Chapter 6Constitution and the New Republic

Review

• The Articles had flaws:– Weak executive branch– No taxing power– No regulation of

interstate commerce– Lack of universal

monetary system

FAIL

Question

• Which of the following would most likely support the Articles of Confederation?

a. Former members of the Continental Armyb.Those who feared ‘big government’c. Those who were bankers and merchantsd.Individuals who feared unregulated

government

Conventions

• Virginia (1785): 4 reps (Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania)

• Annapolis, Maryland (1786): 5 states represented

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1787): 12 states represented; not RI

Prompt

• “Americans in the 1780s generally distrusted the government and feared the officials would seize every opportunity to abuse their powers.” WHY?

Amending the Articles

• Representation– Based on population– Connecticut Plan (Great Compromise): calls for a

bicameral Congress

Two houses

Amending the Articles

• Commerce (trade)– Commercial Compromise: Congress will regulate

interstate and foreign trade; tax imports, prohibits taxes on exports

Amending the Articles

• Presidential Power– Veto: override Congress on law proposal– 4 year term• TRIVIA: What president caused Congress to set a term

limit?

– Electoral College: 538 voters; must have at least 270 to win an election• While watching the video, figure out:1.How many electoral votes does a state receive?2.Whose vote does the college represent?

http://www.schooltube.com/video/ee1f3005a68bfe608934/Electoral-College

Amending the Articles

• Slavery– Three-Fifths

Compromise: counted 3/5 of the slave population for representation purposes; it also played an important role in state taxes

Federalists/ Anti-Federalists

• Ratification was opposed by the anti-federalists– FEDERALIST=wants strong central gov’t– ANTI FEDERALIST=doesn’t want strong central

gov’t

• Notable Anti- Federalist: Patrick Henry• Notable Federalist: George Washinton, Ben

Franklin James Madison & Alexander Hamilton

Federalist Papers and Ratification

• Propaganda– James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton

• Ratification– DE, NJ, PN (1st to accept)– Bill of Rights was a “key factor” for many states to

join: NH, VA, NY

Bill of Rights

• Drafted by James Madison; first 10 amendment to the Constitution (1789)

Q: Which of the following freedoms is not guaranteed in the 1st amendment?

a. Speechb.Protestc. Petitiond.Privacye.Assembly

1st President

• April 30, 1789: Washington takes oath

• Not truly our “first president”: John Hansen (1782), Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman (1786), Arthur St. Clair (1787), and Cyrus Griffin (1788)

Federal Court

• Congress has the power to create federal courts with lesser powers

• “Supreme Court Justices” are appointed by the President

• Initially there were “5 associate justices; 1 supreme justice”– Congress added justices to correspond with the

growing number of judicial circuits (lesser courts): seven in 1807and nine in 1837

Financial Stability• Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury,

instated a financial program:1. Pay off national debt2. Impose high tariffs on imported goods to create more

revenue for the nation3. National bank to print money

*Although the Constitution did not grant Congress the power to create a national bank, Hamilton decided that a bank was “necessary and proper.”

Which of the following was heavily taxed when imported to the colonies?a.Lumberb.Producec.Textilesd.Silke.Whiskey

• The Federalist Party was identified with all of the following EXCEPT:

a. Powerful central governmentb.Necessity of organization of governmentc. Creating state governments under the federal

governmentd.Allowing states to create some individual

provisionse.Allowing states to determine tax rates

• Which member of Washington’s cabinet created the financial and economic plan adopted by the first administration?

a. Madisonb.Jeffersonc. Hamiltond.Adamse.Monroe