Georgias Constitutions Georgia Politics Slide 2 The student will
understand that distribution of power in government is a product of
existing documents and laws combined with contemporary values and
beliefs. How would you describe the distribution of power at Schley
County Middle School? Which branch of government is responsible for
making laws? Why did the writers of the Georgia Constitution of
1777 want to limit the power of the Executive branch (Governor)?
Distribution of Power Slide 3 Constitution of 1777 1 House Assembly
(Unicameral Legislature) The Assembly had most of the power. They
appointed the Governor which now only had a 1 year term. All
decisions made by the governor had to be approved by the Assembly.
The Parish system replaced by 8 counties. *Reason- Governor loyal
to the king. Slide 4 Georgia Bill of Rights Equal division of
property between heirs.( Family) Freedom of the press and religion.
Right to trial by jury. Forbid excess fines or bail. Most white
males could vote. (land owners) Slide 5 Weakness of 1777 Georgia
Constitution No Checks and Balances 1 house legislature had most of
the power without another branch to keep them in check. Not
everyone could vote. Slide 6 GA Constitution of 1777 EXECUTIVE
LEGISLATIVE JUDICIARY GOVERNOR Appointed by executive council 1
year term Very little power Appointed by legislature Power to
appoint Governor and judges Have most of the power Uni-cameral (1
house) called the House of Assembly LEGISLATORS (lawmakers) STATE
JUDGES Slide 7 Primary Source Document GEORGIA CONSTITUTION OF 1777
Article IX. All male white inhabitants, of the age of twenty- one
years, and possessed in his own right of ten pounds value, and
liable to pay tax in this State, or being of any mechanic trade,
and shall have been resident six months in this State, shall have a
right to vote at all elections for representatives, or any other
officers... Slide 8 Articles of Confederation This was the first
constitution of the United States of America. Weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation: 1) Under the Articles there was only a
unicameral legislature so that there was no separation of powers.
2) The central government under the Articles was too weak since the
majority of the power rested with the states. 3) Congress, under
the Articles, did not have the power to tax which meant that they
could never put their finances in order. Slide 9 Articles of
Confederation 4) In order to change or amend the Articles,
unanimous approval of the states was required which essentially
meant that changes to the Articles were impossible. 5) For any
major laws to pass they had to be approved by 9 of the 13 states
which proved difficult to do so that even the normal business of
running a government was difficult. 6) Under the Articles, Congress
did not have the power to regulate commerce which will cause
competition between states as well as diplomatic issues. Slide 10
Slide 11 Slide 12 Slide 13 Slide 14 The Constitutional Convention
Georgias Representatives & The Great Compromise and Slavery
Slide 15 The Convention 1787 The Articles are weak because the
states have all the power. In Philadelphia the delegates write The
United States Constitution. Many of the delegates have different
ideas, compromises have to be made. Compromise- is when people with
different ideas give up a little of what they want so that an
agreement can be made that everyone can live with. Slide 16
Constitutional Convention of 1787 CAUSEEFFECT ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION THE U.S. CONSTITUTION State governments had too much
power National government could not levy taxes, enforce laws, or
control trade No executive branch (President) No judicial branch
(no federal courts to settle disputes between the states) Federal
government becomes more powerful Separation of Powers - Legislative
branch makes laws - Executive branch enforce laws - Judicial branch
interpret laws Bi-cameral legislature House of Representatives
based on state population Senate 2 representatives from each state
Great Compromise: Bi- cameral legislature benefits both big and
small states (population) 3/5ths Compromise: 3 out of 5 slaves
counted toward population and were also taxed Bill of Rights: 1 st
ten amendments to the Constitution guaranteeing rights for citizens
Slide 17 ABRAHAM BALDWIN WILLIAM FEW BOTH MEN WERE REPRESENTATIVES
FROM GEORGIA WHO HELPED CREATE AND SIGN THE UNITED STATES
CONSTITUTION. ABRAHAM BALDWIN PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN THE GREAT
COMPROMISE THAT HELPED CREATE A BI- CAMERAL LEGISLATURE WILLIAM FEW
HELPED WRITE THE CONSTITUTION Slide 18 The Convention 1787 William
Few and Abraham Baldwin were the only two delegates from Georgia to
sign the new Constitution. Agreements Separation of powers: 1.
Legislative Branch- to make laws 2. Executive Branch- to enforce
laws 3. Judicial Branch- to make sure the laws are fairly applied
Slide 19 The Convention 1787 Disagreements They disagreed on how
these branches should be set up and how much power they should
have. The Virginia Plan- large states liked this plan because it
gave them more representation. The New Jersey Plan- small states
like this plan because it called for 1 house and gave each state 1
vote. Slide 20 The Great Compromise Abraham Baldwin of Georgia was
the last to vote, he voted for the New Jersey Plan making it a tie.
As a result delegates compromised. The Compromise Created a
bicameral house. House of Representatives- each state had a certain
number of representatives based on population. Senate- each state
was given two representatives. Slide 21 The Great Compromise
Together these two houses, The House of Representatives and the
Senate, formed the United States Congress. The delegates also
agreed to form the executive branch with a leader to be headed by
the president of the United States. They also created the Supreme
Court to act as the highest court with supporting federal courts.
Slide 22 2 REPRESENTATIIVES FROM EACH STATE REPRESENTATIVES FROM
EACH STATE BASED ON POPULATION BI-CAMERAL Slide 23 Slide 24 Slavery
Slavery was another important issue at the Constitutional
Convention. Slavery- was an institution in which white citizens
owned blacks as property. Slavery was not as important in northern
states and many wanted to end slavery because it contradicted the
freedom expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Many states
did not want slaves to count as part of the population. Slide 25
The Three-Fifths Compromise The 3/5 Compromise stated that slaves
would count as 3/5 of a person. This meant that for every five
slaves a state had, that state would be given credit for three
people. The slave trade compromise- ensured the Deep South that the
slave trade would be allowed to continue for at least 20 more
years. Slide 26 Georgias Reason for Ratifying the Constitution
Weaknesses of the Constitution: Many believed it gave to much power
to the national government and especially the president. Citizens
also believed it needed a section guaranteeing the rights of the
people. Congress agreed to amend the Constitution and so it created
the Bill of Rights. Amend- means to change or to make right. Slide
27 Georgias Reason for Ratifying the Constitution Georgia was the 4
th state to ratify(approve) the U.S. Constitution. Georgia was
still considered to be a frontier region and was still waging war
with the Creek Indians. Georgia wanted a strong central government
that could provide military help. Savannah depended on good trade
relations in order to make money. A strong central govt. could make
negotiations for profitable trade with other countries.
