Forming a Nation

Objectives

• To review the events proceeding the Declaration of Independence

• To review the key political philosophies of the founding fathers

• To understand the difficulties faced under the Articles of Confederation

• To review the events of the implementation of our current constitution

Royal Injustices

• Navigation Acts– Mercantilism

• Writs of Assistance– Open Ended Search

Warrants

• Intolerable or Coercive Acts

• Unfair Taxation– Molasses Act– Sugar Act– Stamp Act– Townshend Acts

• Boston Massacre

– Tea Acts• Boston Tea Party

The Continental Congresses

• No legal basis at the time• 1st Congress convened after Intolerable

Acts– Split between wanting legislative equality and

independence with Britain• 2nd Congress prepared for war and

declared our independence from Britain

Thomas Jefferson

• Primary Author of Declaration of Independence

• Republicanism• Anti-Federalist

– State’s Rights

• Separation of Church and State

Alexander Hamilton

• Federalist– Strong Federal

Government– Federalist Papers

• Implied Powers• 1st Secretary of

Treasury– 1st Bank of US– National Debt

James Madison

• Father of the Constitution• Federalist

– Co-author of Federalist Papers

– Many ideas more like Jefferson than Hamilton

• Author of Bill of Rights– Anti-Enumerated Powers

Declaration of Independence

• 2nd Continental Congress accepted this on July 2nd , 1776

• Final version adopted on July 4th, 1776

• Created a new nation separate from the British Empire

• Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson– Based on writings of John

Locke, George Mason, and Thomas Jefferson

American Revolution

• War actually started in 1775– Shot heard ‘round the world

• Battle of Lexington and Concord

• Fighting ended in 1781– Battle of Yorktown

• War ended in 1783– Treaty of Paris

Articles of Confederation

• Drafted in 1776-77• Not adopted until 1781• First US constitution

– Weak Federal Government– Established Name– Only congress could declare war– Accepts Revolutionary War Debts

Problems in Government

• Articles of Confederation created a weak federal government– Congress could not levy taxes

• Had to ask for money from states• Could not pay debts

– Each state only had one vote in congress– Required nine states approval to approve new

members– Any changes/amendments required approval

of congress and all state legislatures

Constitutional Convention

• Convened in Philadelphia at Independence Hall

• Initially convened to revise the Articles of Confederation

• Convention lasted approximately 4 month• Multiple plans presented and

compromises made– Houses of Congress– Slavery

Plans

Virginia Plan• Both Houses of Congress

had proportional representation– Lower house by popular

vote– Upper house by lower

house vote

• Executive selected by Congress

• Judiciary

New Jersey Plan• Kept existing style of

congress as Articles of Confederation– One State, One Vote

• Allowed for multi-person executive branch selected by congress

• Judiciary

Connecticut Compromise

• Blended Virginia and New Jersey Plans• Congress has two houses

– Lower elected by people with proportional representation

– Upper House elected by people with one for each state

Slavery

• 3/5 compromise– Allowed for southern states to count 3/5 of

slave and non-white population towards proportional representation and taxation

• Slavery Compromise– Congress had power to ban slave importation

but could not exercise it for 20 years.

Ratification

• Required nine out of thirteen states approval

• Delaware 1st to ratify• New Hampshire 9th to

ratify; enacting constitution

Activity

• Write a Five Paragraph Essay – Would a strong federal government or a

strong state/local government be more beneficial today in the US?

Next Time

• The Constitution• Constitution Quiz