The U.S. Constitution Review the following presentation to help clarify your understanding of the Constitution

The Critical Period  1781 – 1789  The Articles of Confederation had established a loose relationship between the states  There was no strong central authority to settle disputes  States were reluctant to surrender power to a strong national government

The Articles of Confederation  Proposed in 1776 and formally adopted in 1781  Which branch is responsible for enforcing laws and judging law breakers?  How would trade between states be conducted?  What if a state decided to act independently of the others?

Shay’s Rebellion  1786  The Massachusetts legislature voted the heaviest direct tax in its history  They insisted in payment by gold or silver which were very scarce  Daniel Shay led a rebellion against these taxes.  The National government was unable to help Massachusetts.  The Nationalist’s used Shay’s rebellion as an example of civil unrest  They argued that a strong national government was needed to settle such disputes

The Second Continental Congress  Convened in May of 1787 to correct the problems of the Articles of Confederation  Shay’s rebellion demonstrated the need for major change  A debate ensued  Liberty or Order, How could we keep both?

Who was Right?  Federalists called for a strong Central Government  They claimed that liberty unchecked meant chaos  Organization and the Common good were paramount  They included lawyers and businessmen  Anti-Federalists feared a strong Central Government  They claimed that a strong Central Government would take away their liberties  Individual rights were paramount, and should be protected from a powerful government  They included farmers, laborers, and some politicians

The Three Main Compromises  The Great Compromise  The 3/5 Compromise  The Slavery Compromise

The Great Compromise  Answered the question of Representation  A compromise between the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan  Set up a Bicameral Legislature  In The House of Representatives states send representatives proportionate to their population  In The Senate each state sends two representatives  As you can see, the House favors the states with the larger population, the Senate favors those with a smaller population

The 3/5 Compromise  Southerners wanted to count slaves towards representation in Congress  Northerners realized that this would allow the south to dominate Congress  Northerners argued that slaves were not free and therefore could not be counted  A compromise was reached: every 5 slaves would be counted as the equivalent of three white men for the purpose of representation

The Slavery Compromise  The South could control Congress simply by importing more slaves  A limit on the importation of Slaves was agreed upon  Slaves could be imported until 1808  Each imported slave would have a $10.00 tax levied upon the transaction

The Father of the Constitution  James Madison came to be known as the Father of The Constitution  A wealthy Virginian, he was among 55 delegates present at Convention  Well educated, articulate, and 36 - he was the most active member of the Convention

The Basic Principles of the Constitution

Separation of Powers  Powers are divided between 3 branches of government  A Legislative Branch makes laws (Congress)  An Executive Branch enacts the laws (The President and his bureaucracy)  A Judicial Branch interprets the laws (The Court system)

Checks and Balances  No one branch is allowed to become too powerful  Each Branch can check the power of another branch  This helps to prevent and unequal distribution of power  Study the next slide to see how the branches interact

So What is Federalism?

The Electoral college Each state receives a number of Electoral votes equal to its’ total number of representatives.

Amending the Constitution Article V Proposing Amendments  2/3 of each house of Congress  Convention called by 2/3 of the state legislatures Ratifying Amendments  ¾ of the state legislatures  ¾ of special conventions held in each state

What do we know?  Exactly what is Federalism?  Why was the Great Compromise necessary?  What are the specific duties of the 3 branches?  What is the fewest number of electors any state can have?  Why do you think there are so few amendments?  How many amendments are there?