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A New Plan of Government

Explore the historical roots of the American Constitution and learn how it limits the power of government. Discover the influence of ancient Greece, European nations, and Great Britain, and the role of natural rights and shared powers in the federal system. Understand the organization and powers of the three branches of government and the significance of the Electoral College. Delve into the system of checks and balances and the debates surrounding the ratification of the Constitution, ultimately leading to the adoption of the Bill of Rights.

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A New Plan of Government

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  1. A New Plan of Government 7-3

  2. Objectives • Learn about the roots of the Constitution. • Learn how the Constitution limits the power of government.

  3. Roots of the Constitution The Constitution is an American idea. But it borrowed parts from ancient Greece, European nations, and in particular from Great Britain.

  4. Magna Charta Signed in 1215, it led to the creation of Parliament, the law making branch of the British government.

  5. English Bill of Rights The English Bill of Rights guaranteed that men had certain natural rights and they would be protected by the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights.

  6. Enlightenment Philosophers John Locke Baron de Montesquieu

  7. Natural Rights John Locke believed that all men have natural rights such as life, liberty, and property

  8. Shared Powers/Federal System Powers of the government would be divided between the states and the federal government

  9. Supreme Law of the Land Under the constitution, if a conflict arose between a state law and a federal law, the federal law would prevail.

  10. Organization of Government The government would be organized into three branches: A legislative (law making branch, an executive branch (carries out the laws), and a judicial branch, (interprets the laws).

  11. Legislative Branch House of Representatives Senate

  12. House of Representatives The House of Representatives has 435 members. You must be 25 years old, a citizen for 7 years, live in the state. The number of representatives a state gets depends on its population (Virginia Plan). They serve a term of two years.

  13. Senate The Senate has 100 members, two from each state (New Jersey Plan). Senators must be 30 years old, citizens for 9 years, live in the state they represent. They serve a term for six years.

  14. Congressional Powers

  15. Executive Branch President Barrack Obama Vice President Joe Biden

  16. Executive Powers The President has specific powers granted him under the Constitution.

  17. Electoral College The electoral college is the system by which the President is elected. There are 538 electoral votes. A candidate must win 275 to be elected President

  18. How Electoral College Works On election day, people vote. The candidate with the most votes wins that state’s electoral votes. That process is repeated in all states and territories where Americans vote. The first candidate to win 275 electoral votes is the president.

  19. Judicial Branch The United States Federal Court System consists of one Supreme Court, and other “inferior courts” established by Congress

  20. Federal Court System U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals U.S. District Courts

  21. Federal Court’s Jurisdiction Depending upon the type of case, different courts will have “jurisdiction” over the case.

  22. Checks and Balances Each branch of government has a “check” over the other branches. This is to prevent any one branch of government from having too much power.

  23. National Citizens When people attain citizenship, they no longer are “New Yorkers”, or “Virginians”. They are “Americans.

  24. Constitutional Debate The Constitution now had to be ratified by the state legislatures. Two groups took active part in the efforts to ratify or reject the Constitution: Federalists and Antifederalists.

  25. Federalists Federalists were supporters of the Constitution. They believed in a strong central government. Madison, Hamilton, and John Jay were outspoken federalists.

  26. Antifederalists As the name implies, the antifederalists were opposed to the Constitution and a strong central government. Patrick Henry, George Mason, and Samuel Adams were leading antifederalists.

  27. Protecting Rights The Constitution’s 7 articles were a plan of how the government was to be set up, organized, and operated. Nowhere were any individual rights guaranteed or protected.

  28. Adopting the Constitution Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution. New Hampshire the ninth. Virginia and New York eventually ratified and in May 1790, Rhode Island became the 13th state to ratify.

  29. The Bill of Rights A Bill of Rights, guaranteeing individual freedoms was added in 1791.

  30. Self Check Questions • Where do most of the principles of our government come from? • How many branches of government are there? • Which branch of government is the most powerful? • Why didn’t all states immediately ratify the Constitution?

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