1. Background Heavy taxation King George III taxed American colonists to help pay for debt from the French and Indian War Stamp Act of 1765: tax on legal documents Intolerable Acts: closing Boston Harbor & withdrawing right of Mass. to govern themselves First Continental Congress (Sept 1774): all colonies except Georgia Delegates debate what to do about Great Britain Second Continental Congress: after Lexington & Concord (April 1775) delegates gathered in Philadelphia an assumed power of central gov’t (purchased supplies, negotiated treaties, rallied support)

2. Declaration of Independence Congress created committee to draft declaration- T. Jefferson picked to write due to strong writing skills Some passages removed and editorial changes made July 4, 1776: Congress approved draft & John Hancock first to sign Declaration considered revolutionary because no gov’t had been founded on principles of human liberty and consent of the governed Won praise around the world & helped to influence French revolution and modeled in Latin America

3. Parts of the Declaration Part 1 (Intro) Statement of purpose and basic human rights Part 2 (Middle) Specific complaints against George III Each describes violation of political, economic and civil liberties Part 3 (Conclusion) States determination to break from Great Britain Note how efforts for a peaceful solution had failed so no choice but to declare freedom

4. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/print_frien dly.html?page=declaration_transcript_content.html&ti tle=NARA%20%7C%20The%20Declaration%20of% 20Independence%3A%20A%20Transcription

5. Articles of Confederation 1777- committee appointed by Congress presented a plan known as the Articles of Confederation States wanted a confederation (“league of friendship”) among 13 independent states rather than strong national government By March 1781 all 13 states ratified Articles of Confederation

6. Government Under the Articles Plan for central gov’t was unicameral (single-chamber) Congress No executive branch or President One delegate per state was in the Committee of the States- managed gov’t when Congress not assembled No federal court system- Congress settled disputes Each state had one vote in Congress- state selected and paid representative

7. Powers of Congress Congress only had powers expressed in Articles- mainly lawmaking Powers included: Make war and peace Send and receive ambassadors Enter into treaties Raise and equip and navy Maintain army by requesting troops from the states Appoint senior military officers Fix standards of weights and measures Regulate Indian affairs Establish post offices Decide disputes among the states

8. Weaknesses of the Articles Although gave Congress power, Articles created weak national gov’t No state had intention of giving up sovereignty to central gov’t No power to levy or collect taxes Raised money only by borrowing or requesting $ from states Each state collected taxes from citizens and turned money over to nat’l treasury Could not do anything if state refused to pay No power to regulate trade Economic disputes among states and trouble making business arrangements with other countries resulted

9. Weaknesses of the Articles Could not enforce anyone to follow laws or abide by Articles Could only advise/request states comply Needed approval of 9 out of 13 states Usually only 9 or 10 states in Congress at any time- difficult to pass laws Each state only had one vote Amending or changing Article required consent of all states No executive branch No unity in policy making and coordinating work of different committees No national court system

10. Achievements of the Articles Establishment of a fair policy for development of lands west of Appalachians Individual states yielded their claims to their territories Northwest Ordinances of 1787 Territories owned by gov’t were to be developed for statehood on an equal basis with older states Peace treaty with Great Britain- 1783 Britain recognized American independence and land acquired enlarged nation’s boundaries Creation of Foreign Affairs, War, Marine & Treasury Department

11. Constitutional Convention Created due to domestic issues with the economy and differences among states about a variety of issues Confederation Congress gave consent to hold convention in Philadelphia “for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation” Began on May 25, 1778

12. Constitutional Convention cont… Delegates all had practical experience in politics as governors, congressmen and signers of the Declaration and Articles of Confederation Great deal of leadership present George Washington ensured people would trust convention’s work Ben Franklin played an active role in debates James Madison known as ‘Father of the Constitution’ because he was the author of the basic plan of government- notes he took reveal a great deal about the convention’s work

13. Organization George Washington unanimously chose to preside over the meetings Each state would have one vote on all questions Majority of those states present would make decisions No meeting could be held unless 7 out of 13 states present Public and press kept out of the meetings to make it possible for delegates to talk freely

14. Key Agreements Originally came together to revise but ended up creating new government Agreed powers of national gov’t should be divided among three branches Agreed to strengthen national government Ideas were proposed and decisions were made on how to put these ideas into place

15. Division of the People Federalists Favored Constitution Led by many of the founders Support came from merchants & others in city and costal regions Argued w/o strong nat’l gov’t anarchy would begin Nat’l gov’t would protect from enemies abroad and fix internal problems Also, Bill of Rights not need b/c 8 states already had one Anti-Federalists

16. Progress Toward Ratification In order to gain support Federalists promised to add Bill of Rights This helped and many small states began to ratify because please with equal representation in Senate Needed 9 of 13 states to ratify Constitution went into full effect in June 1788 when New Hampshire became 9 th state to ratify However, political debate lasted until May 1790 when Rhode Island finally voted for approval NYC chosen as temp capital, Washington elected pres, Adams elected VP To fulfill promise, Madison introduced 12 amendments during 1 st session of Congress- became the 10 amendments of Bill of Rights

17. Questions to think about… Should the Constitution have been ratified as it was written in 1787? What does your author say? Does the Constitution need a Bill of Rights? Does the Constitution give too much power to the national government at the expense of the individual states?

18. If the 1787 Constitution was presented today would it be ratified? What issues are the same/different as in 1787?