1. The Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention
The First Laws of the United States

2. Immediately following the Declaration of Independence, several states started chartering their own new laws and documents
Chiefly among these were two documents:
The Virginia Declaration of Rights (written by George Mason), which reiterated that basic human rights should not be violated by government
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (written by Thomas Jefferson), which said that the government could not support one specific church or Christian sect
Background

3. Outline of the Articles
Provided for a weak national government
Gave Congress no power to tax or regulate commerce among the states
Provided for no common currency
Gave each state one vote regardless of size
Provided for no executive or judicial branch
Why would American leaders agree on this limited government?
Outline of the Articles

4. After the Revolution, the economy of the newly formed United States struggled
Poor farmers in Massachusetts eventually formed a rebellion to overthrow the national government
The rebellion was quickly put down, but it drew national attention to the fact that something needed to be done to fix the problems of the Articles of Confederation
Representatives from every state met in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention in 1787 in order to make changes
Problems

5. Plans to fix the Articles
The Virginia Plan – drafted by James Madison
This plan called for a bicameral legislative (two houses) branch
Representation in both houses would be determined by the size of the state – favored larger states
Also called for a national government with three branches
The New Jersey Plan – drafted by William Paterson
Opposed the Virginia Plan
Called for a unicameral legislative (one house) branch
Representation in the house would be equal, one vote per state – favored smaller states
Plans to fix the Articles

6. Essentially combined both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans
Created two legislative houses: The House of Representatives would be based on population (favored large states) and the Senate would have two representatives from each state (favored small states)
The Three-Fifths Compromise addressed the population of slaves in the states, stating that each slave would count as 3/5 of a person in regards to population
The Great Compromise