Chapter Two The Constitution Enduring Questions What was

Enduring Questions • What was wrong with the Articles of Confederation? • How did

Human Nature • Rights ordained by God, discoverable by reason, essential to progress •

Articles of Confederation • Established after signing of the Declaration of Independence • National

The Constitutional Convention • The lessons of experience • The Framers Copyright © Houghton

The Challenge • Frame a government strong enough to preserve order, but not so

The Constitution and Democracy • Founders didn’t intend to create a direct democracy but

The Constitution and Liberty • Issue in state ratification conventions was liberty, not democracy

The Constitution and Slavery • Three constitutional provisions relate to slavery • Failure to

Political Ideals or Economic Interests? • Charles A. Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the

Liberty and Equality • Founding Fathers and end of social inequalities • Government must

Reconsidering the Enduring Questions • What was wrong with the Articles of Confederation? •

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Chapter Two The Constitution

Enduring Questions • What was wrong with the Articles of Confederation? • How did the authors of the Constitution view human nature? • How can a government be strong enough to govern without threatening freedom? • Has the system of separated powers and checks-and-balances protected liberty? Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 2

Human Nature • Rights ordained by God, discoverable by reason, essential to progress • Real revolution a radical change in popular views of political authority Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3

Articles of Confederation • Established after signing of the Declaration of Independence • National problems • Weaknesses of the Articles • Meeting at Mount Vernon (1785) and Annapolis Convention (1786) led to Constitutional Convention (1787) Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 4

The Challenge • Frame a government strong enough to preserve order, but not so strong that it threatens liberty • The Virginia Plan (large states supported) • The New Jersey Plan (small states supported) • The Great (or Connecticut) Compromise reconciled small and large states’ interests Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 6

The Constitution and Democracy • Founders didn’t intend to create a direct democracy but a republic • To avoid domination by populous states, popular rule only one element of new government • Two key principles distributed power: Separation of powers and federalism • Government and human nature Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7

The Constitution and Liberty • Issue in state ratification conventions was liberty, not democracy • The Anti-Federalist view • A bill of rights necessary to secure ratification Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8

The Constitution and Slavery • Three constitutional provisions relate to slavery • Failure to address slavery in the Constitution necessary to secure ratification • Debate leading to the Civil War Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 9

Liberty and Equality • Founding Fathers and end of social inequalities • Government must restrain economic inequalities • A recipe for moderation Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 11

Reconsidering the Enduring Questions • What was wrong with the Articles of Confederation? • How did the authors of the Constitution view human nature? • How can a government be strong enough to govern without threatening freedom? • Has the system of separated powers and checks-and-balances protected liberty? Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 12