1. Good Afternoon!
-Be sure to look for your name on the card on each desk (Your assigned table)
-Grab a note sheet on your way in
Agenda:
-Notes (45 Minutes)
-Re-Test review (10 Minutes)
-Constitution Scavenger Hunt (Remainder)

2. The Constitution
Objective 3.2

3. Articles of Confederation
First government of the United States.
Created a league of friendly states.
Weak central government, strong state powers.
Laid the foundation for much of the U.S. Constitution.

4. Problems with the Articles of Confederation
Lack of Power and Money
Congress had no power to collect taxes
Congress had no power to regulate trade
Congress had no power to enforce laws
Lack of Central Power
No single leader or group directed government policy
No national court system existed
Rules Were Too Rigid
Congress could not pass laws without the approval of 9 states
The articles could not be changes without the agreement of all 13 states

5. The Constitutional Convention Begins
Philadelphia
Delegates from all the states invited to a convention to improve
the Articles of Confederation
55 Delegates attended (Only R.I. did not attend)

6. Leaders of the Convention
George Washington was asked to preside (lead) over the convention.
James Madison kept notes of the discussions and is often called “The Father of the Constitution.”
The men who wrote the Constitution are called the “Founding Fathers.”
All the participants in the Convention were wealthy, white, males.

8. Issues that Divided the Nation’s Leaders
The power of the federal government.
Would the states or the federal government have the most power?
Representation in Congress
How many members of Congress would each state get?
Small states wanted equal representation
Large states wanted it to be determined by population of the states
Slavery
How would slaves be counted?
Would the slave trade continue?

9. The Virginia Plan Called for a new national government.
Threw out the Articles of Confederation
Three separate branches of gov.
legislative, executive, judicial
Representation in the legislative branch based on population of state
large states like the plan small states don’t
Written by James Madison

10. The New Jersey Plan Calls for three branches of Government
Legislative, Executive, Judicial
Only one house of legislation with equal representation for each state no matter the size of population.
Small states like the plan, the large states hate it.
There would have to be a compromise.

11. The Great Compromise (Connecticut Plan)
Combination of Virginia and New Jersey Plan
Legislature would have two houses (parts):
House of Representatives
Senate
House of Rep. - based on the population of state
Senate - two senators per each state

12. Slavery
⅗ Compromise
For every 5 slaves, the states would count 3 people
Made each slave ⅗ of a person in deciding numbers in House of Representatives.
Compromise is an important aspect in a democracy

13. Slavery Continued Slave Trade and the Commerce Compromise
The North who opposed the slave trade agreed to allow the slave trade to continue for 20 more years, after which Congress could impose regulations.
Important to southerners who insisted that their economy could not survive without the slave trade.

14. National Authority Congress given the power to raise an army and navy
levy taxes
regulate foreign and interstate trade
make all laws that are “necessary and proper” to implement the delegated powers
Supremacy Clause - Congressional legislation is the supreme law of the land

15. Amendment Process

16. Bill of Rights First 10 amendments in the Constitution
List of individual rights and limits on the government
Federalists agreed to adding a Bill of Rights to the Constitution to appease the Anti-Federalist and support ratification.

17. Ratification
Nine of the thirteen states would have to ratify Constitution for it to be the new government
Federalists - supported the Constitution
Anti-Federalist - opposed the Constitution
Federalist Papers - series of articles and essay in newspaper to sway public opinion in favor of the Constitution