1. New Country New Government
Between the end of the American Revolution and the beginning of the Constitutional Convention, the survival of the United States was in question in large part because the government that was created under the Articles of Confederation was very weak.

2. The Articles of Confederation
When Americans declared independence in 1776, they needed to form a new government.
They created:
A republic where citizens voted for elected leaders
A “confederation” style of government loosely connected the states under a WEAK national government.
A government that gave States more power than the National government

3. Weaknesses of the Articles
Although the Articles had some successes, the weaknesses became major issues.
Weaknesses of the National Government:
No Executive Branch
No ability to collect taxes (Government had no money: No money=No power)
Couldn’t regulate commerce (trade)
Didn’t have a national currency
Open to attack by foreign countries

4. Economic Problems
The inability of the government to collect taxes led to problems:
America could not pay off war debts
There were many property foreclosures on farms - farmers couldn’t afford to pay their loans. (They lost a lot of money, land, and crops during the war)
Daniel Shay was one of these farmers and led a rebellion – “Shay’s Rebellion”
He and other farmers marched to a Massachusetts arsenal to seize weapons
They were stopped by the militia
Washington, Hamilton, and Madison called for and supported a stronger central government

5. The Constitutional Convention
In May of 1787 delegates met in Philadelphia to discuss and revise the Articles of Confederation
Instead, they create the U.S. Constitution
George Washington is elected President of the Convention
Delegates agreed that the Central Government needed more power

6. Key Ideas of the Constitution
Popular Sovereignty
The people have power by voting for leaders
Limited Government
Government is not all powerful – citizen’s liberties are protected
Federalism
The national government shares power with state governments
Separation of Powers
3 Branches with defined powers
Checks and Balances
Each branch can limit the power of the other branches

7. Separation of Powers 3 Branches of Government Legislative Executive
Judicial

8. Checks and Balances

9. Constitutional Compromises
Representation in Congress/Legislative Branch
Large States vs. Small States
Slavery
3/5 Compromise

10. Representation in Congress
Virginia Plan – Large State:
New Jersey Plan – Small State:
A bicameral (two-house) congress
Larger states have more representatives (representation by population)
Add a president as a national leader
A unicameral (one-house)congress
States are equally represented just like the AOC (equal representation)
No president
Remember: large states & small states are based on population NOT land size

11. Great Compromise
The Great Compromise resolved the differences between the large and small states by creating a bicameral congress:
Senate: Each state had 2 representatives who serve 6 year terms
House of Representatives: Number of representatives is determined by each states population.

12. 3/5 Compromise
Northern & Southern states could not agree whether or not to count slaves towards population size
If slaves are counted, Southern states would have more representatives
If slaves were not counted, the South would lose votes in Congress
3/5 of slaves could be counted towards representation and taxes
Slave trade could continue for 20 more years

13. James Madison
James Madison helped negotiate many of the compromises that made the Constitution possible
Referred to as the “father of the Constitution”

14. The Constitution

15. The Preamble Introduction to the Constitution

16. Ratification of the Constitution Federalists and Anti-Federalists In order for the Constitution to be legitimate, 9 out of 13 states had to ratify (agree to) it
Federalists
Supported ratification of the constitution
Were well-organized and educated
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison authored the FEDERALIST PAPERS to argue for ratification
Anti-Federalists
Opposed ratification because they thought that this gave too much power to the national government
Argued that the Constitution was an illegal change in government
Wanted a Bill of Rights

17. Ratification
To win ratification, the Federalists agreed to add a Bill of Rights to protect citizens’ liberty; all 13 states agree to support the constitution.

19. The Bill of Rights

20. George Washington as President
When the Constitution was ratified in 1789, George Washington was elected America’s 1st president:
He was the unanimous choice for president
Washington helped shape the new nation & created precedents for future presidents & leaders
Created the 1st Cabinet (group of advisors who head departments)

21. Washington’s Cabinet Henry Knox, Secretary of War Alexander Hamilton,
Secretary of Treasury
Edmund Randolph,
Attorney General
Thomas Jefferson,
Secretary of State
George Washington,
President

22. American Neutrality
Washington favored non-intervention in Europe and avoided siding with France against Great Britain when another war broke out between the two.
Washington issued the Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793
He believed this was the best way to protect American interests
He persuaded Britain to forgive many pre-Revolutionary debts and to lift restrictions on trade.

23. Whiskey Rebellion
The U.S. still owed pre-Revolutionary debts to Great Britain and convinced them to drop certain trade restrictions
Washington persuaded Congress to pass taxes on liquor to help pay this debt
Small time whiskey-makers were hit hard. They used excess crops of grain to make whiskey. This extra money helped pay for the shipment of their crops.
Armed violence breaks out in Pennsylvania because farmers were frightened and attacked federal tax collectors.
Washington sends a large militia to put down the rebellion.
This action set a precedent for Constitutional authority to enforce the law

24. Hamilton vs. Jefferson
Hamilton & Jefferson were the most influential of the cabinet members but they had different views on the role of government for the new nation.

26. First Political parties
Disagreements between Hamilton and Jefferson led to the 1st American Political Parties.
Both felt very differently about the organization of the new nation and how the nation should be run including the Constitutionality of a national bank.
Hamilton’s group adopted the name Federalists and wanted to expand the power of the government to stabilize the nation and its economy.
Jefferson’s supporters came to be known as the Democratic-Republicans and believed that the national government must limit its power to those areas described by the Constitution.

28. Washington’s Farewell Address
In 1796, Washington chose not to run for a 3rd term; This created the two-term precedent for presidents
Washington’s Farewell Address:
Warned against political parties
Warned against “entangling alliances” with foreign nations

29. John Adams – 2nd President
Former vice-president John Adams defeated Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election of 1796
Served as President from
His presidency was plagued by conflicts
Remained neutral in conflicts between England and French
He was harshly criticized by the Democratic-Republicans

30. The Alien and Sedition Acts
Adams’ handling of the conflict with France and England led to criticisms from the Democratic-Republicans
The Federalists in Congress passed the Alien & Sedition Acts:
Made it a crime to criticize the president or gov’t leaders
This attack on free speech backfired & badly damaged the federalist Party & Adams

31. Virginia & Kentucky Resolves
Jefferson & James Madison were outraged & wrote the Virginia & Kentucky Resolves in :
Presented a “states’ rights” argument suggesting that states could ignore (nullify) national laws that they viewed as unfair
The “states’ rights” & “nullification” arguments will be used by the South to secede from the USA during the Civil War in

32. The “Revolution of 1800”
By 1800, President Adams & the Federalist Party were wounded:
Jefferson defeated Adams for the presidency beginning nearly 30 years of dominance by the Democratic-Republicans
This election marked the first time power was transferred from one party to another