Creating the Constitution

• Republic- a government where people elect their representatives.

• Some patriots wanted people to have more power over government.

• More conservative patriots did not want common people having that much power.

Rejecting executive power

• Unicameral legislature- a single house, whose members were elected by the people.

• Pennsylvania and Georgia adopted this style.

Colonial Traditions • Bicameral legislature- law making body with

two houses, a Senate, and a House of Representatives.

• House of Reps- For the common voters• Senate- For the wealthy and well educated

gentleman.

Who could vote?

• democratic patriots wanted equal rights for ALMOST all free men.

• little or no property.• must be 21.

• Conservative Patriots wanted property requirements.

• allowing poor men to vote will “ confound and destroy all distinctions, and prostrate all ranks to the common level.” - John Adams

**Articles of Confederation

• In 1777, the Continental Congress drafted the original constitution for the Union of the states.

• no strong and centralized nation.• reflected the principles of the Declaration

of Independence.

Structure of the New National Government

• Federal- a government consisted of a congress of delegates, chosen by state legislatures rather than voters.

• states could send 7 delegates but every state had 1 vote.

The Power

• declare and conduct war!!!• foreign affairs.• Indian relations.

Problems• no taxes.• minor issues 7 out of 13 states.• major issues 9 out of 13 states.• amending Articles 13 out of 13.• Ratifying the Articles in 1781

Early State Government

Early National Government

All states were a REPUBLIC

Each state had one vote.

No taxes.

The Westside

The Westside

• Northwest Territory- north of the Ohio River and west of the Penn. to the Mississippi River.

• Land Ordinance of 1785- Congress designed a system for distributing the public lands.

• divide the land into hundreds of townships. (6 square miles)

• subdivided each township into 36 sections of 1 square mile.

• *square mile is 640 acres. **1 acre is about a block

• This ORDINANCE favored the wealthy.• Sometimes Congress broke the rules to

benefit wealthy speculators.

Governing the Western lands.

• Northwest Ordinance of 1787- provided a government for the western territory based on Jefferson’s ideas.

• a governor, a secretary, and three judges.• 5,000 citizens= elected assembly• 60,000= admission into the Union.

The Northwest Territory

• Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.

• Northwest Ordinance says no to slavery.