Admitting New States

Land Ordinance of 1785 Set up a system for settling the Northwest Territory (north of the Ohio River and East of the Mississippi. The territory would be surveyed and divided into townships. Each township would be 36 sections of one square mile each Congress would sell the sections to settlers for $640 each. One section in every town was set aside to support public schools

Northwest Ordinance 1787 Set up a government for the Northwest Territory Guaranteed basic rights to settlers Outlawed Slavery Provided a way for new states to be admitted to the Union: Once a territory had a population of 60,000 free settlers, it could ask Congress to be admitted as a new state Each new state will be on equal footing with the original states Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin were created from the Northwest Ordinance

Constitutional Convention Opened on May 25, 1787 Independence Hall in Philadelphia Goal: To revise the Articles of Confederation Every state except Rhode Island sent representatives

Amazing Assembly 55 Delegates Eight had signed the Declaration of Independence Including Benjamin Franklin at age 81 and George Washington However, most were a new generation of leaders. Nearly half were young men in their 30s Alexander Hamilton of New York Had served as George Washington’s private secretary Despised the Articles of Confederation and wanted a strong central government James Madison of Virginia 36 years old Best prepared delegate, full of research Quiet Father of the Constitution Secret Debates: closed windows and doors.

Two Rival Plans The Virginia Plan (large states) Quickly after the convention starts, the delegates realize they need to do more than just revise the Articles of Confederation. They need a whole new plan of government. The Virginia Plan (large states) Edmund Randolph and James Madison Strong national government with three branches Legislative Branch: Pass laws Two Houses (Bicameral) Seats would be awarded based on population Executive Branch: Carry out laws Judicial Branch: Decide if laws were carried out fairly The New Jersey Plan (small states) William Patterson Three branches of government but the legislative branch only had one house and every state, regardless of size, had one vote in the legislature National government would have the power to tax and trade

The Great Compromise The delegates could not agree on the two rival plans and most feared the convention would fail. Roger Sherman of Connecticut worked out the Great Compromise Approved on July 16, 1787 by a very narrow margin Two-house legislature Lower House (House of Representatives) would be elected by popular vote based on population Upper House (Senate) would be chosen by the state legislatures and each state, no matter the population, would have two senators

The Slavery Debate Northern and Southern states disagreed on whether slavery should be outlawed in the Constitution Southern states wanted slaves to be counted in their population for representation even though the slaves did not have rights. Northern states thought slaves should be counted for taxation purposes but not for representation Three-Fifths Compromise 3/5 of the slaves could be counted toward both taxes AND representation

Constitutional Influences Rome’s Republic Greece Britain Magna Carta (1215) Monarchs had to obey the laws too No taxes without consulting parliament Great Council grew into the British Parliament English Bill of Rights (1689) Parliamentary elections should be held regularly Trial by Jury Right to bear arms Habeas Corpus – you cannot be held in prison without being charged with a crime

Constitutional Influences The Revolutionary Era’ The grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence drove the rights and laws listed in the Constitution The Enlightenment John Locke Natural Rights to Life, Liberty, and Property Government is an agreement between the ruler and the ruled If a ruler violates the people’s natural rights, the people have the right to rebel Baron de Montesquieu Book “Spirit of the Laws” Powers of government should be clearly defined and divided up – SEPARATION OF POWERS, to keep any person or group from gaining too much power.