1. Warm Up
"Join, or Die" is a political cartoon, by Benjamin Franklin published before the Revolutionary War. It The cartoon appeared along with Franklin's editorial about the "disunited state" of the colonies, and helped make his point about the importance of colonial unity. During that era, there was a superstition that a snake which had been cut into pieces would come back to life if the pieces were put together before sunset.
3. Which group of people was the cartoon probably targeted towards?
What do the snake’s segments represent?
2. What is the cartoon’s message?

2. Roots of the Constitution
Provides for a strong
central government
American Document
with influence from
many civilizations
Studied the history of political development
British, Greece, Romans
European political institutions and political writers, ideas
Want to avoid mistakes of the past
Framers: People who “framed” the Constitution

3. Framers Shaped the Constitution
Familiar with parliamentary system (Britain)
Participate in colonial/state assemblies
Value Individual
rights guaranteed
by British
judicial system
Respect British
traditions

5. George Washington Commander of the Continental Army
President of the Constitutional Convention
First President of the United States

6. Thomas Jefferson Author of the Declaration of Independence
Founder of the Democratic- Republican Party
3rd President of America

7. John Adams Massachusetts’ delegate to the Continental Congress
First Vice-President and 2nd President
Signs the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts

8. Ben Franklin Scientist, inventor, printer, and patriot
Ambassador to France
Helped Jefferson with the Declaration of Independence

9. James Madison Father of the Constitution Author of the Bill of Rights
4th President of the United States

10. Alexander Hamilton Chief of staff to General Washington
Founder of the Federalist Party
First Secretary of the Treasury

11. George Mason Author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights
Virginia’s delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

12. Framers End Product
View Constitution as a contract between Americans and their government
Protect people’s rights by limiting the government’s power
Carefully specify and divide powers of government
Federal and State Powers

13. The Federal System Divided powers between the national government
and the states
States give up some of
their powers
- Kept under Articles of
Confederation
Federal government gains powers
Shared Powers: Federalism
Distinctive feature of U.S. government