1. Foundation of Government in America
Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution
Mr. Calella
American Studies I (Honors)

2. Constitution KWL
Log on to and post some Ks and Ws
Consider the following questions…
What is a constitution? Purpose?
Why are constitutions written?
How should institutions of gov’t be organized?
Why has the U.S. Constitution endured?

3. Articles of Confederation
Republic & Confederation
1st constitution
A loose association of states (retained most their sovereignty); Americans’ fear
Ratification held up
Passed Nov 1777 (during war)
National legislature called the Congress
No executive or judicial branches
Congress had limited powers
Slavery

4. Two Successes under the Articles of Confederation
Land Ordinance of 1785
Northwest Ordinance of 1787

6. Primary Source Activity
Go to my wiki page…
Gcalella.pbworks.com
Download the document under today’s lesson regarding George Washington’s evaluation of the Articles of Confederation
Read and answer the discussion questions that follow

7. Weaknesses of the Confederation
Weak central government
No ability to collect taxes (war debt)
No executive branch to enforce laws
No judicial branch to interpret laws
13 separate states that lacked national unity (focus on local issues)
Inflation from overprinting of $
Cannot address foreign affairs (threats?)
Could not quash domestic uprisings…

8. Thomas Jefferson’s Comments on Shay’s Rebellion
“I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms are in the physical... It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.” Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to James Madison, Jan., 1787
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.” Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Wm. Stephens Smith, Nov., 1787
Discuss: How might Jefferson’s opinion have been affected by the fact that he was living in Paris at the time of Shay’s Rebellion?

9. Excerpt from Federalist No. 51, James Madison, Feb. 6, 1788
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”
Discuss: In what ways can this famous passage from Federalist No. 51 be related to Shay’s Rebellion?

10. Shay’s Rebellion

11. Constitutional Convention
Philadelphia meeting of delegates to discuss remedies for ailing Confederation (May 1787)
George Washington made president of convention
Delegates decided to scrap Articles and set up an entirely new government
Washington kept the delegates focused on their task

12. Ratification Federalists v. Anti-Federalists Attributes of Federalists
Attributes of Anti-Federalists
Bill of Rights
Delaware, Virginia, and New York
The Federalist Papers

13. Constitutional Principles

14. Limited Government 1st and oldest written constitution in the world
Designed to prevent tyranny experienced under British rule, which had an unwritten, open-ended constitution
You limit the the government’s powers by stating its powers

15. Checks and Balances
Prevents one branch from becoming more powerful than the others
Branches have ways of checking and balancing the power of the others

16. Separation of Powers
Government divided into 3 branches: legislative (Art. I), executive (Art. II), and judicial (Art. III)
Each branch has specific powers but must work with others for government to function

17. Federalism Divides power between national and state government
States needed to sacrifice some of their sovereignty for the sake of national unity

18. Popular Sovereignty
Preamble of the Constitution expresses idea that source of power rests with the people
Examples
Vote for representatives
Indirect vote for president
Amendment process

19. Convention’s Compromises
The Constitution is often referred to as a “bundle of compromises.” To what extent and in what ways is this description accurate?
Work in pairs or 3s; use hyperlink on wiki
Your Task:
Answer above question in 1 paragraph
Create your own graphic organizer or picture representation for each of the listed compromises