Establishing U.S. Government

1. Establishing U.S. Government

2. Vocabulary • Articles of Confederation – the first constitution of the United States, adopted in 1781 and replaced in 1789 • confederation – a system of government where power is located with independent states and there is little power in the central government • Constitutional Convention – a meeting of state delegates in Philadelphia in 1787 that led to the adoption of a new constitution • debt – something owed, such as money • Shays’s Rebellion – an uprising of Massachusetts farmers who did not want to lose their farms because of debt caused by heavy state taxes after the American Revolution

3. Vocabulary • Federalists – people (in the early United States) who supported the Constitution • Federalist Papers – a series of essays written to defend the Constitution • Anti-Federalists – people who opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution • Three-Fifths Compromise – agreement providing that enslaved persons would count as 3/5 of other persons in determining representation in Congress • Great Compromise – agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation • ratification – the process of formally approving something. • Bill of Rights – the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which establishes rights and protections for American citizens

4. Historical Background - Jamestown • During the 1600s, many people from England traveled to North America and set up colonies. • A colony is a settlement controlled by another country. • The early colonists were loyal to England. • The first permanent English settlement in North America was Jamestown. It was settled in 1607, and it was a part of the Virginia Colony. • Beginning in 1619, the colonists began electing leaders called “burgesses” to represent them. This group was called the House of Burgesses. • Jamestown’s House of Burgesses was the first representative government in the colonies.

5. Historical Background – the Pilgrims • In 1620, a group of English settlers called the Pilgrims sailed to North America. • They sailed on the Mayflower and landed in what is now Massachusetts. • There was no English government there. • The men on the ship decided to make a list of rules for the colony. • It was called the Mayflower Compact. • It was another example of democracy in America.

6. Historical Background – The 13 Colonies • By 1733, there were 13 English colonies along the Atlantic coast of North America. • One thing the colonists shared was their English background. • Their rights as English citizens were very important to them. • When the colonists first settled, the king and Parliament did not pay much attention to them. • Also, England was very far away so many laws were hard to enforce. • Over the years, the colonists became very independent.

7. Historical Background – Self-Government • By the mid-1700s, the colonists were used to governing themselves. • Most agreed with John Locke’s idea that the government should protect people’s rights. • Many colonists began to think that they did not have as many rights as people in England did. • Over time, the colonists came to see themselves as Americans rather than English citizens.

8. Historical Background – French & Indian War • By the 1750s, British colonists were moving west into places that France said it already owned. • Soon after, Great Britain and France went to war. This is known as the French and Indian War. • The British won the war in 1763, but afterwards, they were deeply in debt. • King George III decided that the colonists should help pay for the war.

9. Historical Background – The Stamp Act • In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act to help raise money to help pay for the war. • This law made the colonists buy and place tax stamps on all official documents. • The law made the colonists very angry as they did not think Parliament had the right to tax them. • Colonists protested the act and began boycotting British goods • Eventually, the Stamp Act was repealed.

10. Historical Background – More Acts • Following the Stamp Act, Parliament passed more laws. • In 1766, they passed the Declaratory Act which stated that they had the right to tax the colonists and make decisions for them. • In 1767, they passed the Townshend Revenue Act which taxed imported goods, like, glass, paper, and tea.

11. Historical Background – Tension Mounts • In 1768, word was sent to Britain that the colonies were on the brink of rebellion. • That same year, British soldiers were sent to Boston to keep order. • In 1770, an argument between the British soldiers and colonists got out of hand, and resulted in the death of 5 colonists. • This is known as the Boston Massacre. • Clip

12. Historical Background – Boston Tea Party • In 1773, Parliament passes the Tea Act. This measure was NOT a tax. Instead, it required colonists to purchase their tea from the British East India Company. • In December 1773, angry colonists dressed up as Native Americans and boarded several ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. • This is known as the Boston Tea Party. • Clip

13. Historical Background – Intolerable Acts • In 1774, Parliament responded to the Boston Tea Party by passing a series of acts known as the Intolerable Acts (also known as the Coercive Acts). • These acts infuriated the colonists. • As a result, in September 1774, delegates from 12 colonies met in Philadelphia to plan a united response. • This became known as the Continental Congress.

14. Historical Background – Continental Congress • The Continental Congress decided to send a letter to King George III asking him to respect their rights as British citizens. • They also organized a total boycott of all British goods. • King George responded by calling for stronger measures.

15. Historical Background – War Begins • Tensions eventually led to war. • The first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord in April of 1775. • Shortly after, the Continental Congress unanimously agreed to appoint George Washington to command the Continental Army.

16. Historical Background - Independence • As the war continued, support for independence grew in the colonies. • In January 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet titled Common Sense that made a strong case for independence. • It becomes a bestseller.

17. The Declaration of Independence • In June of 1776, the Continental Congress chooses a committee to explain the reasons behind independence. • The committee chooses Jefferson to write the document. • The document becomes known as the Declaration of Independence, and it is formally approved on July 4, 1776.

18. The Declaration of Independence • The Declaration of Independence was a revolutionary document. At that time, no other nations’ government was based on the principles of government by the consent of the governed. • Clip

19. Thirteen Independent States • After the publication of the Declaration of Independence, each state was ready to govern itself. • Some tasks were too big for the states to handle on their own though. • For example, states could not raise and support a large army. • For this and other reasons, the Second Continental Congress planned for a confederation of states.

20. Articles of Confederation • In 1777, the Articles of Confederation became the first constitution of the United States of America. • It set up a “league of friendship” among the 13 independent states. • By 1781, all 13 states had ratified the Articles. • The Articles of Confederation created a one-house legislature known as the Confederation Congress.

21. Weaknesses of the Articles • Lack of Power and Money • Congress had no power to collect taxes • Congress had no power to regulate trade. • Congress had no power to enforce its laws. • Lack of Central Power • No single leader or group directed government policy. • No national court system existed. • Rules too Rigid • Congress could not pass laws without the approval of 9 states. • The Articles could not be changed without the agreement of all 13 states.

22. Shays’s Rebellion • In 1786, an uprising took place in Massachusetts. • A farmer named Daniel Shays owed money because of heavy state taxes. • The state threatened to take his farm to pay for his debts. • In an act of protest, Shays led about 1,200 protestors in an attack on a federal arsenal. • This was a warning to the new government. How were they going to maintain law and order?

23. The Constitutional Convention • In the spring of 1787, delegates from the states met in Philadelphia to fix the Articles. • The convention, or meeting, took place in Independence Hall. • The delegates’ original job was to revise the Articles of Confederation. • They ultimately decided to create an entirely new plan of government – a new constitution.

24. The Virginia Plan • As the convention began its work, the Virginia delegates presented a surprise – James Madison had written a plan for a strong national government. • This is known as the Virginia Plan. • The Virginia Plan had a federal government with a president, courts, and a congress with two houses. • The number of representatives in both houses of Congress would be based on each state’s population.

25. The New Jersey Plan • The New Jersey plan offered a modified plan. • The plan was based on the Articles of Confederation, with some changes. • It gave each state one vote in Congress. • It was favored by the delegates from the smaller states.

26. The Great Compromise • Ultimately, the committee decided that Congress would have two houses – a Senate and a House of Representatives. • In the Senate, each state would have two members. • In the House, the number of seats would reflect each state’s population. • This is known as the Great Compromise.

27. The Three-Fifths Compromise • Southern states hoped to count enslaved people in their populations so they would have more votes in the House of Representatives. • Northern states opposed this idea. • The delegates eventually decided that every five enslaved persons would equal 3 free persons. • Thus, 3/5 of the enslaved population in each state would count for representation.

28. Electoral College • Some delegates thought the people should have the right to elect the President. • Others thought Congress should elect the President. • The solution was the Electoral College. • This group would select a president and vice president, and would be made up of electors, or delegates, named by each legislature. • The Electoral College still exists today. However, voters in each state now choose electors.

29. U.S. Constitution • Throughout the summer of 1787, the members of the Constitutional Convention worked out the details of the new government. • On September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was adopted and signed by the Constitutional Convention. • The next step was to win the Constitution’s ratification, or approval. • At least 9 of the 13 states were required to ratify the Constitution. • Only then would it become the supreme law of the land.

30. Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists Federalists Anti-Federalists Those who opposed the Constitution were called Anti-Federalists. Anti-Federalists did not like the idea of strong, national government. They feared it would ignore the rights of the states. They saw a key weakness in the new Constitution. It had no bill of rights to protect individual freedoms. Several state conventions declared they would not ratify the Constitution without a bill of rights. Game • Those who supported the proposed Constitution were called Federalists. • They supported the idea of a federal system of government, where power is divided between the federal, or national, government, and the states. • They believed that the federal, or national, law should be the supreme law of the land. • The main leaders of the Federalists were Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. • To defend the Constitution, they wrote a series of essays called the Federalist Papers.

31. A New Nation is Formed • The Federalists eventually vowed to create a bill of rights if the Constitution was adopted. • That promise helped win public support for the constitution. • By that time, several states had already voted for ratification. • New Hampshire became the 9th state to do so. • The Constitution took effect in June 1788. • Clip • The 13 states in order of ratification: 1. Delaware – Dec. 7, 1787 2. Pennsylvania – Dec. 12, 1787 3. New Jersey – Dec. 18, 1787 4. Georgia – Jan. 2, 1788 5. Connecticut – Jan. 9, 1788 6. Massachusetts – Feb. 6, 1788 7. Maryland – Apr. 28, 1788 8. South Carolina – May 23, 1788 9. New Hampshire – June 21, 1788 10. Virginia – June 25, 1788 11. New York – July 26, 1788 12. North Carolina – Nov. 21, 1789 13. Rhode Island – May 29, 1790