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CH 5 NOTES. FORMING A GOVERNMENT. Ideas about Government. Declaring independence was a bold move Next step was to create new government They would gather ideas from many sources. They took ideas from: The English Bill of Rights Magna Carta John Locke The Mayflower Compact
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CH 5 NOTES FORMING A GOVERNMENT
Ideas about Government • Declaring independence was a bold move • Next step was to create new government • They would gather ideas from many sources
They took ideas from: • The English Bill of Rights • Magna Carta • John Locke • The Mayflower Compact • British Parliament • Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
State Constitutions • Were created to keep individual leaders from gaining too much power • Protected rights of citizens • Some banned slavery • Some protected those accused of crimes
Articles of Confederation • Strengths: • Congress could settle conflicts among states • Make coins • Borrow money • Make treaties with other countries • Make treaties with Native Americans • Ask states for money and soldiers
Weaknesses: • Most power was held by the states • Only one branch of government • Legislative branch had few powers • No executive branch • No judicial branch • No system of checks and balances
Ratification of the Articles • Conflicts over land claims slowed the ratification • Maryland refused until other states gave up their land claims • Western lands would be made into new states instead of increasing the size of existing states
Northwest Territory • States handed over their land claims to the government • Congress passed Land Ordinance of 1785 • System for surveying and dividing the western lands
Split into townships of 36 square miles • Divided into 36 lots of 640 acres • 1 lot reserved for public school • 4 lots for veterans • Remaining lots sold to public
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 • Established the Northwest Territory • Included areas that are now: • Illinois • Indiana • Michigan • Ohio • Wisconsin • Minnesota (part of)
These future states were called territories • When population reached 60,000 they could make a constitution and become a state • Required public education to be provided • Slavery was banned in Northwest Territory
Relations with Other Countries • Great Britain closed off many ports to the U. S., preventing trade in Britain and West Indies • Britain forced Americans to pay higher tariffs • Now businesses would have to raise their prices
Spain closed off Lower Mississippi River, cutting off American trade with the West • Farmers could not export • British goods were now cheaper than American • Congress did not have the power to fix the problem
Economic Problems • States began to pass their own trade laws, which were all different • This made it difficult to trade from state to state • States had a hard time paying for the war, so they started printing large amounts of money • The result was inflation
Money had different values from state to state • Problems with trade and inflation caused an economic depression
Shays’s Rebellion • Massachusetts tried something different • Raised taxes on land, causing farmers to be hit hard • If farmers could not pay, the land would be taken and farmer would be put in jail
The land would then be sold at 1/3 of the original price or less • Farmers began to revolt • Shays’s Rebellion • Led by Daniel Shays, the rebels were defeated at a federal arsenal in Springfield, MA
“A little rebellion now and then is a good thing…” Thomas Jefferson • Shays’s Rebellion made Congress take a second look at Articles of Confederation
Constitutional Convention • The convention was held in Philadelphia, PA. • Main purpose = to improve the Articles of Confederation
Facts: • Benjamin Franklin was the oldest: 81 • Jonathan Dayton was the youngest: 26 • George Washington came out of retirement to be president of the Convention
Each delegate was sworn to secrecy • Doors and windows were locked • Boards were nailed over the windows • Women, African Americans, and Native Americans were not allowed
Two plans were introduced. • Edmund Randolph presented Virginia Plan • William Paterson presented New Jersey Plan
Virginia Plan • Gave more power to central government • Congress would be made up of two houses • Representatives would be chosen based on state populations
New Jersey Plan • Gave more power to state governments • Congress would have one house • Representatives would be equal for each state
Great Compromise • After a month of debate, a decision was still not made • Roger Sherman proposed the Great Compromise • The Virginia and New Jersey Plans would be combined
Congress would have two houses • Each state would have two representatives in the Senate • In House of Representatives, the number of representatives would be based on the state’s population
Three-Fifths Compromise • The debate on representation also involved enslaved Africans • Southern delegates wanted slaves counted as part of their population • Northerners disagreed
A compromise was made • 3/5 of a state’s slave population would be counted
The Constitution • Delegates hoped to protect popular sovereignty Videos - Free video downloads and streaming video - CNET TV • That means the power belongs to the people • They created federalism to keep a balance of power between the central and state governments
Checks and Balances • The constitution balances power among three branches • Legislative • Executive • Judicial
Executive Branch – President and cabinet. Makes sure the law is carried out
Judicial Branch – Courts; interprets laws, punishes criminals, and settles disputes between states
The delegates created a system of checks and balances • This keeps any branch of government from becoming too powerful
EXAMPLE: • Congress passes a bill • President can veto the bill • Congress can override veto with 2/3 vote • Supreme Court can kill the bill if it violates the Constitution
Ratifying the Constitution • Antifederalists – people who opposed the Constitution • Felt the main problem was: Constitution did not provide a section for individual rights
Federalists – supported the Constitution • Felt the Constitution balanced all views
Federalist Papers • One of the most important defenses of the Constitution was a series of essays knows as the Federalist Papers • The essays were signed anonymous, but were actually written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay.
Tried to reassure Americans that the central government would not overpower the states • Federalist Paper No. 10 is the most widely known, written my Madison
Bill of Rights • The Bill of Rights were added to the Constitution as amendments • Amendments = official changes • Amendments must be approved by 2/3 of both houses and then ratified by ¾ of all states
The Bill of Rights are 10 amendments intended to protect the rights of the citizens