DRAFTING THE CONSTITUTION

Chapter 5

Section 2

NATIONALISTS STRENGTHEN THE GOVERNMENT Shay’s Rebellion:

Daniel Shay; Revolutionary War vet returned to his farm in debt

Summer 1786 small farmers like Shay demanded the courts be shut down so the farmers could pay off their debt

1787 Shay leads 1200 men to Springfield, MA to shut the banks down themselves

Militia disperse the farmers; clearly something is wrong

NATIONALISTS STRENGTHEN GOVERNMENT Effects of Shay’s Rebellion:

Panic and dismay throughout the countryAll states have poor farmers…Will rebellions spring up across the country?

George Washington speaks out:“What a triumph for our enemies…to find

that we are incapable of governing ourselves”

Obviously time to look at new kind of government

CALL FOR CONVENTION Major issue with country is inter-state

tradeProblems with taxes states were putting on

other states goodsDisagreements about navigation rightsShay’s Rebellion provides spark needed to

have states send delegates to address the issue

Convention- 1787All states but Rhode Island send delegates

to Philadelphia Quickly the delegates give up the idea of

“fixing” the Articles of Confederation and start drafting a new government

BIG STATES VS. SMALL STATES Madison’s Virginia

Plan: Bi-cameral legislature Represented by

states population Small states object

vigorously!!!

William Paterson’s New Jersey Plan: Single house

legislature Each state had an

equal vote

BIG STATES VS. SMALL STATES The Great Compromise:

Roger Sherman of Connecticut Bi-cameral legislatureUpper House (Senate) all states represented

equallyLower House (House of Reps) states

represented by size of population

SLAVERY RELATED ISSUES Should slaves be considered in the

population?South wanted to count them so they would

have more representation in the HouseNorth disagrees; without slaves being

counted the North would have more representation

3/5 CompromiseEventually agree that 3/5 of the slave

population would count for a states total population

CREATING A NEW GOVERNMENT Division of Powers:

New gov’t federalism- divided power between the states and national gov’t

Enumerated powers: powers given to the national gov’t Foreign affairs, national defense, regulating

trade, coining moneyReserved Powers: powers kept by the states

Education, marriage laws, regulating trade within the state

Both can establish taxes, and establish courts

CREATING A NEW GOVERNMENT Separation of Powers:

3 Branches of GovernmentLegislative

Make lawsExecutive

Enforce laws Judicial

Interpret laws

CREATING A NEW GOVERNMENT