SSUSH5 A, B, C & D Creating a New Government

SSUSH5 A, B, C & D Creating a New Government

The Articles of Confederation Formally called the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, this agreement was created by the leaders of the original thirteen colonies as a Confederation of Sovereign States. Although it was designed to secure the sovereignty of the thirteen original states, this document established a weak central government. Within the document, there were no president, no executive agencies, no judiciary, and no tax base.

The Articles of Confederation Creating a New Government The primary focus of the agreement was the Sovereignty, Freedom, and Independence of each state. Secondly, it did not declare the United States of America as a nation or a government, but simply as a League of Friendship between each of the states. Third, it allocated only 1 vote in the Congress of the Confederation to each state, regardless of size.

The Articles of Confederation Creating a New Government Only the Confederation Congress was allowed to conduct foreign political or commercial relations or declare war. However, they did not have the right to impose taxes or regulate trade. All debts incurred by the United States of America were to be paid by funds raised proportionately by the individual state legislatures.

Initial Economic Problems Unfortunately, by 1785, each state had created its own paper money at its own rate of exchange. Since the new nation was in debt due to the war with Britain, and experiencing reduced trade from Europe, the economy was in a severe recession. Instead of using gold or silver to pay off their debts, the states issued bonds to wealthy supporters, issued paper money, and raised taxes. Since the paper money wasn t backed by gold and silver, people did not trust it, causing increased inflation within the United States.

Initial Economic Problems Since the bulk of the taxes fell mostly upon the poor farmers in the western parts of the states, many found it impossible to pay both their taxes and the mortgages on their farms. Angry at the situation, farmers in western Massachusetts rebelled. As a result, in January 1787, about 1,200 farmers clashed with local militia during what was later called Shay s Rebellion.

Initial Issues on Expansion Creating a New Government After the war was over, the only way for the Confederation Congress to raise money to pay for their war debt was to sell the lands it controlled west of the Appalachian Mountains. Initially, the Land Ordinance of 1785 established a method for surveying the western lands for new settlement. In 1787, the Confederation Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance, which provided the basis for governing most of the western territories.

Initial Issues on Expansion The primary effect of the ordinance was the creation of the Northwest Territory. Secondly, and most importantly, it established methods for creating new states from within the region. Third, it created a civil government within the territory under the direct control of the Confederation Congress. Finally, the exclusion of slavery from the new region established the foundation for future restrictions on the expansion of slavery.

Initial Diplomatic Problems After the war, the Confederation Congress was unable to resolve several disputes between the United States and its European neighbors. The Confederation Congress was unable to compel the states to pay back pre-war debts to British lenders. They were also unable to force the individual states to return property confiscated from British Loyalists during the war. As a result, the British refused to evacuate frontier forts on the shores of the Great Lakes. In addition, the limited powers of the Confederation Congress prevented them from solving disputes over Georgia s Border with Spanish Florida and the use of the Mississippi River through Spanish controlled territory.

The Constitutional Convention The weakness of the Confederation Congress worried American leaders who believed the United States would not survive without a strong central government. People who supported the idea of creating a stronger central government became known as Nationalists. Late in 1786, both James Madison and Alexander Hamilton suggested that a convention needed to be held to discuss reviving the Articles of Confederation. When the convention began on May 25th, 1787, only seven states were represented, with Rhode Island boycotting the meeting and New Hampshire arriving half way through the proceedings.

The Constitutional Convention While waiting for the convention to begin, James Madison outlined a strong nationalist proposal that became known as the Virginia Plan. This plan called for a national government with three branches: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. In addition, the Legislative Branch was to be bicameral (two chambers): the House of Representatives and the Senate. It also set forth the idea of population weighted representation in the Legislature.

The Constitutional Convention Delegate William Paterson provided a counter-proposal, to amend the Articles of Confederation, known as the New Jersey Plan. This plan supported the establishment of a national government with three branches, but with a unicameral (one house) legislature. Congress would be granted the authority to raise taxes, create tariffs, & regulate trade. In addition, it promoted the ideas of impeachment and the 3/5 th s rule for taxes.

The Constitutional Convention When the delegates voted to proceed with the Virginia Plan, many of the small states threatened to withdraw from the Convention due to issues concerning representation in Congress. A Committee of delegates from each state, headed by Benjamin Franklin, was organized to deliberate over the issue. Their solution was an upper house (called the Senate) with equal representation for each state and a lower house (the House of Representatives) with representation based on state population. This proposal became known as the Connecticut Compromise or the Great Compromise.

The Constitutional Convention Unfortunately, another problem arose during the debates over Legislative Representation and State Taxation. Delegates opposed to slavery only wanted to count free inhabitants, while pro-slavery delegates wanted to count all enslaved people as well. After several proposals failed to pass a majority of the state delegates, they agreed upon a proposal from James Madison, which became known as the Three-Fifth s Compromise.

The New Constitution The New Constitution that the delegates agreed upon was based on the principle of Popular Sovereignty. In addition, it created a system of government known as Federalism, in which power is divided between the National & State levels of government. It provided for the Separation of Powers among the three branches of government as follows: The Legislative Branch would have the power the make laws. The Executive Branch would be responsible for implementing the laws. The Judicial Branch would interpret the laws.

The New Constitution The three branches would also be prevented from becoming too powerful through a system of Checks and Balances. The President, as the Executive, was given far reaching powers, including proposing legislation, appointing judges, and rejecting acts of Congress by Veto. The Congress, as the Legislature, was given the right to enact laws, confirm presidential appointments, and impeach the president or other high officials for misconduct. The Supreme Court, as the Judiciary, was given the power to hear federal cases and determine the constitutionality of new laws.

The Great Debate When it came time to vote on ratification of the new constitution, the delegates were divided over several key issues. Wealthy landowners and urban businessmen who supported the new constitution and a strong central government became known as Federalists. Self-sufficient western farmers and rural townspeople who were suspicious of the wealthy and powerful became known as Anti-Federalists. Edmund Randolph and George Mason were two convention delegates who joined the Anti-Federalists because of their concern over the protection of citizen s rights.

The Great Debate Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay were three key supporters of the new constitution who wrote 85 essays, known as the Federalist Papers, to persuade Americans to support ratification. During the debates, the Federalist delegates finally promised to add a bill of rights to the constitution. By 1791, after many debates, ten Constitutional Amendments protecting the rights of citizens and the power of the states became known as the Bill of Rights.