What next??? Even before independence was declared, the 2 nd Continental Congress realized they would need to unite the colonies together under one government November 1777, The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union were created A plan for a loose union of the states under one Congress

Characteristics of the Articles 1. Weak central government- meant to prevent dictator 2. Gave most power to legislative body called Congress Declare war Raise army Sign treaties

Strict Limitations No executive branch- no central leader Congress could not regulate trade between states Congress could not raise taxes States only met once a year Congress could not force states to pay off national debt

Problems Arise How were they going to be able to pay off debt from war if they could not create tax revenue or regulate trade?

Economic Solutions Sell land west of the Appalachian Mountains Land Ordinance of 1785 established method of dividing land Northwest Ordinance of 1786 established method of governing land Both Ordinances created the method for becoming a state Also, it did not allow slavery in the northwest

Economic Solutions Promote trade with other nations Created trade agreements with France, Holland, Sweden, Prussia

Problems with Trade Back Home Tried to limit what British tried to sell by increasing duties (taxes on imported goods) BUT, because Congress could not regulate trade, duties were not the same across the colonies The British would land in states with low duties To combat this, states started taxing imported goods from one another Caused way too many problems!

Diplomatic Problems Land disputes with Britain and Spain arose Britain: wanted money owed to them Refused to leave America until they were paid Spain: problems with border between Spanish territory and Georgia Continental Congress’ hands were tied

Economic Problems Cause a Recession A recession is when the economic situation of a country slows down Farmers were most affected Not making as much on crops now that they do not trade with Britain Have to borrow money for supplies and pay mortgage Farmers wanted to use paper money to pay off debts, but lenders did not- they would lose money

Shay’s Rebellion Occurred in Western Massachusetts The MA government taxed their citizens, impacted farmers the most Farmers were losing their land because they could not pay In August 1786, led by Daniel Shay, farmers rebelled and lost, but made a very strong point

Impact of Shay’s Rebellion The upper class were scared, but not because of the motive of the rebellion They feared: What is the economy is destroyed? What if a rebellion gets out of hand? What if the lower class gets more power than the wealthy? *This leads to push for a stronger central government with more rights and responsibilities

A Meeting in Philadelphia 55 delegates meet in May 1787 Sole purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation Challenge: Balance the rights of the states with the need for a stronger central government

Nationalists Those who wanted a strong central government George Washington John Adams Ben Franklin Alexander Hamilton James Madison Madison was the strongest nationalist From Virginia Said all power, at all levels, should come from the people Writes The Federalists papers

The Demigods Demigods were the writers of the Constitution White, upper class, educated, elite men

Issues to Deal With… Representation in Congress Slavery Framework of Government Balance central government duties and rights with state duties and rights

Representation in Government Congress would be bicameral (2 houses) Two plans emerge Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan

Articles of Confederation Representation in Congress Role of each HouseWhy did they like their plan? Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan

The Connecticut (Great) Compromise How many houses?Representation in House? Representation in Senate? Great Compromise Both sides were upset A special committee was created- those most vocal were not included Ben Franklin was in charge of coming to a compromise

The Issue of Slavery Became an issue in number of Representatives each state gets South wanted to count slaves in population to get more Representatives North argued that slaves could not vote, and therefore should not be included in population

Three-Fifths Compromise For every 5 slaves, 3 would count as free people for the purpose of population and taxation

Basic Ideas of Government in Constitution Popular sovereignty Federalism Separation of powers Legislative branch Executive branch Judicial branch Checks and balances Veto Impeach amendment

On to the States All had to have compromises 39 delegates approved of the document, but 9 of 13 states had to ratify it Ratify means to formally approve Debate emerges in states that delays ratification: Are you a Federalist or an Anti-Federalist?

FEDERALISTSANTI-FEDERALISTS Class Support Famous Examples Thoughts on Articles of Confederation States’ Rights Role of Central Government Bill of Rights Constitution Executive Branch Interpretation of Constitution Size of Nation

The Federalist papers 85 documents published to support Federalist ideas Written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay Essays explained how new Constitution worked and why it was needed Essays are still used by judges today to interpret the Constitution

Struggle for Ratification….Still Federalists needed to make compromised to get MA, VA, and NY to ratify Add a Bill of Rights Add an amendment reserving powers to the states that are not given directly to federal government in Constitution

The Two Holdouts Rhode Island and North Carolina did not want to sign, but what were they going to do if they didn’t??

RATIFICATION!! March 4, 1789, the new government began George Washington was unanimously elected President Bill of Rights (first 10 Amendments) would be added in 1791