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Unit 4The American Constitution
Fill-In-The-Notes
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Early Government
• In the years following the Revolution, Americans thought of themselves as ___________________, not of a common _________________________________.
• The United States was not a nation as much as it was a confederation, an ______________________________ that work together.
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• _____________________________________________________________________________.
• Individual __________________________ were important during this period.
• A constitution is a plan of government that describes the different parts of the government and their duties and powers.
• In 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a set of laws to govern the United States.
• These laws were called the ______________________________________________________.
• Approved in 1781, the Articles established a limited national government, in which most of the power lay with ___________________________.
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The Articles of ConfederationCompared and contrasted to today’s national
government Today’s National Government• Consists of three branches of government:
– The legislative branch, or Congress, is responsible for ____________________________________________.
– The executive branch, headed by the President, ____________________________________________.
– The judicial branch is made up of the courts and judges who ________________________________________.
• The judicial branch forms a national court system.• Congress has the power to _________________.
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The Articles of Confederation
• Consisted of only one branch of government: the legislative branch, or Congress.
• Congress carried out the duties of both the legislative and executive branches.
• No national court system existed.
• _____________________________________________________________________________________________________.
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Opposition to the Articles
• Americans generally agreed that their new nation should be a democracy, a _________________________________.
• Specifically, they desired a republic, a government _______________________ their elected representatives.
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Economic Problems
• Huge amounts of public and private debt were creating economic chaos in the new republic.
• Many upper-class critics of the Articles felt that this problem was due to ___________________________________________________________________.
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Concerns About Weak Government
• A group called the ______________ felt that a weak national government could not keep order.
• They argued that European history had demonstrated that people were not _____________________________________________________________________________________________________.
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The Annapolis Convention
• In 1786, Nationalists held a conference in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss economic problems.
• Although the conference itself accomplished little, delegates agreed to call _________________ in Philadelphia in 1787.
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Shays’ RebellionCauses of Shays’ Rebellion• In order to help pay off its large debts, Massachusetts
passed _____________________. • This tax had to be paid in specie, gold or silver coin, rather
than paper money. • A group of farmers led by Daniel Shays rebelled against
these taxes in a crisis which came to be known as Shays’ Rebellion.
• _________________________________________________________________________________.
• Soon, open conflict raged as angry crowds rioted.
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Effects of Shays’ Rebellion
• Congress had no money to raise an army to counter Shays’ Rebellion.
• It also could not force states to pay for one.
• The Massachusetts state government raised an army that quieted the rebellion.
• _____________________________________________________________________________________________________.
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The Convention Assembles
• In May 1787, delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia to try to ____ _________________________________.
• This meeting, known as the _________________________, produced the United States Constitution, the document that has governed the United States ____________________________.
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• One particularly influential delegate at the Constitutional Convention was ___________ ___________________________ of Virginia.
• Before the convention, Madison spent a year thinking about how to create a new government.
• At the convention, he took detailed notes that would __________________________ of the proceedings.
• For his role, he became known as “________ ___________________________________.”
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Divisions at the Convention
• The convention in Philadelphia had been empowered only to amend, or revise, the Articles of Confederation, not to ________ them.
• However, __________________________ _________________________________.
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The Virginia Plan
• Proposed a bicameral, or two-house, national legislature
• ____________________________________________________________________________.
• The new legislature would have the power to tax; the right to regulate foreign and interstate commerce; to ______, or prohibit from becoming law, any act of a state legislature; and to use force against a state, should that state defy national authority.
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The New Jersey Plan
• Proposed a unicameral, or one-house, national legislature, and the creation of __________________________________
• Each state would send the same number of representatives to the legislature.
• The new legislature would have the right to ________________________________ _________________________________.
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Reaching Agreements
• In the Great Compromise, delegates agreed to __________________________ _________________________________.
• One house, the Senate, would have the same number of representatives from each state.
• In the other house, the House of Representatives, representation would be based on _________________________.
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• Another difficult issue was whether or not to include ______________ when determining a state’s population and therefore its representation.
• According to the Three-Fifths Compromise, ________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________.
• After further debate, the convention approved the final draft of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787.
• The strengths of the Constitution have helped it endure for more than 200 years.
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Government Structure
Federal and State Powers
• The Constitution created a federal system of government, in which power is shared ___________________________________.
• In a federal system of government, powers are divided into three categories:– ____________________________________________.– Others are delegated to the federal government only.
– Still others, called concurrent powers, are held by both the federal
government and state governments.
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Separation of Federal Powers
• Within the federal government, a separation of powers was created to _______________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
• Each branch has its own area of authority, but no one branch has _____________ over the government.
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• The Constitution also set up a system of checks and balances, in which _________________________________________________________________________________________.
• This system prevents the misuse of power by any one branch.
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Congress, the President, and the Federal Courts
Congress
• “__________________________________”
• Each of the two houses of Congress was granted different powers.
• Each was also designed with different methods of election and different term lengths, making the House more receptive to public opinion and the Senate more stable.
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The President• “__________________________________”• The President would be chosen by a group
of electors from each state. • The candidate with the majority of votes in
the electoral college, or group of electors, would become President.
• The President was granted enormous powers, including the power to veto acts of Congress and to appoint judges for the federal courts.
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The Federal Courts
• “______________________________”
• The Constitution calls for one Supreme Court and several lesser courts, although the details of the federal court system were intentionally left vague.
• Supreme Court justices would be appointed _____ by the President with the consent of ___________________.
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The Federalist View
• For the Constitution to become law, 9 out of the 13 states had to __________________, or approve, it.
• Special conventions called in each state would decide whether or not to ratify the Constitution.
• Those who favored the Constitution were called _________________________________.
• The Federalists included many Nationalists, such as __________________________________, and ________________, who favored a strong national government.
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• To make their case for the Constitution, the Federalists wrote a series of 85 essays, collectively known as __________________.
• One issue addressed in these essays was that one powerful ______________, or group concerned only with its own interests, could not control the government under the Constitution.
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The Anti-Federalist View• Those who opposed the Constitution were called
______________________________________. • Anti-Federalists believed that the Federalists’ plan
threatened __________________________ __________________________________.
• The anti-Federalists included older revolutionary figures such as ___________, people in isolated areas who had less need for a strong national government, and some former Nationalists who wanted a national government but were unhappy with the Constitution.
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• According to the anti-Federalists, a _________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
• Anti-Federalists also objected to the proposed ___________________________.
• While the Federalists feared the _________ more than __________, the anti-Federalists feared _____________________________.
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Why the Federalists Won
• The Federalists had several advantages over the anti-Federalists.
• These included:1. The Federalists drew on the widespread feeling that the Articles of
Confederation had serious flaws.
2. The Federalists were a __________________________ group, while the anti-Federalists tended to consist of local politicians who did not coordinate their activities on a national level.
3. The Federalists had ____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________.
4. ____________________________________________.
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• Delaware, New Jersey, and Connecticut quickly ratified the Constitution.
• In June 1788, ______________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________.
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For and Against the Bill of Rights
For the Bill of Rights• ____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________.
• In September 1789, Congress proposed twelve constitutional amendments, largely drafted by James Madison and designed to protect citizens’ rights.
• Ten of these amendments were ratified by the states.
• _________________________________________________________________________________.
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Against the Bill of Rights
• Most Federalists saw no need for these amendments.
• _________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
• Therefore, the people needed no additional statements to protect their rights.
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The Bill of Rights
1st Amendment
• ___________________________________:– Guarantees freedom of speech– Freedom of the press– Freedom of religion– The right to assemble peacefully– Guarantees that Congress can pass no laws
that would restrict those freedoms– The right to complain about whatever they
choose to any government official
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2nd Amendment
• ___________________________________:– The exact meaning is unclear – does it mean
everyone has the right to own any kind of gun they want to?
– Or does it mean the country has the right to organize a “well regulated Militia” and those people can have guns?
– Both Congress and state legislatures have passed laws regulating the private ownership and use of weapons by individuals.
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3rd Amendment
• ___________________________________:– The result of the constant takeover of
citizens’ homes by the British during the Revolutionary War.
– Protects individual homes from the military and says that, during peacetime or wartime, “no Soldier shall . . . Be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner.
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4th Amendment• ___________________________________:
– Requires the use of search and arrest warrants from a judge to search either a person or a home.
– Warrants must be issued by a judge– Warrants must be issued on the basis of
probable cause– Warrants must detail what exactly will be
searched and where– The Supreme Court has ruled that items
seized without a warrant cannot be used in court.
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5th Amendment• ___________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
– Also says that a person cannot be tried for the same crime twice
– Says that a person cannot be denied due process of law.
– Due process of law – guards individual rights from infringement by state or federal governments.
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6th Amendment• ____________________:
– Gives the right to every defendant to be aware of any charges against him
– As well as the right to an attorney, regardless of whether the defendant can afford one
– And the right to a jury trial
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7th Amendment
• __________________:– Establishes the right to
a federal trial in which one person sues another over anything more than $20.00
– Not all civil cases are brought before a federal court, however
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8th Amendment• _________________________________:
– Guards against any excessive bail, fines, or cruel and unusual punishment for alleged criminals and criminals
– The interpretation of this amendment has been expanded by Supreme Court rulings to prevent the securing of confessions through such “cruel and unusual punishment.”
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9th Amendment• _________________________________:
– Dictates that the rights retained by the people can be contradicted by the Constitution.
– Added to ensure fundamental rights of the people that are not included in the Constitution
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10th Amendment• _____________________________:
– Protects states from the federal government.
– Establishes that powers not given to the national government – or denied to the states – by the Constitution belong to the states or to the people.
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The New Leaders
• ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
• Washington’s inauguration, or official swearing-in ceremony, was attended by thousands.
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• Leading Federalist ___________________ of Massachusetts became Vice President.
• Washington also selected a Cabinet, _____ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
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• Washington’s Cabinet included many prominent Americans.
• He named Edmund Randolph of Virginia to the post of Attorney General and kept Henry Knox as Secretary of War.
• ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
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Jefferson and HamiltonSecretary of State Jefferson• After serving several years as ambassador
to France, Thomas Jefferson returned to the United States in 1789.
• He quickly became involved again in domestic affairs, or the country’s internal matters.
• In addition to being a politician, Jefferson was a ______________________________.
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• His interest in architecture led him to build several homes, including his most famous, _________________________________.
• Jefferson was not a strict Federalist and later became one of Washington’s _________________________________.
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Treasury Secretary Hamilton• Alexander Hamilton was chosen to head the
government’s largest department, the ___________________________________.
• Hamilton had been an officer in the Continental Army during the Revolution, where he had carried out important military missions.
• In contrast to Jefferson, Hamilton believed that _______________________________, ___________________________________.
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Washington’s Government• Washington knew that during his first
administration, or term of office, he and his officials were ______________________ for how to govern.
• A precedent is _______________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
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• Washington worked to establish a tone of dignity in his administration.
• __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
• Although he felt that such pomp was necessary to command respect, others saw these activities as reminiscent of a king and his court.
• In 1792, Washington won unanimous reelection. • His second term, however, became marked by
______________________________________.
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Planning a Capital City
The Need for a Capital City• During Washington’s first year in office, the
government resided in ______________________. • In 1790, the capital was moved to Philadelphia while
a new capital could be planned and built.
• The Residence Act of 1790 specified a 10-square-mile stretch of land on the border between Maryland and Virginia for the new capital.
• This area, to be called the District of Columbia, would be governed by federal authorities, not by either state.
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Planning the District of Columbia• _________________________________________
________________________________________. • French architect Pierre-Charles L’Enfant developed
the city plan.• The District of Columbia, later renamed
____________________________________, was designed to echo the beauty and structure of ________________________________________.
• The federal government moved there in 1800.• Today, Washington, D.C., remains the most visible
legacy of the Federalists’ belief in the power and dignity of the new government.
