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Notes Chapter 2 section 4/5
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THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION

A governmental dumpster
fire

THE CONSTITUTION

Govics - Unit 2

ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION

Each state kept its sovereignty, freedom

and independence, and every Power,
Jurisdiction and rightnotexpressly
delegated to the common defense, the
security of their liberties, and their mutual
and general welfare.

The Declaration of Independence is Facebook

Official
The Second Continental Congress had to
create an official national government.
Debated for 17 months on which type of government
to have.

They approved the Articles of Confederation in

1777, but they were not ratified until 1781.
The Articles established a firm league of
friendship among states.
An alliance of independent states rather than a
government of the people

ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
The Articles created a single
unit of government, the
Congress.
Congress was unicameral in
structure, with each states electing
its delegates each year.
Each state delegation had one vote
in Congress.
No Executive or Judicial branches
State govts. had more power than the

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The national government had no executive or judicial
branch.
Special congressional committees exercised executive and
judicial functions.
Each year Congress would elect a president of the Congress
(but not the nation).

CONGRESS POWERS
Make war and peace
Make treaties and handle
ambassadors
Borrow money and set up a
money system
Build a navy and raise an army
Set standards of weights and
measures
Settle disputes between the
states

STATES UNDER AOC

The states promised to:
Obey the Articles and acts of Congress
Provide funds and troops requested by Congress
Treat citizens of other states fairly
Respect the laws and court rulings of other states
Allow open travel and trade among states
Submit interstate disputes to Congress
Turn over fugitives from other states

The states kept all powers not given to

Congress.

WEAKNESSES OF AOC
Only a firm league of friendship
among States
Only one vote for each State,
regardless of size
Congress powerless to levy taxes or
duties
Congress powerless to regulate
commerce
No executive power to enforce acts of
Congress

PROBLEMS
After the end of the Revolutionary War,
states stopped cooperating with each
other and the national government.
They refused to supply troops or money.
Some made their own treaties with other
nations.
Most raised their own military forces.
They taxed goods from other states and
banned trade with some states.
They printed their own money.

MO PROBLEMS
The economies of many states struggled
as a result of all the bickering and poor
planning.
Much of the newly printed money was worth
very little. Prices soared and loans became hard
to get.
Many people fell into debt.

The economic crisis led to Shays

Rebellion in Massachusetts.
Indebted farmers and other small property
owners lost land and possessions when they
could not pay their debts or their state taxes.

POWERS OF ARTICLE OF
CONFEDERATION
Could declare war, negotiate peace,
treaties
Establish control of State militias
Borrow money
Establish a post office
Establish weights and measures

REPLACING THE ARTICLES OF

CONFEDERATION
3 KEY EVENTS

MOUNT VERNON
CONFERENCE 1785
VA and MD meet at Mount
Vernon to discuss making the
Potomac River a common
highway to the West. Discuss
common currency.
1st time 2 states work together
on an economic issue.
Very successful, VA suggests
another meeting leads to

ANNAPOLIS CONVENTION
1786
Miserable failure. 5 states send
delegates. (VA, NY, NJ, PA, DE)
US economy continues to
suffer.
Hamilton and Madison call for a
convention in Philadelphia in
1787.

SHAYS REBELLION
1786-1787
Farmers in Western MA were
sent to debtors prison, had
their farms confiscated.
Rebels started closing and
burning down courts.

THURSDAY
TH
FEBRUARY 26 ,
2015
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EQ: COULD THE
CONSTITUTION HAVE

CHAPTER 2 SECTION 4
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

THE FRAMERS
The Constitutional Convention
began on
May 25, 1787, with 55 delegates.
These individuals, called the Framers,
came from many backgrounds:
Many had fought in the Revolutionary War.
Eight had signed the Declaration of
Independence.
34 had attended college at a time when it was a
rare achievement.
Two would become President, one a Vice
President, nineteen a U.S. Senator, and thirteen a
member of the House of Representatives.

A NEW GOVERNMENT
The Framers elected George Washington as
president of the convention and set up
procedural rules.
A majority of state delegations would need to be
present to conduct business.
Each delegation would have one vote.
A majority vote would carry a proposal.

Then, on May 30th, the Framers made their

biggest decision: to replace the Articles of
Confederation rather than amend them.
James Madison (right) was a major figure in the
movement to replace the Constitution.

THE VIRGINIA PLAN

This plan called for a government with a
legislative, executive, and judicial branch.
Congress would have two houses, with
representation based on state population or the
money given to the central government.
Congress would have more power than it had
under the Articles.
It would be able to force states to obey federal law.

The members of Congress would elect a national

executive and judiciary.
These two branches would form a council that could veto acts
passed by Congress.

THE NEW JERSEY PLAN

This plan proposed a much different
organization of the three branches.
Congress would have a single house with
equal representation for each state.
This Congress would have more limited powers than
under the Virginia Plan.

There would be an executive committee of

several people, chosen by Congress.
At the request of a majority of state governors, Congress
could remove members of this committee.

The executive committee would appoint a

supreme tribunal to be the federal judiciary.

CONNECTICUT COMPROMISE
The Connecticut Compromise
Small states feared that larger states
would dominate them under the
Virginia Plan.
The Connecticut Compromise, also
called the Great Compromise, solved
this dispute.
In the House of Representatives, each state would
be represented according to its population.
In the Senate, each state would have equal
representation.

ADDITIONAL COMPROMISES
Southern states wanted to count slaves as part
of the state population. Northern states did not.
The Three-Fifths Compromise counted each slave as
three-fifths of a person when figuring representation
in Congress.

Southern states wanted to protect their

agricultural exports and the slave trade from
regulation by Congress.
Under the Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise,
Congress could not tax state exports or interfere with
the slave trade until 1808.

THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY

Disputes over slavery during the
Convention arose because
slavery was far more common in
the agricultural South than in the
more industrial North.
However, slavery was legal in
every states except
Massachusetts.

A BUNDLE OF
COMPROMISES
A bundle of compromises?
The Framers had to resolve disputes involving
such issues as:
The exact structure of the new government
Regional differences among the states
The method of choosing the President
How to amend the Constitution
The limits on federal powers

The Constitution they approved on September

17, 1787, has thus been called a bundle of
compromises.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

WHAT COMPROMISES ENABLED THE

FRAMERS TO CREATE THE CONSTITUTION?

CHAPTER 2 SECTION
5

Ratifying our Constitution

A NEW GOVERNMENT
The Articles of Confederation could only be amended by a
unanimous vote of all 13 states.
But the delegates at the Constitutional Convention decided
to require only 9 of 13 states to ratify the Constitution.
They felt that a unanimous vote would be too difficult to achieve, and that the Articles
were being replaced rather than amended.

Copies of the new Constitution were sent to the states on

September 18, 1787.

FEDERALISTS AND ANTIFEDERALISTS

Federalists
Supporters of ratification were called
Federalists.
They argued that the Articles of Confederation were
weak and needed to be replaced.
Alexander Hamilton was a leader among the
Federalists

The Federalist Papers influenced many

Americans to support the Constitution
These were written by Alexander Hamilton, James
Madison, and John Jay, all using the pen name,
Publius.
These essays are still read widely today for their
insights into the Constitution, the federal government,
and the nature of representative democracy.

Anti-Federalists
Opponents of ratification were called AntiFederalists.
They opposed the new ratification process.
They thought the new central government would
be too strong.
Most of all, they argued that the Constitution
needed a Bill of Rights to protect the people.

Anti-Federalists also wrote many essays,

pamphlets, and letters
The essays by Brutus were most likely written
by Robert Yates. They were first published in New
York.

BILL OF RIGHTS
At first, Federalists said a Bill of Rights was not needed
because:
The state constitutions already protected individual rights and
freedoms.
The separation of powers among the three branches would
keep the new national government from abusing its authority.

But Anti-Federalists opposition was so strong that

Federalists eventually promised to add a Bill of Rights
once the Constitution was ratified.

SUCCESS
When Virginia and New York ratified the
Constitution by narrow votes, success was finally
ensured.
Eventually all 13 states ratified the Constitution.
The Confederation Congress chose New York City
as the temporary capital of the United States.
The new U.S. Congress first met on March 4,
1789, at Federal Hall in New York City.
George Washington was chosen as the first President
by a unanimous vote of electors.