Building a New Nation-The Articles of Confederation

Objectives

• Identify the problems facing the 2nd Continental Congress after the war

• Identify the purpose of the Articles of Confederation

• Define weakness of Articles of Confederation

• Define three economic issues facing the new American government

• Access the need for the Constitutional Convention

Problems after the War

1. The former colonies, now states, needed a new form of government (chose Republic)

2. Which laws to create for the 13 new states

Problems after the War

3. What powers would states have and what powers would the national (republic) government have?

4. New land and national debt issues

The Articles of Confederation

• 1781- the Articles of Confederation were ratified as the government of the United States

• Articles formed a loose alliance between the states

• Articles provided unified front for the country but Articles has no real power

Activity• In groups of 3-4, students will look at the

major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

• Students will look at different placard cards that explain the weaknesses and fill out appropriate box on their worksheet

• Before the group can move on to the next placard, the group must have their sheet checked by the teacher

Check for Understanding

• Four minutes to fill in questions provided…

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

1.Congress could not enact and collect taxes

2. Congress could not regulate interstate or foreign trade

3.Regardless of population, each state had only one vote in Congress

4.Two-thirds majority-9 out of 13 states needed to agree to pass important laws

Weaknesses of Article of Confederation

5. Articles could be amended only if all states approved

6. There was no executive branch to enforce the laws of Congress

7. There was no national court system to settle legal disputes

8. There were 13 separate states that lacked national unity

Successes of the Articles of Confederation

• Land settlement:

–Land Ordinance of 1785

–Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Economic Failures of the Articles of Confederation

The United States faced economic crisis due to the Articles of Confederation’s inability to tax

1. Foreign DebtNation owed 190 million dollars to foreign countries for

their assistance during the war

2. Foreign relationsBritain stationed troops in the Great Lakes; Spain closed

trade on the Mississippi River due to money owed by the U.S.

Shay’s Rebellion

• Rebellion led by Daniel Shay

• Based on high debt after the war in Massachusetts

• Shay’s Rebellion showed the inability of the government to act

• Also showed the weakness of the government with financial and military problems

Annapolis Convention

• Delegates met to discuss weaknesses with Articles of Confederation in Annapolis

• Only 12 delegates from 5 states showed up

• Failure of Annapolis Convention prompted Alexander Hamilton to call for another convention to be held in Philadelphia

• The convention would lead to the Constitution

Building a New Nation

The Constitutional Convention

Objectives

• Identify the location of the Constitutional Convention

• Identify 4 issues brought up at the C.C.

• Compare the Virginia and Jersey Plans

• Explain the Great Compromise

• Define the 3/5 Compromise

• Define Federalism

• Identify the “Father of the Constitution”

The Constitutional Convention

• Philadelphia was chosen as a symbolic location to hold the convention

• George Washington was chosen by unanimous decision to be chairmen

• He was chosen because of his prestige

Major Issues at the Convention1. Representation in

Congress-population and size

2. Slavery-taxation and representation

3. Supremacy-Federal vs. State

governments

4. Division of Power-Branches of Government

and Checks and Balances

Activity

• Individually, take 10 minutes to read “Big States vs. Small States” on page 142

• As you read, on the back of your note sheet, fill out necessary information and be ready to discuss how the Connecticut Plan became the known as the Great Compromise

Check for Understanding

• What was the location of the Constitutional Convention?

• Who presided over the convention as chairman… why was he chosen?

• What were the 4 main issues discussed at the convention?

• What was the Virginia Plan… New Jersey Plan… and the Great Compromise?

3/5 Compromise

• Proposed to solve North/South issue of representation and taxation

• To benefit the North, compromise made slaves worth 3/5 of a person to lesson number of representatives from Southern states

• To benefit the South, less taxation due to smaller population

Supremacy: Division of Power

• Federalism- chosen to solve the issue of State vs. Federal power

• Delegated Powers: foreign affairs, coining of money, national defense, etc. are given to national government

• Reserved Powers: education, marriage laws, regulating trade between states, etc. are given to the state government

Branches of Government• Executive: President

(enforces laws)

• Legislative: Congress (makes laws)

• Senate- upper house

• House of Representatives-lower house

• Judicial: Supreme Court (interprets laws)

Checks and Balances

Writing the Constitution

• Many founding fathers helped write the Constitution

• James Madison-considered “Founding Father”

Check for Understanding

• What was the 3/5 Compromise?

• What is Federalism… what are delegated powers…what are reserved powers?

• What are the 3 branches of government… what does each do… who heads each branch?

• Who is the “Father of the Constitution?”

Building a New Nation

The Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Class Objectives

• Explain the stances of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists

• Identify the publication of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists

• Identify the author of the Bill of Rights

• Analyze the Bill of Rights

• Create Bill of Rights book

Trouble over the Constitution

• American government so different under the Constitution many disagreements started

• Main controversy- power given to the national government vs. state government

• Controversy forms two opposing groups- Federalists and Anti-Federalists, each with their own interpretations of the Constitution

The Federalist View

1. Favored strong National Government that shared power with states

2. Believed checks and balances would keep all branches of government equal

3. Believed a central government was needed to facilitate trade , conduct foreign relations, and provide national defense

4. Believed that having a strong national government was necessary for a nation the size of the U.S.

Federalist Leaders

George Washington

JamesMadison

John Jay Alexander Hamilton

The Anti-Federalist View

1. Believed that one central government was unable to control the interests of the entire nation

2. Felt that the power of the nation should rest in the hands of the local and state governments

3. Believed that a central government would only serve the best interest of the privileged minority

4. Afraid the rights of the common man would be taken away without a Bill of Rights added to the Constitution

Anti-Federalist Leaders

Patrick Henry Richard Henry Lee Samuel Adams

Works of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists

• The Federalists Papers

• Written by Hamilton, Jay, Madison

• Provided analysis of the major points of the Constitution to the public

• Letters from a Federal Farmer

• Written by R. H. Lee

• Stated that the rights of the common man needed to be protected at any cost

View on the Bill of Rights

Federalists

-Unnecessary due to all state constitutions already containing their own

- Believed that the Constitution would not infringe on people’s rights

Anti- Federalists

-Necessary due to the fact the Constitution weakened state powers

-Demanded a Bill of Rights be included or else they would not ratify Constitution

Check for Understanding??

• What are the major stances of the Federalist and the Anti-Federalists?

• Who were the major leaders of each group?

• What were the major publications of both groups and who wrote them?

• What were the views on a Bill of Rights from each group?

Shaping of the Bill of Rights

• Bill of Rights was initially based on the Virginia Declaration of Rights

• Virginia Declaration of Rights was written by George Mason

• Much of the Bill of Rights can be credited to George Mason

Shaping of the Bill of Rights

• The first amendment of the Bill of Rights (Freedom of Religion), was influenced by the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom

• Thomas Jefferson, the author of this work declared that a government may not establish a national religion nor support a favored church

The Bill of Rights

• The Bill of rights was added to the Constitution which led to ratification in 1788

• The Bill of Rights also known as the Ten Amendments guaranteed the rights of American citizens

• The principle author of the Bill of Rights was James Madison

Activity

• In groups, you will construct and fill out the “My Bill of Rights Booklet”

• Read Amendments 1-10 on pages 166-167 and fill in Amendment, definition (in your own words), and a present day example

• Once the booklet is complete, we will go over it together as a class

20 point activity

Session 4: Building a New Nation

Political Divisions and Foreign Conflict

Class Objectives

• Identify the significance of Washington’s presidency

• Compare the origins of the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans

• Identify foreign relation problems that the U.S. encountered

• Explain how relations with France normalized

Washington’s Presidency• George Washington took office in 1789 as

the first President of the U.S.

• First challenge- shape the judicial branch by creating the Supreme Court through the Judiciary Act of 1789.

• John Jay- First Chief Justice

• Washington also appointed advisors to help him make decisions to run the country known as the Cabinet

• Most notable Cabinet members were Hamilton (Treasury) and Jefferson (State)

Federalists vs. Democratic Republicans

Federalists

Leader: Alexander Hamilton

Supporters: Wealthy Northerners

Characteristics:

Desired National Bank, Economy based on shipping and banking, Government led by well-educated, strong state and local governments

Democratic-Republicans

Leader: Thomas Jefferson

Supporters: Common Southerners

Characteristics:

No National Bank, economy based on agriculture, Government led by the common man, strong state and local governments

Bank of the United States

• The National Bank was proposed by Hamilton to be jointly operated by the government and private investors to generate income

• The bank was supported by Federalists because it benefited the wealthy elite and the federal government

• The Democratic-Republicans were opposed to the Bank because it gave economic power to the Federal Government and the Northern merchants (Northerners = creditors, Southerners= Debtors)

• To resolve issue, Hamilton suggested the National capital be located in the South in order to calm the fears over the National Bank

• This led to the creation of Washington D.C.

Protective Tariffs

• To encourage American citizens to buy American manufactured goods, protective tariffs place on ALL imported goods

• Tariffs angered southern farmersbecause they relied on equal trade with European countries

• Southerners forced to pay extra for foreign goods while Northerners enjoyed cheaper American goods

Whiskey Rebellion

• Hamilton issued an excise tax on corn and whiskey production which angered farmers

• When the farmers revolted, a detachment of 15,000 American soldiers was sent to put down the rebellion. No shots were fired!

• Whiskey Rebellion proved militarycould be used in domestic issues

Check for Understanding

• What was the Judiciary Act of 1789?

• What is the Cabinet?

• What was the controversy over the Nation Bank?

• Why did Washington D.C. become the capital city of the U.S.?

• What were protective tariffs?

Foreign Relations with France• American Revolution caused the

French Revolution

• French declared war on all monarchies including England’s and asked the U.S. to support

• Federalists in American government pressured George Washington to declare the U.S. to stay neutral because of good relations with England

X Y Z Affair

• Meeting between American delegation and low level French officials nicknamed X, Y, Z who tried to bribe the Americans in order to meet with the top French foreign minister

• Led to the passing of the Alien and Sedition Acts-charge anyone speaking out against the government jail time

• Led to the passing of the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions which stated that states could nullify an act of the federal government

Results of Foreign Affairs

• Napoleon Bonaparte become emperor of France

• Tensions eased between two nations

• Argument over state and national powers still raged on!

Check for Understanding

• Why did the US refuse to help France?

• What was the XYZ Affair?

• What were the Alien and Sedition Acts?

• What eased tensions between France and the U.S.?