The period between the Treaty of Paris and the writing of the Constitution, the states were united only by a rope of sand. George Washington Beginnings of a New Nation
Officers were disgusted with Congress and their lack of provisions, pay and supply Planned to overthrow Congress George Washington saves the day
A Confederation is an alliance of separate governments that work together for a common purpose The group as a whole is less important than the sum of their parts
Basis of governing the western territory Territory would become three to five states Population of 5,000 they could have a territorial legislature Population of 60,000 they could apply for statehood and be an equal among the other states Slavery would be banned Drew the line between Free North and Slave South
Problems with Foreign Policy Congress could not force states to return Loyalist property or repay old British loans. Both a part of the Treaty of Paris
Britain refuses to leave American soil as we do not follow through with our promises Spain took control of the mouth of the Mississippi and would not allow farmers to use it
Recession: A shrinkage of economic growth To pay for the war many states issued bonds to borrow money from wealthy citizens Paper money was issued and quickly lost its value Not backed by gold or silver Causes inflation throughout the states
Drafting the Constitution
Government of Mass. Decides to raise taxes instead of issuing paper money to pay off debt Severely hurt farmers Some will lose their farms Rebelled by shutting down county courthouses Daniel Shays was a former captain in the Continental Army becomes one of the leaders At a state arsenal they attack and four farmers are killed The rebellion is over but has a lasting effect Demonstrated the need for a stronger central form of government
Proposed by William Paterson Revise the Articles of Confederation to make the central government stronger Congress would have a single house with each state would be equally represented Congress would gain the power to raise taxes and regulate trade After hours of debate the congress decided to move ahead with the Virginia Plan
Throw out the Articles of Confederation Create a new national government National government would be made up of three branches Legislative, Executive and Judicial Legislative branch would be divided into two houses Voters would elect members to the first house and those members would elect the second house Benefited states with large populations because representation in both houses was determined by state population
In politics, the art of compromise is the secret of success. Delegates were divided geographically... Large States vs. Small States Free Northern States vs. Slave South States The Congress established a committee, chaired by Benjamin Franklin, to work out the differences The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise was proposed by Roger Sherman
Proposed the House of Representatives would be based on the states population The Senate would be equal in representation Voters would elect the House and state legislatures would elect the Senate 17 th Amendment
The solution for counting slaves in the south Every fifth slave equaled three white male voters Benefits the South in terms of representation in Congress and Congress could not ban importation of slaves until 1808 Benefits the North in terms of tax revenue and Congress could not tax exports
Override a Presidential Veto Approve/Reject Presidential appointments and treaties Impeach a high official Declare war President can veto bills Supreme Court can rule laws unconstitutional Both Houses must agree for legislation to become law Powers Checks
Propose legislation Appoint judges Put down rebellions Veto acts of Congress Commander in Chief Grant pardons or reprieves Powers Congress can override veto with two-thirds of both houses Senate can deny Presidential appointments Congress can impeach the President The Court can declare Presidential actions unconstitutional Checks
Here all cases under federal law and Constitution Serve for life Can declare laws passed by Congress unconstitutional Can declare presidential actions unconstitutional Powers Congress can propose Constitutional amendment to overturn Judicial decision Congress can impeach Federal judges President appoints judges but they must be confirmed by Senate Checks
Because of mistrust in both the North and South, as well as rich and poor, the convention created a complicated way of electing the president Electors- There are the same number of electors as Senators and Representatives of each state. Popular vote does not carry the election- Electoral College does. 2000 election
Ratification
People that supported a stronger central form of government were called Federalists George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton were Federalists
Did not want to ratify the Constitution as written because... It gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the state governments There was no Bill of Rights The national government could maintain an army in peacetime Congress, because of the elastic clause, wielded too much power The Executive Branch had too much power
The Federalists had answers to the Anti- Federalists arguments... Separation of powers into three independent branches protected the rights of the people, and because all three branches are equal, no one group can assume control over another A listing of rights can be a dangerous thing. If the national government were to protect listed rights what is to stop it from violating rights other than the listed ones? Since we cannot list all the rights it is best to list none at all. Elastic Clause or Necessary and Proper Clause grants Congress the power to carry out the necessary business of all powers vested by the Constitution.
Overall the Federalists were better prepared and more organized in their efforts The Anti-federalists had complaints By June 1788, the Constitution was close to ratification
The Federalist had a plan and implemented the plan as soon as Congress approved the Constitution Went to their states and started rallying support for Ratification Wrote the Federalist Papers to show why people should vote for ratification The Anti-Federalists were opposed and gave arguments as to why but no solution or alternative Implemented a negative campaign that presented no options Issue was over National government or State government Federalists Anti-Federalist
Many argued that they would vote for ratification if it included a Bill of Rights The Federalists promised that as soon as the Constitution was ratified they would get to work adding the Bill of Rights This is significant when it comes to the states of Virginia, Massachusetts and New York All understood that these states were critical for the Constitution to take effect North Carolina and Rhode Island hold out Once the Bill of Rights are added North Carolina ratifies Rhode Island waited until May 1790 before ratifying