The U.S. Constitution

Review the following presentation to help clarify your understanding of the

Constitution

The Critical Period

1781 – 1789 The Articles of Confederation had established a

loose relationship between the states There was no strong central authority to settle

disputes States were reluctant to surrender power to a

strong national government

The Articles of Confederation Proposed in 1776 and

formally adopted in 1781 Which branch is

responsible for enforcing laws and judging law breakers?

How would trade between states be conducted?

What if a state decided to act independently of the others?

Shay’s Rebellion 1786 The Massachusetts

legislature voted the heaviest direct tax in its history

They insisted in payment by gold or silver which were very scarce

Daniel Shay led a rebellion against these taxes.

The National government was unable to help Massachusetts.

The Nationalist’s used Shay’s rebellion as an example of civil unrest

They argued that a strong national government was needed to settle such disputes

The Second Continental Congress

Convened in May of 1787 to correct the problems of the Articles of Confederation

Shay’s rebellion demonstrated the need for major change

A debate ensued Liberty or Order, How could we keep both?

Who was Right? Federalists called for a strong

Central Government They claimed that liberty

unchecked meant chaos Organization and the Common

good were paramount They included lawyers and

businessmen

Anti-Federalists feared a strong Central Government

They claimed that a strong Central Government would take away their liberties

Individual rights were paramount, and should be protected from a powerful government

They included farmers, laborers, and some politicians

The Three Main Compromises

The Great CompromiseThe 3/5 CompromiseThe Slavery Compromise

The Great Compromise Answered the question of Representation A compromise between the New Jersey Plan and the

Virginia Plan Set up a Bicameral Legislature In The House of Representatives states send representatives

proportionate to their population In The Senate each state sends two representatives As you can see, the House favors the states with the larger

population, the Senate favors those with a smaller population

The 3/5 Compromise Southerners wanted to count

slaves towards representation in Congress

Northerners realized that this would allow the south to dominate Congress

Northerners argued that slaves were not free and therefore could not be counted

A compromise was reached: every 5 slaves would be counted as the equivalent of three white men for the purpose of representation

The Slavery Compromise

The South could control Congress simply by importing more slaves

A limit on the importation of Slaves was agreed upon

Slaves could be imported until 1808 Each imported slave would have a $10.00 tax

levied upon the transaction

The Father of the Constitution James Madison came to be

known as the Father of The Constitution

A wealthy Virginian, he was among 55 delegates present at Convention

Well educated, articulate, and 36 - he was the most active member of the Convention

The Basic Principles of the Constitution

Separation of Powers

Powers are divided between 3 branches of government

A Legislative Branch makes laws (Congress) An Executive Branch enacts the laws (The

President and his bureaucracy) A Judicial Branch interprets the laws (The Court

system)

Checks and Balances No one branch is allowed to become too powerful

Each Branch can check the power of another branch

This helps to prevent and unequal distribution of power

Study the next slide to see how the branches interact

So What is Federalism?

Town G overn m en t

C ou n ty G overn m en t

S ta te G overn m en tsh ares p ower w ith th e o th er

leve ls an d d ea ls p rim arily w ith s ta te m atte rs

Town G overn m en t

C ou n ty G overn m en t

S ta te G overn m en t

Town G overn m en t

C ou n ty G overn m en t

S ta te G overn m en t

National or Federal Governm ent

shares pow er w ith each of the levels below .In q u es tion s on F ed era l L aw or d isp u tes b e tween s ta tes , it h as th e fin a l say

The Electoral collegeEach state receives a number of Electoral votes equal to its’ total

number of representatives.

Amending the ConstitutionArticle V

Proposing Amendments

2/3 of each house of Congress

Convention called by 2/3 of the state legislatures

Ratifying Amendments

¾ of the state legislatures

¾ of special conventions held in each state

What do we know?

Exactly what is Federalism? Why was the Great Compromise necessary? What are the specific duties of the 3 branches? What is the fewest number of electors any state

can have? Why do you think there are so few amendments? How many amendments are there?