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The U.S. Constitution
Review the following presentation to help clarify your understanding of the
Constitution
The Critical Period
1781 – 1789 The Articles of Confederation had established a
loose relationship between the states There was no strong central authority to settle
disputes States were reluctant to surrender power to a
strong national government
The Articles of Confederation Proposed in 1776 and
formally adopted in 1781 Which branch is
responsible for enforcing laws and judging law breakers?
How would trade between states be conducted?
What if a state decided to act independently of the others?
Shay’s Rebellion 1786 The Massachusetts
legislature voted the heaviest direct tax in its history
They insisted in payment by gold or silver which were very scarce
Daniel Shay led a rebellion against these taxes.
The National government was unable to help Massachusetts.
The Nationalist’s used Shay’s rebellion as an example of civil unrest
They argued that a strong national government was needed to settle such disputes
The Second Continental Congress
Convened in May of 1787 to correct the problems of the Articles of Confederation
Shay’s rebellion demonstrated the need for major change
A debate ensued Liberty or Order, How could we keep both?
Who was Right? Federalists called for a strong
Central Government They claimed that liberty
unchecked meant chaos Organization and the Common
good were paramount They included lawyers and
businessmen
Anti-Federalists feared a strong Central Government
They claimed that a strong Central Government would take away their liberties
Individual rights were paramount, and should be protected from a powerful government
They included farmers, laborers, and some politicians
The Three Main Compromises
The Great CompromiseThe 3/5 CompromiseThe Slavery Compromise
The Great Compromise Answered the question of Representation A compromise between the New Jersey Plan and the
Virginia Plan Set up a Bicameral Legislature In The House of Representatives states send representatives
proportionate to their population In The Senate each state sends two representatives As you can see, the House favors the states with the larger
population, the Senate favors those with a smaller population
The 3/5 Compromise Southerners wanted to count
slaves towards representation in Congress
Northerners realized that this would allow the south to dominate Congress
Northerners argued that slaves were not free and therefore could not be counted
A compromise was reached: every 5 slaves would be counted as the equivalent of three white men for the purpose of representation
The Slavery Compromise
The South could control Congress simply by importing more slaves
A limit on the importation of Slaves was agreed upon
Slaves could be imported until 1808 Each imported slave would have a $10.00 tax
levied upon the transaction
The Father of the Constitution James Madison came to be
known as the Father of The Constitution
A wealthy Virginian, he was among 55 delegates present at Convention
Well educated, articulate, and 36 - he was the most active member of the Convention
The Basic Principles of the Constitution
Separation of Powers
Powers are divided between 3 branches of government
A Legislative Branch makes laws (Congress) An Executive Branch enacts the laws (The
President and his bureaucracy) A Judicial Branch interprets the laws (The Court
system)
Checks and Balances No one branch is allowed to become too powerful
Each Branch can check the power of another branch
This helps to prevent and unequal distribution of power
Study the next slide to see how the branches interact
So What is Federalism?
Town G overn m en t
C ou n ty G overn m en t
S ta te G overn m en tsh ares p ower w ith th e o th er
leve ls an d d ea ls p rim arily w ith s ta te m atte rs
Town G overn m en t
C ou n ty G overn m en t
S ta te G overn m en t
Town G overn m en t
C ou n ty G overn m en t
S ta te G overn m en t
National or Federal Governm ent
shares pow er w ith each of the levels below .In q u es tion s on F ed era l L aw or d isp u tes b e tween s ta tes , it h as th e fin a l say
The Electoral collegeEach state receives a number of Electoral votes equal to its’ total
number of representatives.
Amending the ConstitutionArticle V
Proposing Amendments
2/3 of each house of Congress
Convention called by 2/3 of the state legislatures
Ratifying Amendments
¾ of the state legislatures
¾ of special conventions held in each state
What do we know?
Exactly what is Federalism? Why was the Great Compromise necessary? What are the specific duties of the 3 branches? What is the fewest number of electors any state
can have? Why do you think there are so few amendments? How many amendments are there?