What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Georgia Constitution of 1777 and how were these weaknesses addressed? ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Georgia Constitution of 1777

document similar to the Articles of Confederation

based on the principals of the Declaration of Independence

not a constitution capable of meeting the realistic needs of governing a state

Established three branches of government

most of the power was held by the unicameral legislative branch.

One of the legislative branches’ powers was the ability to appoint members of both the judicial and executive branch; including the state governor.

Georgia Constitution of 1777

The governor had very little power and a term limit of only one year.

Main weakness: legislative branch had too much power

Strength: freedom of religion and press and trial by jury

with all of these weaknesses the Georgia Constitution of 1777 was the state’s constitution for 12 years

Georgia’s second constitution, the Constitution of 1789, was changed to model the U.S. Constitution.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and why was the decision made to write a new document rather than revise them?ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Articles of Confederation

America’s first written constitution was not the Constitution that we have today but another document called the Articles of Confederation (AOC).

based on the Americans’ experience with Britain’s monarchy and their goal to give as much power as they could to the “people” through the autonomy of the states.

had too many limitations that hindered the smooth functioning of the government.

Articles of Confederation

StrengthsCould declare war States organized into a

confederationEach state representedCould issue coins

WeaknessesWeak central governmentNo power to taxNo power to regulate tradeNo executive or judicial

branchDid not provide for a court

system

What role did Georgia play at the Constitutional Convention of 1787? ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Georgia at the Constitutional Convention of 1787

Georgians played two important roles during the Constitutional Convention.

Based on the united stance of the southern delegates, including the delegates from Georgia, in favor of allowing states to including slaves in their population count, the members of the Constitutional Convention agreed upon the Three-Fifths Compromise. While this provided a temporary resolution to a slavery issue, it was the beginning of a great and lasting divide between the North and the South that would later lead to war.

Abraham Baldwin changed his vote to side with the “small states” in the Congressional representation debate. This decision evened the numbers for and against the Virginia Plan and allowed for the Great Compromise. Baldwin claimed that this act was one of his greatest accomplishments.

http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/stories/georgia_and_the_united_states_constitution

How did Abraham Baldwin and William Few influence Georgia's role at the Constitutional Convention of 1787?ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Abraham Baldwin

Delegate from GA who signed the constitution

he was one of four Georgians sent to the Constitutional Convention

one of two who signed the document.

most famous for his role in the creation of the University of Georgia and his position as the University’s first president (1786-1801).

Due to Baldwin’s influence, it has been said that many of the early buildings on the campus of the University of Georgia were modeled after buildings found at his alma mater Yale

His vote about slavery made slavery legal in the new nation

William Few

fought in the American Revolution, served as a state legislator, and was appointed as one of Georgia’s representatives in the Constitutional Convention

Delegate from GA who signed the constitution

Why did Georgia ratify the new Constitution?ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Why did they decide to write a new Constitution?

Articles of Confederation did not allow for a united country to be created

Every state was doing its own thing and this held back a united country

No way to amend the articles as it was writtenNew governing document had to be created from

scratch

• Due these weaknesses leaders knew they had to change or discard the AOC and create a new constitution.

• In 1787, representatives from all 13 states meet to do just that.

• At that meeting, they created a new constitution that has been the law of the land for over 200 years.

• Several important compromises took place. • Most important compromises were:

–Three-fifths Comprise - a compromise agreed upon by the North and the South which allowed for slaves to count toward a state’s overall population by counting slaves as “3/5 of a person,”

–the Great Compromise - created a bicameral legislature where each state had two members in the Senate but representation in the House of Representatives was based on the state’s population.

Why Georgia ratified the new constitution

Georgia needed a strong national government

What goods and services were produced during this period?ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Goods and Services Produced During Period

GoodsTimberAgricultural productsCottonRice Indigo

ServicesBlacksmithingCarpentryDoctorAny other type of colonial job

How did trade change at the end of the Revolutionary War as compared to the beginning of the colonial era?

Georgians could trade with any country they chose.

GA’s Constitution

Highest body of laws in the state

First constitution 1777

Our current constitution was ratified in 1983.

The 10th state constitution

Has a bill of rights to ensure limited government & establishes government based on popular sovereignty (Georgian’s get to elect which leaders they want to represent them)

Provides for separation of powers and a system of checks and balances.

Checks and Balances

Like the federal government, the power is divided between 3 branches: executive, legislative, and judicial

Checks and Balances

Both the US Constitution and GA Constitution provide for a system of checks and balances.

Checks and balances are included so that one branch does not become more powerful than the others. This is a protective measure. It ensures that branches would watch over each other to limit the power of each.

Separation of Powers

Purpose: To divide responsibilities among the branches so that no one branch has more power than another

How are the U.S. constitution and the Georgia constitution the same?

The 2 constitutions are similar in the following way:

1.Both limit the power of branches and people in government

2.They have different responsibilities but commensurate amounts of power