The United States Constitution

Alexander Hamilton called for a convention to “revise the Articles of Confederation” Representatives of all states except Rhode Island to draw up a new form of government Delegates included George Washington, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Roger Sherman The convention was held behind closed doors and windows as they did not want public opinion to influence their work

The United States Constitution Most decisions were readily agreed to such as separation of powers, checks and balances, the three branches of government Where they differed was in representation: big states wanted it based on population (Virginia Plan) and small states wanted equal representation (New Jersey Plan)

The United States Constitution Connecticut or Great Compromise  Bi-cameral legislature  House representation based on population (power of the purse)  Senate representation equal – two per state Three-Fifths Compromise  Slaves people or property?  Three-fifths of the number of slaves in each state to count towards representation and taxation

The United States Constitution Essence of Constitution was  Popular Sovereignty – rule by the people  Republic – people would elect representatives  Federalism – the sharing of power between states and the federal government  If anybody were to be recognized as the “father of the US government” it would be Alexander Hamilton

The United States Constitution Ratification  Some states ratified quickly  Some feared this new government would become as oppressive as the British one  To allay these fears, the Bill of Rights (first ten amendments) was added to the Constitution  New York was still undecided  Essays were published to sway the vote – those advocating ratification were called the Federalist Papers, those against were called the Anti- Federalist Papers

The United States Constitution