Chapter 7 Creating a Republic 1776 1790 The

Chapter 7 Creating a Republic 1776 -1790 The War is over; now what will the new nation do? ? Let’s find out!!

I. A Loose Confederation of States Many Americans wondered if they could create a central government that would effectively unite the 13 states. Hmm. . ? A. State Constitutions • Written during the Revolutionary War • Each of the original 13 states had a constitution • Power divided between legislative and executive branches • Spelled out citizens rights • Limit power of the government.

B. Forming A National Government • Articles of Confederation: The first American Constitution • Made a loose alliance between states • Weak national government • No national courts, no way to settle disputes between states • No president • No power to tax • Can’t regulate trade

C. New Policies for Western Lands • • • 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Individual states must cede western land to Congress Land Ordinance of 1785 - Settlement of Northwest Territory: called for land to be surveyed and divided into townships Northwest Ordinance (1787): Set up government for NW Territory Slavery is outlawed here Area to be divided into 3 to 5 states When population = 60, 000, a territory can ask Congress to be admitted as a state NW Ordinance is finest achievement of the AOC Five new states: OH, IN, IL, MI, & WI

D. Shays’ Rebellion • Daniel Shays, a MA farmer leads revolt against MA courts because farmers can’t pay back loans and their farms are being seized by the state government of MA. • MA militia sent into quash revolt • This causes concern: Perhaps the AOC are not working • A meeting is set up for May 1787 to discuss what to do w/ AOC • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=fb. P 0 JWQe. Xag&feature=youtu. be&t=3 s

II. The Constitutional Convention • A. An Amazing Assembly • The Constitutional Convention is a meeting that is called to revise the Articles of Confederation. • Philadelphia, PA • May 1787 • 55 delegates from all states but RI attend. • They kept the debates secret • At the outset it’s agreed to throw out the AOC and create a new government for the US

“Father of the Constitution” B. James Madison • • • 1. 2. 3. 4. Kept meticulous notes He came prepared with a new plan for the government Virginia Plan –strong national government w/ 3 branches(proposed by J. Madison and E. Randolph) Legislative- makes or passes laws Executive- carries out the laws Judicial- interprets or decides if laws are carried out fairly. Two house legislature both based on population

• VA Plan not accepted by smaller states • Smaller states propose the NJ Plan- 3 branches like the VA Plan, but only one house w/ one representative • The small states and large states could not agree on either plan, so they came up with a… Compromise – a settlement in which each side gives up some of its demands to reach an agreement. • The Great Compromise- (B. Franklin & R. Sherman) The legislative branch would be made up of 2 houses- *Lower house(House Representatives) based on population, *Upper house(Senate)- each state will have two senators C. The Great Compromise

D. Northern & Southern States Compromise Three-Fifths Compromise • Should slaves be counted in the population of a state for figuring out representation in Congress? • 3/5 of the slaves in any state would be counted in figuring the number of representative in the House of Representatives. • If there were 5, 000 slaves in a state, then 3, 000 would be counted in the population. The Slave Trade Compromise • Many delegates at the Constitutional Convention wanted to ban the slave trade in the US – meaning stopping the importation of slaves into the country. • Southern states argued that a ban on the slave trade in the US would ruin their economy. • It was agreed at the convention that Congress could not ban the slave trade for a full 20 years after the adoption of the Constitution.

E. Signing the Constitution • The Convention continued through the summer of 1787 • It was a difficult process with delegates storming out in anger • On Sept. 17, 1787, the remaining 39 delegates signed the Constitution– the framework for a lasting government. • The fight had just begun!! Now the Constitution had to be ratified by the states.

III. Ideas Behind the Constitution A. Lessons from the Roman Republic • Independence & public service are admired by America • Republics fail when citizens are no longer independent and are no longer devoted to public service

B. Britain’s Tradition of Freedom 1. Magna Carta 1215 • Kings/queens must obey the law • Nobles had certain rights, which later extended to other classes of people 2. English Bill of Rights • Parliamentary elections to be held regularly • Includes many personal rights to be protected by the government : Right to trial by jury, to bear arms, to habeas corpus

C. The American Experience • Constitutions – Americans relied on written documents to identify and limit power of government • Revolutionary Era – American Founders drew from their own recent experiences during the Revolution: AOC and state constitutions

D. The Enlightenment 1. John Locke –English writer • All people are born w/ natural rights (life, liberty, property) • Government is a contract between the ruler and the ruled. Rulers must enforce the rules and protect the people • The Founders saw the Constitution as a contract between the Am. people & their government.

2. Montesquieu – French Philosopher • His writings focused on rule of law, or the principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced. • He believed that powers of the government should be clearly defined and divided up. • He believed in separation of powers in the government into 3 branches: legislative, executive, and judicial • This keeps any person or group from getting too much power

IV. Ratifying the Constitution A. 9 out of the 13 states must ratify before Constitution could go into effect B. Heated debates take place in all states

C. The Federalists • Supported the Constitution • They felt a strong national or federal government was necessary. • James Madison • Alexander Hamilton • John Jay • The Federalist Papers – a series of essays written by these men in order to explain and defend the Constitution

D. The Antifederalists • Opposed the Constitution • They felt it made national gov. too strong and left states too weak. • They felt the Constitution needed a Bill of Rights that spelled out the basic freedoms that the gov. was supposed to protect. • P. Henry, Sam Adams, George Mason, George Clinton

E. “We Have Become A Nation” • Ratification by all states takes two years. • RI is 13 th state to ratify in May 1790 • Constitution is immediately amended to contain the Bill of Rights • Bill of Rights –Dec. 1791 - First 10 amendments to the Constitution which protect individual rights (speech, religion, press, petition, assembly, etc. ) • New framework of gov. now in place • Over time, the Constitution has become a living document that grew and changed along with the nation.