1. Federal System of Government Slavery and the Constitution Pages 346-351

2. Federal System Because people were fearful of the word national, members of the Constitutional Convention chose to use the word federal. In a federal or national system of government, the authority to make decisions is shared. The states would keep some authority, give away some authority and share some authority with the federal government.

3. Powers of the Federal Government Control trade between states and foreign countries Create an army and navy Print and coin money Admit new states Declare war and make peace Make laws for immigration and citizenship

4. Powers of the State Government Set up public schools Set up local governments Conduct elections Control trade within the state Make laws for marriage and divorce Set qualifications for voting

5. Shared Powers Collect taxes Set up court systems Charter banks Borrow Money Make laws to provide for public health and welfare

6. Slavery and the Constitution The subject of slavery nearly ended the Constitutional Convention. Some of the delegates thought it was wrong and should be ended. Others, especially those from the southern states, believed that the economy in their region depended on slavery. More than one-fourth of the delegates owned slaves. (14 out of 55)

7. Slavery and the Constitution The word “slave” is not mentioned in the Constitution. Many questioned how slavery could be allowed if the Constitution stood for liberty. John Rutledge of South Carolina said that if the slave trade was stopped, that southern states would not be part of the Union.

8. A Compromise on Slavery In order to reach a compromise, members of the convention agreed that Congress could not stop the slave trade for at least 20 years. (Approximately 1807) In the meantime, the delegates at the convention took no steps to end slavery in the states.