The Confederation & the Constitution

Chapter 9: The Articles of Confederation

A New NationWhen Americans declared independence in 1776,

they needed to form a new government: –They wanted to form a republic where citizens

vote for elected leaders to represent them –They wanted to protect citizens & individual

states from a powerful national government

Americas 1st National GovernmentWhen independence was declared, the 13

colonies became independent states where each state had its own constitution, legislature, & an elected governor; 8 states had Bills of Rights.

The USA needed a national gov’t to do things that states could not, like sign treaties & form a military so they created the Articles of Confederation (1777-1789)

This “confederation” style of government loosely connected the states under a weak national

government

Confederation Government in New York City

Each state could send between 2-7 representatives to the national congress, but each state had only 1 voteTo pass a law,

9 of the 13 states had to agree

The national congress could make laws, settle disputes between

states, negotiate treaties, handle Indian affairs, oversee a military

But all other powers were left up to the states

Confederation Government in New York City

Americans did not want to re-create a powerful gov’t like the one they just fought the Revolutionary War

to break away from

So, the national gov’t had

no president & could not tax the states or citizens

The United States, 1783Areas of Settlement, 1783

The Articles established a good system of settling

western lands

Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785 to create an orderly way

to divide the west into townships & farms

Selling western lands was the only way the national

gov’t could generate money since it did not have the power to tax

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787When a territory had 5,000 residents, it could

create a self-governing legislature

When a territory had 60,000 residents, it could apply to become a U.S. state

Slavery was outlawed in the NW

Confederation Government in New York City

The inability of the government to collect taxes led to problems

U.S. Trade with Britain, 1783-1789

Debt

America could not pay off debts from

the Revolutionary War

Shay’s RebellionProperty foreclosures led an uprising among

Massachusetts farmers called Shays’ Rebellion in 1787 but the gov. couldn’t pay for an army to stop it.

Poor farmers in western MA were angered over high taxes & prospect of debtors jail

Daniel Shays led an uprising & closed debt courts & threatened a federal arsenal

Closing Task 10-13-15Students will read and analyze the Articles of

Confederation.

You will then answer questions regarding the specifics of the Articles of Confederation.

The Confederation & the Constitution

Chapter 9: The Constitutional Convention10-14-15

After Shays’ Rebellion, people like Hamilton & Madison began calling for a stronger national gov’t

In 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to

discuss ways to improve the Articles

Instead of revising the Articles of Confederation, the delegates replaced it

with the Constitution

From May to September 1787, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention worked out a

framework for a new federal system of government

But, this plan for government had to be ratified by 9 states if it was to

replace the Articles of Confederation

Anti-Federalist v. Federalist Anti- Federalist- those who

opposed the Constitution, feared a stronger national government, and wanted states to remain power

The Anti-Federalists were led by Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams

Federalist- those who supported the new Constitution and a stronger national government

Federalist leaders James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote a series of essays called the Federalist Papers to counter the arguments of the Anti-Federalists.

Anti- Federalist

Federalist

Some states ratified the Constitution quickly, but states with large majorities of Anti-Federalists

refused without a Bill of Rights to protect their liberty

New Hampshire was the 9th state to ratify the Constitution which went into effect in 1789, but the

Federalists wanted all 13 states to ratify the new gov’t In 1789, the Bill of Rights was introduced and the last two states ratified the Constitution by 1790

The ConstitutionThe Constitution was a radical shift from the

Articles of Confederation because it gave more power to the national government than to the state government.

The supremacy clause establishes the Constitution (not the states) as the "the supreme law of the land"

The ConstitutionThe national government under the Constitution

would have new features & powers that the Articles of Confederation did not have

Rather than a single unicameral Congress, the new national government would be divided among three equal branches of government

The Three Branches of GovernmentLegislative branch- to make laws Congress had

the power to tax & coin moneyExecutive branch-to lead the nation and enforce

laws passed by CongressJudicial branch-to interpret laws and prosecute

federal crimes

Critical Thinking Question B: Southern Slave States vs. Northern Free States

Northern & Southern states could not agree whether or not to count slaves towards population size

If slaves are counted, Southern states would have more votes and

power in the House of Representatives

The Three-Fifths Compromise allowed states to count three of every five slaves

toward taxation and population size

Many Northerners wanted to use the Constitutional

Convention to end slavery, but Southerners threatened

to leave the USA anytime slavery was discussed

As a compromise for the South, the slave trade

could continue for 20 more years & runaway slaves

would be returned to slave masters

Father of the ConstitutionJames Madison

negotiated and wrote much of the framework of the new government and is referred to as the “father of the Constitution”James Madison

Closing Task 10-14-15Using pages A35- A43 in your textbook you are to complete the “Understanding the Constitution” Handout.

Launching the New Ship of State

Chapter 10: Setting up the Government10-15-15

When the Constitution was ratified in 1789, George Washington was unanimously elected 1st president

Washington helped shape the new nation and created precedents for future presidents and leaders

During his first term, President Washington focused on domestic issues that would shape the new nation

Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789

which created federal courts

Washington’s CabinetWashington created the 1st cabinet (group of

advisors who head departments)Congress created the:

–Secretary of Treasury–Secretary of State–Secretary of War–Justice Departments

Henry Knox, Secretary of War

Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of Treasury

Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State

George Washington, President

The First Cabinet

Alexander Hamilton was named Secretary of Treasury

(Treasury Department deals with issues involving money or taxes)

Thomas Jefferson was named Secretary of State

(State Department deals with issues involving foreign nations)

Hamilton and Jefferson were the most influential of Washington’s cabinet, but they had different

views on the role of government

Alexander Hamilton Thomas Jefferson

Watch this video clip from HBO’s John Adams seriesAs you watch, identify as many things as you can

that Jefferson and Hamilton disagree about

Closing Task 10-15-15

You will complete a matching time line activity on the New Nation.