Ch07 Lenape

The American Nation

Chapter 7Creating a Republic

1776–1790

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

The American Nation

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Section 1: A Loose Confederation

Section 2: The Constitutional Convention

Section 3: Ideas Behind the Constitution

Section 4: Ratification and the Bill of Rights

Chapter 7: Creating a Republic 1776–1790

Chapter 7, Section 1

A Loose Confederation

• Why did state governments write constitutions?

• What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

• What process did the Articles create for admitting new states?

• Why did many Americans call for changes in the Articles?


Most States Wrote Constitutions

• Constitution—document that sets out the laws, principles, organization, and processes of a government

• Bill of Rights—list of freedoms that the government promises to protect

Reasons for a written constitution:• would spell out the rights of all citizens• would limit the power of government


The Articles of Confederation

Congress could:• declare war• appoint military officers• coin money• take care of foreign affairs

Congress’s powers were limited:• nine states had to approve a

law before it could go into effect

• could not regulate trade• had no power to tax; had to ask

the states for money; states could not be forced to contribute

• there was no president to execute, or carry out, the laws

• there were no courts to settle conflicts

Articles of Confederation—first American constitution; created a loose alliance of independent states


Weaknesses of the Confederation

Conflicts between states• The central government did not have power to resolve such

conflicts.Money problems• The central government did not have power to raise taxes. States

often refused to contribute money. The government could not pay its debts.

• Continental Congress had printed paper currency, or money. However it had little value because it was not backed by gold or silver.

• Each state printed its own money, which caused confusion.Foreign countries took advantage of the confederation• Britain refused to pull troops from the Ohio Valley.• Spain closed the port of New Orleans to Americans.


How Congress Admitted New States to the Union

Land Ordinance of 1785• set up a survey system that divided the land into townships

and sections• set aside land to support public schools

Northwest Ordinance of 1787• set up a government for the Northwest Territory• guaranteed basic rights to settlers• outlawed slavery in the territory provided for the region to

be divided into separate territories; once a territory had 660,000 free settlers, it could ask Congress to be admitted as a new state, equal to the original states


Land Ordinance of 1785


Why Americans Called for a Change in the Articles

• The nation suffered a depression—a period when business activity slows, prices and wages fall, and unemployment rises.

• Massachusetts raised taxes, and the courts seized the farms of those who could not pay. Many farmers took part in Shays’ Rebellion, led by Daniel Shays. They attacked courthouses and kept officials from seizing farms.

• Many Americans saw Shays’ Rebellion as a sign that the Articles of Confederation did not work.


Section 1 Assessment

Under the Articles of Confederation, a) the President had the power to conduct foreign affairs.b) Congress passed tax laws that were a burden on farmers.c) the central government was too weak to enforce the laws passed by

Congress.d) the approval of all 13 states was needed to pass a law.

What was a major accomplishment of the Northwest Ordinance?a) It provided a way to admit new states to the nation.b) It settled disputes between the states over claims to western lands.c) It demanded that the British remove troops from the Ohio Valley.d) It set up a survey system for the Northwest Territory.

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Under the Articles of Confederation, a) the President had the power to conduct foreign affairs.b) Congress passed tax laws that were a burden on farmers.c) the central government was too weak to enforce the laws passed by

Congress.d) the approval of all 13 states was needed to pass a law.

What was a major accomplishment of the Northwest Ordinance?a) It provided a way to admit new states to the nation.b) It settled disputes between the states over claims to western lands.c) It demanded that the British remove troops from the Ohio Valley.d) It set up a survey system for the Northwest Territory.




The Constitutional Convention

• Who were the leading delegates to the Constitutional Convention?

• What were the main differences between the two rival plans for the new Constitution?

• What compromises did the delegates have to reach before the Constitution could be signed?


Leading Delegates to the Convention

Revolutionary Leaders:Benjamin Franklin• oldest delegate• signed Declaration of

IndependenceGeorge Washington• president of convention

When the Constitutional Convention met on May 25, 1787, to consider a new system of government, every state except Rhode Island sent representatives.

New Generation:Alexander Hamilton• wanted strong central

governmentJames Madison• ideas on democratic

government influenced others

• “Father of the Constitution”


Rival Plans for the New Constitution

Virginia Plan

Purposed by Edmund Randolph and James Madison of Virginia

New Jersey Plan

Purposed by Wiliam Paterson of New Jersey

Supported by large states Supported by small states

Strong national government with three branches.

Supported by small states

• legislative branch—passes laws• executive branch—carries out laws• judicial branch—courts would decide

if laws were carried out fairly

Legislative branch—two housesSeats awarded on basis of population. Larger states would have more representatives than smaller states.

Legislative branch—one houseEach state gets one vote. Small states and big states would have equal representation.


The Delegates Compromised

Compromise—a settlement in which each side gives up some demands in order to reach an agreement.

Great Compromise• Large states wanted two houses of Congress with a state’s

representatives decided according to the state’s population. • Small states wanted Congress to have one house and each

state to have two senators. • The compromise—a two-house legislature. • Members of the lower house—the House of Representatives—

would be elected by popular vote. Seats would be awarded according to population.

• Members of the upper house—the Senate—would be chosen by state legislatures. Each state would have two senators.


The Delegates Compromised

Three-Fifths Compromise• Southerners wanted to

include slaves in the population count to determine seats in the House, even though they could not vote.

• Northerners objected. Since slaves could not vote, they should not be counted.

• The compromise - Three fifths of the slaves in any state would be counted.

The Slave Trade• Northerners wanted to ban

the slave trade.• Southerners said a ban on

the slave trade would ruin their economy.

• The compromise - Congress would not outlaw the slave trade for at least 20 years. After that, Congress could regulate the slave trade. Meanwhile, no state could stop a fugitive slave from being returned.



In the Great Compromise the delegates decided Congress would havea) two houses, one where each state had two senators and one with

seats awarded according to state populations.b) one house, in which each state had one vote. c) two houses, both with seats awarded according to state populations.d) one house, in which seats are awarded according to state populations.

What did the Constitutional Convention decide to do about the slave trade in the United States?

a) ban the slave trade in the entire nationb) do nothingc) allow each state to decide forever for itselfd) say Congress could not outlaw the slave trade for 20 years, then could

reconsider





In the Great Compromise the delegates decided Congress would havea) two houses, one where each state had two senators and one with

seats awarded according to state populations.b) one house, in which each state had one vote. c) two houses, both with seats awarded according to state populations.d) one house, in which seats are awarded according to state populations.

What did the Constitutional Convention decide to do about the slave trade in the United States?

a) ban the slave trade in the entire nationb) do nothingc) allow each state to decide forever for itselfd) say Congress could not outlaw the slave trade for 20 years, then could

reconsider




Ideas Behind the Constitution

• What did American leaders learn from studying ancient Rome?

• What traditions of freedom did Americans inherit from Great Britain and from their own colonial past?

• How did Enlightenment ideas shape the development of the Constitution?

What the Founding Fathers Learned From Ancient Rome

• Founding Fathers—the patriots who laid the groundwork for the United States, such as Madison and Jefferson.

• They admired the Roman Republic. They created a republic, a government in which citizens rule themselves through elected representatives.

• They admired Roman citizens who served the republic out of a sense of public service.

• They saw the collapse of Rome’s republic as a warning. They wanted to avoid a dictatorship, a government in which one person or small group holds complete authority.


Traditions of Freedom

Magna Carta• English monarchs

themselves had to obey the law. For example, the king could not raise taxes without consulting the Great Council.

• English nobles—and later, other people—had rights, including rights to property and the right to trial by jury.

English Bill of Rights• It stated that parliamentary

elections should be held regularly.

• It upheld the right to trial by jury.

• It allowed citizens to bear arms.

• It affirmed the right of habeas corpus, the idea that no person could be held without being charged with a specific crime.

British Traditions of Freedom



Constitutional Tradition• Mayflower Compact, the first

document of self-government in North America

• written colonial charters

Revolutionary Era• memory of grievances against

the English king, expressed in the Declaration of Independence

• experience of the Second Continental Congress

• experience with the Articles of Confederation

• experience with state governments and state constitutions

The American Experience



John LockeTwo Treatises of Government• All people have natural rights to

life, liberty, and property.• Government is an agreement

between ruler and ruled. The ruler must enforce the laws and protect the people.

• If a ruler violates the people’s natural rights, the people have a right to rebel.

Baron de MontesquieuThe Spirit of the Laws• The powers of government

should be clearly defined.• There should be a separation of

powers, that is, the powers of government should be divided up among branches of government so no person or group gains too much power.

• A government should have three separate branches—legislative, executive, and judicial.

Teachings of the Enlightenment



A republic is a kind of government wherea) one person or group holds complete authority.b) military power is placed above civilian authority.c) citizens rule themselves through elected representatives.d) all citizens vote on all the laws.

“Separation of powers” means thata) the powers of government should be clearly defined and divided up

among different branches of government.b) the powers of government are decided by the legislative branch and

approved by the judicial branch.c) no person shall be held in jail without first being charged.d) the Founding Fathers worked separately from each other to suggest

plans for a government.





A republic is a kind of government wherea) one person or group holds complete authority.b) military power is placed above civilian authority.c) citizens rule themselves through elected representatives.d) all citizens vote on all the laws.

“Separation of powers” means thata) the powers of government should be clearly defined and divided up

among different branches of government.b) the powers of government are decided by the legislative branch and

approved by the judicial branch.c) no person shall be held in jail without first being charged.d) the Founding Fathers worked separately from each other to suggest

plans for a government.





Ratification and the Bill of Rights

• What were the key issues in the debate between the Federalists and the Antifederalists?

• How was the Constitution finally ratified?• How was the Bill of Rights added to the

Constitution?

Key Issues in the Debate Between Federalists and Antifederalists

Federalists• for a strong federal, or national,

government.• The Constitution gave the

national government enough power to function effectively.

• The Constitution still protected the rights and powers of the states.

• James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote a series of essays—The Federalist Papers—to explain and defend the Constitution.

• The Constitution already protected the rights of citizens well enough.

Antifederalists• against the Constitution.• The Constitution made the

national government too strong.• The Constitution made the states

too weak.• Patrick Henry gave a speech

saying that, under the Constitution, the President had too much power and that someday a President might try to become king.

• The Constitution had no bill of rights to protect natural rights, such as freedom of speech and religion.


After Much Debate, the Constitution Was Finally Ratified

December 1787 Delaware was the first to ratify. Pennsylvania and New Jersey soon followed.

February 1788 Sam Adams and John Hancock convinced the Massachusetts convention to recommend adding a bill of rights to the Constitution. Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify.

June 1788 When New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, the new government could go into effect. Still, the largest states—New York and Virginia—had not yet ratified the plan.Virginia voted to ratify the Constitution when the Federalists promised to support a bill of rights.

July 1788 In New York the struggle between Federalists and Antifederalists went on until July.

November 1789 North Carolina

May 1790 Rhode Island became the last state to ratify.


A Bill of Rights Was Added

• The first election under the Constitution for President and members of Congress was held in January 1789.

• The first Congress met in New York City. Congress turned its attention to a bill of rights.

• To amend, or change, the Constitution, Congress followed the process established in the Constitution. Congress proposed twelve amendments. The amendments went to the states for their approval.

• By December 1791, three fourths of the states had ratified 10 of the 12 amendments. These 10 amendments became known as the Bill of Rights.


The Writing of the ConstitutionChapter 7, Section 4

Cau

ses

• Articles of Confederation creates weak national government

• Trade and money problems arise between states

• Foreign nations take advantage of weak government

• Shays’ Rebellion breaks out

• Convention meets to revise Articles of Confederation T

he

Wri

tin

g o

f th

e C

on

stit

uti

on

Eff

ects

• New government includes President and two-house legislature

• Power is divided between national and state governments

• Compromises allow slavery to continue

• States debate and ratify Constitution

• Bill of Rights is added

Eff

ects

To

day

• United States is world’s oldest continuing constitutional democracy

• Debate about federal versus state power continues

• Amendments extend rights to more citizens

• New democracies look to the Constitution as a model


One issue the Federalists and Antifederalists argued over wasa) how to amend the Constitution and add a bill of rights.b) where the nation’s first capital should be.c) how many states had to ratify the Constitution before it could go into

effect.d) whether the Constitution made the central government too strong.

Antifederalists fought to add a bill of rights to the Constitution in order toa) provide a process for amending the Constitution.b) protect the people’s natural rights.c) explain the political theory behind the American system of government.d) make it less difficult for the government to function.





One issue the Federalists and Antifederalists argued over wasa) how to amend the Constitution and add a bill of rights.b) where the nation’s first capital should be.c) how many states had to ratify the Constitution before it could go into

effect.d) whether the Constitution made the central government too strong.

Antifederalists fought to add a bill of rights to the Constitution in order toa) provide a process for amending the Constitution.b) protect the people’s natural rights.c) explain the political theory behind the American system of government.d) make it less difficult for the government to function.


