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10/7/14 Building a New Nation

This text explores the challenges of transitioning from separate colonies to a unified nation and the creation of the US Constitution.

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10/7/14 Building a New Nation

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  1. 10/7/14Building a New Nation

  2. How do you transition from being 13 separate colonies to a union? • Americans feared a strong central government • They had no representation or power under British rule. • Most felt a strong allegiance to their state. • The Continental Congress acted as the government during the Revolutionary War. The capital was Philadelphia. • In 1777, the representatives adopted a formal basis for the union- the Articles of Confederation. This strengthened the union of the American states and served as the first constitution (plan for government) for the new nation.

  3. Problems with the Articles of Confederation: • Created a weak union. • Created a national government with only one branch (unicameral legislature), meaning that there was not a president to carry out the laws, nor any court system to handle grievances. • The government could not regulate trade between the states nor impose taxes. • Most of the power remained with the individual states. In 1787 (after Shay’s Rebellion)all the states except Rhode Island sent representatives to revise the Articles of Confederation. It was soon changed to create a new constitution for the nation.

  4. The Constitution of the United States Georgia sent four delegates to the convention- William Few, Abraham Baldwin,William Pierce, and William Houstoun (only Few and Baldwin stayed for the signing) What were Georgia’s interests at the Constitutional Convention (what did GA want)? • Opposing a ban on slavery • A strong central government was needed to protect the frontier from Creek Indian attacks • A bill of rights to protect the rights of citizens

  5. The results of the convention created a federal system. Federalism is the sharing of power between national and state governments. • In some areas the national government would be supreme (enumerated powers) • In others, both states and the central government would have powers to act (concurrent powers) • On some issues the states would be able to control without federal interference (reserved powers) The Constitution may be amended or changed when necessary (Article V), as long as 2/3 of Congress and ¾ of the state legislatures vote for the amendment.

  6. Three methods were used to prevent the federal government from becoming too powerful: • Separation of powers: Three separate branches were created, all with different powers (no branch can do the others’ jobs). • The legislative branch make the laws (Article I). • The executive branch carries out/enforces the laws (Article II). • The judicial branch interprets the laws and settles legal disputes (Article III).

  7. 2. Checks and Balances: • Checks and balances were built into the new constitution so that each branch would check (limit) the power of the other branches 3. Bill of Rights: • Protects the rights of citizens from government abuse. • These are rights that the government cannot take away (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, etc.).

  8. RATIFICATION & COMPROMISES • In the process of ratifying (officially approving) the new Constitution, there were different opinions about how states should be represented. There were also disagreements about issues like taxation and slavery. Compromises were necessary to keep the nation together. Nine states had to ratify in order for the new Constitution to go into effect. • Some states would not ratify the Constitution without a Bill of Rights to protect the rights of citizens. These are the first 10 amendments (additions/changes).

  9. One of the issues was about how states would be represented in the federal government. Two plans were proposed and voted on: 1. Virginia Plan (Large State Plan): • The number of representatives sent to Congress (legislature) should be based on population (i.e. states with higher population get more representatives) in a bicameral legislature. 2. New Jersey Plan (Small State Plan): • The number of representatives sent to Congress should be equal (i.e. all states get equal representation) in a unicameral legislature.

  10. The vote on the two plans was tied (thanks to a tie vote cast by Abraham Baldwin of Georgia)! A compromise was needed! The Solution: The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise): • A bicameral Congress was created with a Senate (with two Senators per state) and a House of Representatives (with the number of representatives based on population).

  11. Key Constitutional Compromises: For better or worse, these helped states with very different views stay together as a union.

  12. 10/8/14Complete Workbook pages 63, 65, 67Complete Articles of Confederation Questions & turn in!Work on your project if time permits.

  13. 10/14/14Get out a sheet of paper and a pen/pencil (you’ll need this later)!Project RemindersReview Articles of Confederation ActivityChecks and Balances ActivityBill of Rights Activity

  14. Document Confusion!!!2ndContinental Congress(1776): meeting to decide what to do about Britain; resulted in Declaration of IndependenceDeclaration of Independence (1776): broke all ties with England; declared that the 13 colonies would be independent statesArticles of Confederation (1777ish): first constitution (plan of government) for the new United StatesYellow = documentBlue = meeting

  15. Document Confusion!!!Constitutional Convention (1787): meeting held in Philadelphia to revise the Articles because the government it created was too weakConstitution of the United States (1788): the result of the convention; replaced the Articles; created a stronger national government with 3 branches, bill of rights, etc.Yellow = documentBlue = meeting

  16. GA Constitution and Articles Activity: Answer key***Check your answers – make additions or corrections as necessary!

  17. GEORGIA CONSTITUTION OF 1777 (first Constitution for GA): Beginnings of Statehood • a,. Define popular sovereignty. Government rests on the will of the people.

  18. b. Describe the legislature’s powers in the GA Constitution of 1777. • The House Assembly had broad authority to enact laws and appoint officials in the other branches. It selected the governor, elected 12 members to serve as an executive council, could veto the governor, and could grant pardons.

  19. c. Describe the weaknesses of the executive branch in the GA Constitution of 1777. The governor served only for one year and could not be re-elected. He could not veto legislation or grant pardons. He had barely any power at all. • d. Why was a weak executive branch created for Georgia in the GA Constitution of 1777 (GA 278)? Because of the negative experience under royal governors under British rule, and distrust of power in the hands of one or a few, the executive branch was weakened.

  20. e. Describe the judicial branch (court system) under the GA Constitution of 1777 (GA 297). • A superior court in each county oversaw elections, controlled roads, and provided aid to the poor, in addition to handling legal cases. • f. What replaced the parishes? • 8 counties, each with its own officials, courthouse, schools, and militia

  21. ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION: BASICS AND STRENGTHS • a. When was it finally ratified by the 13 states (192)? March 1781 • b. What kind of government was created under the Articles of Confederation (what could the government do) (190-191)? • A republic (a government that rules through elected representatives); A confederation (a loose union of states); a weak government that could conduct foreign affairs (incl. war & peace), maintain armed forces, borrow money, and issue currency

  22. 3. WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLES • What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation (what powers did the national government not have) (AJ 191)? The government could not regulate trade, draft an army, impose taxes; no chief executive to enforce laws • b. What problems developed under the Articles (GA 310)? The problems were caused by a WEAK central government. The government needed more power to tax and handle foreign relationships effectively, especially with Britain, Spain, and France. The U.S. also needed to improve Indian relations. Having no executive branch to carry out and enforce programs was a huge weakness.

  23. c. Why were Americans cautious about concentrating too much power in one person or group (AJ 190)? They did not want too much power in one place; states acted as small independent nations and controlled their own affairs. Experience with British rule (taxation without representation, harsh laws, etc.) made them cautious about giving one person or group too much power (such as a governor/king/president) • d. When and where did the delegates meet to revise the Articles of Confederation (198-199)? 1787, Philadelphia

  24. 4. SHAY’S REBELLION • Describe Shay’s Rebellion, including why it happened (197). • Farmers viewed the new government under the Articles as another form of tyranny. • They wanted debt relief, so they forced courts to close in western MA so judges could not confiscate farmers’ lands. • Daniel Shays advanced on the Springfield Arsenal with 1,000 farmers, but were dispersed by the state militia.

  25. b. What was Shay’s rebellion effect on Americans and political leaders? • Many Americans were frightened, and some leaders wondered if the government was powerful enough to control unrest and violence. • c. Do you think the Articles of Confederation would have been revised if Shay’s Rebellion had never happened? Why or why not? • Answers will vary. One could say that the rebellion “woke up” many leaders and convinced them that a stronger government was needed.

  26. Checks and Balances 10/14/14 Answer the questions from the activity on your own paper.

  27. Bill of Rights Activity: Answer on your own paper (same paper as Checks & Balances Activity).Read the first 10 amendments of the Constitution.1. What 1 or 2 amendments would you say is/are most important to you – that you couldn’t possibly live without? Why did you choose this one?2. What amendment doesn’t seem very important to you, or doesn’t seem to apply to life today? Explain your choice.

  28. Ratification Activity:Answer the questions own the same piece of paper as the other activities.

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