principles

Judicial-

Supreme Court judges appointed for life so they could be independent of political influence

Article 3- establish the Judicial branch of govt

Judicial: Supreme Court (Judges)

Article 4- state obligations to one another

Article 5- describes Amendment process

Before the state could become law 9 states had to ratify it.

Article 6- U.S. Constitution is Supreme law of the land

Federalist Papers

Authors:

What conditions led Americans to change their system of government?

John Jay

Alexander Hamilton

James Madison

Purpose:

convince Americans that the new nation would not last if proposed constitution was not adopted

Agreements & Disagreements

• the need to strengthen the government
• creating a national executive, legislature, and judiciary

With the assurance that the Federalist Papers brought and the promise to add a bill of rights, by the end of 1788, 11 states had voted to ratify the U.S. Constitution

• Size: Should states be represented according to their size?
• Slavery: Should the states count their slave populations when determining how many representatives they should have in Congress?
• Taxes: Should the new government be able to tax exports?

Critical Period (1781-1787):

The years after the adoption of the Articles of Confederation are known as the "Critical Period."

the delegates almost broke up until they learned to compromise...

Government- the body given the authority to carry out binding decisions in a community.

Constitutional Convention

May 1787

Representatives met to revise the Articles of Confederation.

- George Washington, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton

Weakness of Articles led to....

• unmeet needs of growing economy
• no uniform currency & shortage of currency
• widespread unemployment
• unable to protect manufacturing & shipping
• land value did not rise because it could not be protected.

Three-fifths Compromise

Constitutional

Convention

Shay's Rebellion- 1786

• Southern states wanted slaves to be counted as part of their population.
• opposed government regulation of slave trade

• Northern states opposed counting slaves as part of the state population.
• wanted government regulation on slave trade

Great Compromise

crisis brought the weaknesses into focus.

.

In order to determine the population of a state, only 3 out of every 5 slaves would be counted.

Executive Power

(to carry out the laws)

Legislative Power

(to make the laws)

• both plans called for a strong national government with 3 branches

Poor farmers were upset about....

- their growing debt - falling farm prices - high state taxes

Judicial Power

(to apply the laws to specific situations)

Massachusetts: uprising of farmers, led by Daniel Shay, broke out...

- rebels wanted to stop courts from seizing property & imprisoning them for unpaid debts... rebellion spread to other states.

Commerce Compromise

uh-oh!: Did they have a national army to put down the rebellion?

State militia eventually stopped the rebellion but many now felt the need for a new stronger national government.