The Constitution

1/19/2012

Clearly Communicated Learning Objectives

• Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:– understand and interpret the United States

Constitution and apply it to present policy dilemmas.

– understand why our national government works and why the American system of government is unique.

Opportunities to Discuss Course Content

• Today 12-2 (In a meeting from 11-12)

• Monday 10-12

Free Constitutions for anyone who stops by

Readings

• The Constitution

• Federalist 10

EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE CONVENTION

The Failure of the Articles

The Country is Crumbling

• No economic stability

• No order

• People and States were unwilling to relinquish their freedom for order

A strong government needed to rescue the "American empire from

disunion, anarchy and misery”.

A Hamilton

The Annapolis Convention

• what if you have a party and no one comes?

• Adjourns without any accomplishments

The Rebellion

Danny Schayes Daniel Shayes

THE U.S. CONSTITUTIONA Second Try at A Social Contract

Why a Convention?

“for the sole and express purpose of revising the

Articles of Confederation”

Dream Teams

1992 1787

The Problems

• How to Maintain order and to pay for it

• The concentration of power and representation

• Economics and Foreign Policy

• Slavery

• Powers of the States

The Solution: Maintaining Order

• The power to Tax

• The power to Raise an Army

• The Creation of an Executive

The Solution: Representation

The Solution: Republicanism

The Solution: Checks and Balances

The Solution: Logrolling

Slavery• A Strong Slavery Policy

• Representation

• Slave Trade and Taxing of Slaves

Economic Regulation• A Strong Commerce Policy

• War Debts

• Currency

• Trade within states and between the U.S. and other Nations

The Solution: Federalism

• The states gave up some of their freedoms in exchange for order.

• A division of power between the government and regional units (states).

• Powers of Federal Government are enumerated.

WAS THE DOCUMENT TOO POWERFUL?

Things that Scared the States

• The supremacy clause (Article VI). The U.S. law is the supreme law of the land.

• Specific Limits on what the states can and cannot do (Article I, Section 10)

• The Necessary and Proper clause (Article I, Section 8)

• The creation of an executive, with the power to oversee a potentially enormous bureaucracy.

General Complaints

• The Articles needed minor adjustments

• The states are giving up a lot

• The executive

The Document Lacked a Bill of Rights

THE BATTLE FOR RATIFICATION

The Rules

• The Constitution states that "ratification of the CONVENTIONS of nine States shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution".

• The Constitution was sent to the states, and immediately two opposing camps evolved

The Federalists

• Who Were They

• What was their goal

The Anti-Federalists

• Who Were they

• Why were they disadvantaged?

The Federalist Papers

• A media campaign of 85 editorials

• Published in New York Newspapers

The Federalist 10

The Compromise

• The Federalists promised that a Bill of Rights would be added to the Constitution.

• The main purpose of these amendments was to specify the list of protections for individual rights.

The Bill of Rights Addresses• Freedoms

– Amendment 1 – Amendment 2 – Amendment 9 – Amendment 10

• Equality – Amendment 4 – Amendment 5 – Amendment 6 – Amendment 7 – Amendment 8

• Order – Amendment 3