Creating the Constitution A new constitution provided a
- Slides: 38
Creating the Constitution A new constitution provided a framework for a stronger national government.
Main Ideas The Constitutional Convention met to improve the government of the United States. The issue of representation led to the Great Compromise. Regional debate over slavery led to the Three. Fifths Compromise. The United States Constitution created federalism and a balance of power between national and state governments.
Building Background It did not take long for people to realize that the Articles of Confederation had many weaknesses. By the middle of the 1780 s most political leaders agreed that changes were needed. To make those changes, they called on people with experience in government.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION In February 1787, the Confederation Congress invited each state to send delegates to a convention in Philadelphia. The goal of the meeting was to improve the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention was held in May 1787 in Philadelphia to improve the Articles of Convention. Some of the delegates were angered because they would leave with an entirely new constitution.
Many delegates were well educated. Many served in state legislatures (law making bodies) or Congress. Many famous people such as Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and George Washington (elected President of the Convention) were in attendance. Several people were absent such as John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Patrick Henry was absent because he did not believe in a strong, central government. Women, African Americans and Native Americans were all absent because they DID NOT have the rights of citizens.
The Constitutional Convention
Reading Check Summarizing What was the purpose of the Constitutional Convention?
GREAT COMPROMISE Several issues divided the delegates to the Constitutional Convention. There were some members who only wanted small changes to the Articles of Confederation. There were some members who wanted to get rid of the Articles of Confederation and start from scratch. The delegates who wanted the larger scale changes had different goals regarding different issues such as representation, economic issues (tariffs and taxes) and slavery. The biggest issue between the two groups was how strong to make the national government.
Virginia Plan The Virginia Plan was written by Edmund Randolph. The plan would provide for a new federal constitution that would give power to the federal government. The plan would create a bicameral (two house) legislature that would be based upon state populations. The states with the larger populations would have more representation. The smaller states were against this plan.
Edmund Randolph
New Jersey Plan The smaller states, such as New Jersey had created a plan to balance the Virginia Plan. Written by William Paterson, the New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral (one house) legislature which gave the states the same number of votes so every state would remain equal. The New Jersey Plan also allowed the federal government to tax citizens and to regulate commerce between the states.
William Paterson
Compromise Is Reached For one month, the delegates debated but reached a roadblock by which there was no new government could be created. It was up to Roger Sherman to break the ice between supporters of the New Jersey and Virginia Plans. Roger Sherman issued a new plan called the Great Compromise. This compromise would create a legislative branch that incorporated both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans. The Virginia Plan turned one branch into the United States House of Representatives. Based upon state populations, larger states would have more power in this branch than those with smaller populations. The New Jersey Plan turned the second branch into the United States Senate. Regardless of population, every state would have two Senators and equal power.
Roger Sherman Author of the Great Compromise
Great Compromise
Reading Check Contrasting How did the Virginia and New Jersey Plan differ?
THE THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE The debate over representation also involved regional (north versus south) differences. Southern delegates wanted Africans in slavery to be counted towards their population as they would receive more power in the House of Representatives. Northern delegates disagreed. These delegates wanted slaves to count towards taxation but not representation. The Three-Fifths Compromise brought both sides together. Under this compromise, only three-fifths of a state’s slave population would count when determining representation.
Besides representation in Congress, slavery also was an issue regarding the slave trade. Slavery was a hot button issue, as many delegates in the northern states were against slavery. Southern delegates believed that slavery was needed to fuel their economy and the slave trade was necessary. The southern states even states they would leave the Union if the slave trade was ended. The northern and southern states were also divided regarding Congress and their ability to tax imports and exports.
As with the Great and Three-Fifths Compromise, the delegates reached a third compromise over these issues. The Commerce (trade) Compromises allowed Congress to place a tax on imports (goods which enter our nation) but not on exports (goods which leave our nation). Congress would also allow the slave trade to continue until 1807. The delegates also omitted (left out) the words slave and slavery in the Constitution.
Three Fifths Compromise
Commerce Compromise
Reading Check Summarize What compromise was reached over the issue of the slave trade?
The Living Constitution The delegates attending the Constitutional Convention had two aims in mind. The first aim was to create a stronger national government that was better than the government under the Articles of Confederation. The second aim was to protect the idea of popular sovereignty that was included in the Declaration of Independence. Popular sovereignty (consent of the governed) means that the delegates believed that political authority belongs in the hands of American citizens.
Federalist Government The delegates of the Constitutional Convention wanted to balance the powers of the federal government with those of the state governments. The delegates compromised by establishing a new system called federalism. Under federalism, power is shared by both the national and state governments. Under the confederation system of the Articles of Confederation, the states were loosely joined together with no central government.
Federalism
Under the Constitution, every state must obey the authority of the federal government. The states also have power and control over things that are not given to the federal government such as control over local government, education, chartering businesses and corporations, supervision over religious branches, enforcing civil and criminal laws and MOST IMPORTANT PROTECTING THE WELFARE OF ITS CITIZENS
Checks and Balances The Constitution also balances the power among three branches of government which are responsible for different tasks. The legislative branch (the United States Congress) is responsible for proposing and passing laws. This branch, which was created under the Great Compromise, has two houses: the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. The United States Senate is the house of Congress where every state receives the same number of members. The United States House of Representatives is made up of a states population. Larger states have more members than small states.
The second branch, the executive branch, includes the president and the departments that help run the government. The executive branch makes sure the law is carried out. The third branch, the judicial branch, is made up of all the national courts. This branch is responsible for interpreting laws, punishing criminals, and settling disputes between states. The framers of the Constitution created a system of checks and balances which keeps any branch of government from becoming too powerful. Examples of checks and balances include: (a) the president has the power to veto, or reject laws that Congress passes, (b) Congress can override the president’s veto with a 2/3 majority of both houses, (c) the Supreme Court has the power to review laws passed by Congress and strike down any laws which violate the Constitution.
The Constitution’s final draft was completed in September 1787. Only three of the forty-two men who remained refused to sign it. The signed Constitution was first sent to Congress and then to the states for ratification (approval). The delegates knew it was not a perfect document but they believed that they had protected the ideals of republicanism.
Three Branches of Government
New York Senators
Staten Island’s Representative
Executive Branch
United States Supreme Court
Confederal vs. Federal Systems
Reading Check Comparing and Contrasting What are the differences between a monarchy, a federal system and a confederal system?
Summary and Preview The Constitution balanced power among three branches of government but was only written after many compromises. In the next section you will read about the Antifederalist and Federalist views of the Constitution and the struggle to get it approved by the states.
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