Section 1

• People were reluctant to have a powerful central government.

• The Articles of Confederation were ratified March 1st 1781.

• How many states had to ratify the Articles? Thirteen states.

• It took almost four years to ratify the Articles.

• The Articles were in force from 1777 to 1789.

• The Articles included a congress and strong state governments.

• Ratify means to formally approve.

• Congress had NO power to:

  • Tax people

  • Raise and maintain a national army or navy

• Congress could:

  • Declare war

  • Make treaties with foreign countries

  • Manage Indian affairs

  • Establish and run a postal system

  • Appoint foreign ambassadors

  • Borrow and coin money

• States had the power to:

  • Control both domestic and foreign trade

  • The right to act in economic matters

  • The right to tax citizens

• The Land Ordinance of 1785

  • Allowed land west of the states to be surveyed and sold.

  • Land was divided into thirty-six square miles / six miles square called a township.

  • Each township subdivided into thirty-six smaller parcels.

• Northwest Ordinance of 1787

  • Required the area to be divided into at least three but no more than five territories.

  • There were three required stages for a territory to become a state.

    • 1 - Each territory would be under the control of a governor.

    • 2 - A thousand of free adult, males must live there.

    • 3 - Sixty thousand free inhabitants must live there.

    • Then they could devise a constitution and apply for statehood.

  • Five states were created from this ordinance

    • Ohio

    • Indiana

    • Illinois

    • Michigan

    • Wisconsin

  • Slavery was prohibited in this region.

  • The Ohio river became dividing line between slave and free states.

Section 2

• Problems with the Articles of Confederation

  • One primary weakness was Congress’ lack of authority to implement the laws they made.

  • There were no executive or judicial branches to enforce or interpret the laws.

  • States and citizens could ignore laws with little risk of punishment.

  • Congress could not levy (impose and collect) taxes.

  • It lacked funds to operate the government and pay war debts.

  • It lacked the power to regulate trade.

• Problems with Britain

  • Some British troops were kept at the western forts.

  • Americans still owed money to British banks and British citizens.

  • Americans were bitter towards the Loyalists.

• Right to deposit - the freedom to stockpile goods until ships came to transport them overseas

• Shays’ Rebellion

  • People lacked money to pay their taxes.

  • Courts would confiscate their property.

  • A Continental army veteran named Daniel Shays forced some courts to close.

  • He led a mob towards Springfield, Massachusetts.

  • They wanted to capture guns and ammunition.

  • The state militia stopped his men.

• Recognition of Weaknesses

  • The Annapolis Convention met in September 1786.

  • Only five states sent representatives.

  • Delegates did agree to ask the Confederation Congress to schedule a convention of all the states to discuss revising the Articles of Confederation

  • Meeting was scheduled to being on May 14, 1787, in Philadelphia.

  • The Philadelphia convention was later called the Constitutional Convention.

  • It did not formally start till May 25.

  • It was held in Independence Hall.

  • 55 delegates from twelve states showed up.

  • Only Rhode Island did not show.

  • Attendees kept their discussions secret.

• Points of Agreement

  • The United States needed a more effective central government.

  • State and local governments could solve problems affecting only their citizens.

  • The new system should be a republic.

    • Republic - A government in which elected representatives govern the people.

• Our republic is called a representative/indirect democracy.

• Plans

  • Virginia Plan

    • Proposed that the US gov should have a bicameral system based on each state’s population

    • Supported by larger states

  • New Jersey Plan

    • Proposed that the new US gov should have a unicameral system in which all states have one vote

    • Supported by smaller states

• The Great Compromise

  • Roger Sherman proposed the Great Compromise or Connecticut Compromise.

  • His plan provided for a bicameral system.

  • In the upper house, called the Senate, all states would get two senators.

  • In the lower house, called the House of Representatives, population would determine representation.

  • The larger the population of a state, the more representatives it would recieve.

• The Three-Fifths Compromise

  • They differed over how to count slaves.

  • If the government taxed states by population, the South would have a heavier tax burden.

  • The South would also have significantly more votes in the House of Representatives if all slaves were counted.

  • The matter was settled in the Three-Fifths Compromise.

• Principles

  • The government’s power is divided into three branches:

    • Legislative

    • Executive

    • Judicial

  • This idea is called separation of powers.

  • A system of checks and balances keeps each of the three branches form exercising too much power.

  • The delegates established a federal system.

• Ratification

  • September 17, 1787 - when the delegates sign the Constitution

  • Federalists - favored adoption of the Constitution.

  • Anti-Federalists - fought ratification, believed the state governments should be supreme and that the national government had too much power.

  • Several states said they would only sign if a Bill of Rights would be added.

  • Wasn’t until 1790 that all 13 states signed the Constitution.

  • April 1789 - votes from Electoral College counted

  • George Washington - elected president

  • John Adams - elected vice president

• Bill of Rights

  • September 1789 - Congress passed twelve amendments to the Constitution

  • December 15, 1791 - Bill of Rights took effect