Constitutional Era

1. Constitutional Era Articles of Confederation

2. Potential problems facing the young nation • Foreign Policy • Economic Problems • Domestic Policy

3. Problems: Foreign policy • England: controlled trade, and still maintained a presence in America • Spain: controlled access to the Mississippi River, controlling the trade of Northwest farmers • France: Demanded repayment of debt • Pirates: Raiding American ships

4. $$ Economics $$ • Huge debt from war: Individual states and the national congress owed great sums of money • High inflation: American money was virtually worthless • Farm foreclosures: Patriots could not afford to pay back loans

5. Problems: Domestic Policy • Is the new nation 13 independent countries or is it one united country?

6. Source of the Problem

7. Struggles under the Articles of Confederation

8. Struggles (cont)

11. Congress could: Raise armies Declare War Sign treaties Congress could not: Raise revenue through taxes Regulate trade or collect tariffs Conflicting Powers of the Articles of Confederation

12. The Constitutional Convention • May 1787: Philadelphia • Each state represented (except R.I.)

13. The Constitutional Convention • Leaders were all appointed by the state legislatures, whose members had been elected by voters who could qualify as property owners. • 55 delegates convened on May 25, 1787 in the Philadelphia statehouse , most all were men of high prestige and conservative • Jefferson, in Paris, called the group a “convention of demigods”

14. Hot Topics • Representation • Large States vs Small States

15. Stronger New Government • National principle: • National government should be stronger than the states

16. Hot Topics (cont) • Slavery • North vsSouth

17. How should slaves be counted? • People? • Property?

18. Virginia Plan • 3 Branches of Government • Bicameral legislature • Population based

19. New Jersey Plan • Small state plan • Equal voting in legislature • Group executive • States Rights

20. Compromises • Great Compromise (Connecticut) • Population and Equality based legislature • House of Representatives control taxation

21. Compromises • Three-Fifths Compromise • North: Slaves should not count in population totals • South: Smaller population would lead to northern domination • Compromise: Slaves will count as 3/5 of a person for representation

22. Compromises Cont. • Most northerners and many southerners believed slavery would eventually die out. • Most northerners also believed blacks inferior and could work only as menial laborers.

23. Compromises • Commerce Compromise • Agricultural vs Industrial states • Congress could tax imports, but not exports

24. Constitutional Principles • Federalism • Separation of Powers • Checks and Balances • Individual Rights

25. Federalism • Shared Power between the National government & State governments

26. Stronger New Government

28. Legislative Branch

29. Checks on Judicial Branch • Creates lower courts • Can impeach and remove judges • Can propose amendments to overrule judicial decisions • Approves appointments of federal judges

30. Checks on Executive Branch • Can override presidential veto • Confirms executive appointments • Ratifies treaties • Declares war • Appropriates money • Impeachment

31. Executive Branch

32. Check on Legislative Branch • Proposes Laws • Veto • Call special sessions of Congress • Appointments to federal posts • Negotiates treaties

33. Check on Judicial Branch • Appointments of judges • Pardons

34. Supreme Court

35. Checks on Legislative Branch • Declare acts of Congress illegal

36. Checks on Executive Branch • Can declare actions unconstitutional

37. Articles of Confederation • In effect, U.S. government was peacefully overthrown

38. Approval • The new constitution must be ratified by 9 of the 13 states • Special state constitutional conventions were convened to vote on the new government • Debate: Federalists vs Anti-Federalists

39. Federalists • Supporters of the new Constitution • Merchants, urban, upper-class, seacoast, commercial interests • Washington, Madison, Jay, Marshall

40. Federalist Papers • Series of articles by Madison, Jay, and Hamilton in support of Constitution (“Publius”) • Madison’s “Federalist 10” considered to be one of the greatest political documents written

41. Anti-Federalist • Opposed the new government • Infringement of natural rights • Agrarian, western, states rights supporters • Patrick Henry, Sam Adams, Richard Henry Lee

42. Issues • Who controls the country: the national government or the state governments • Bill of Rights

43. The Winner • If it would have been a popularity contest the Anti-Federalist would have won hands down……….. But, it wasn’t!!!!! • By 1788, 9 states had ratified the Constitution • Remaining states join because they don’t want to be left out

44. Conservative Victory • New Government created to check the excesses of the Mob (common people) • Federal judges appointed for life • President elected indirectly by Electoral College • Senators chosen indirectly by state legislatures

45. Bill of Rights • Anti-Federalist victory… • Guaranteed certain rights that the government could never infringe upon

46. Bill of Rights • Guaranteed freedoms • 1-9: Personal Freedoms • 10: Reserved powers of the states

47. Federalist Era • 1st Constitutional elections: Mostly Federalist elected to Congress • Goal: Finish what they started • Build a Strong central government