1. Agenda  Partner work on the basic principles  A little history...  RNC – Chris or Ann?  Homework – read the Time article “One Document, Under Siege” How did we get it? THE US CONSTITUTION

2. The Establishment, Ratification and Implementation THE US CONSTITUTION

3. The Framers of the Constitution created a document that addressed the major concerns of the States attending the Philadelphia Convention. By reaching compromise on items about which they disagreed, the Framers created a new National Government capable of handling the nation’s problems. WHY IT MATTERS

4. How was it created? THE ESTABLISHMENT

5.  55 men  "an assembly of demi-gods" said Thomas Jefferson THE FRAMERS

6.  May 25, 1787 to  September 17, 1787  Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PN TIME FRAME

7.  Elected George Washington president of the convention  Rules: one vote per state, majority wins  Worked in secret  Decided to scrap the Articles of Confederation in order to create a new gov't  James Madison = "The Father of the Constitution" (contributions and Notes) ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURE

8. Philosophies Plans Compromises IDEAS

9.  The Framers' Background  Well educated and widely read  Knowledgeable in Greek and Roman law  Experienced in current European politics  Intimately familiar with the Continental Congress,  Articles of Confederation and their own State gov'ts PHILOSOPHIES

11. THE VIRGINIA PLAN Main Ideas:  3 Branches of Gov't - legislative, executive and judicial  Congress - bicameral (2 houses)  Checks and Balances would ensure oversight  Strong national gov't  Edmund Randolph presented it.

12.  More conservative than the Virginia Plan Main Ideas:  Kept Congress as one body with equal representation  Congress had limited powers to tax and regulate trade  Called for a "federal executive" with more than one person chosen by Congress  Created a "federal judiciary" composed of a single "supreme Tribunal“ William Patterson presented it. THE NEW JERSEY PLAN

13.  Senate = equal representation of all states  House of Representatives = representation based on population  AKA as the Great Compromise because it settled the Convention's biggest dispute. CONNECTICUT COMPROMISE

14.  Counted slaves ("other persons") as 3/5 of a whole vote  Made southern states happy because of numbers of representatives  Made northern states happy because slaves counted for more taxes THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE

16. RATIFICATION  Federalists – supporters of ratification  James Madison, Alexander Hamilton – main supporters  Stressed weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and that the new nation needed new laws  Anti-Federalists – did not support ratification  Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, John Hancock and Samuel Adams – main supporters  Attacked almost all of the document  Did not like the ratification process  Did not like the lack of God  Did not like that States didn’t have more power and thought the central gov’t had too much  Did not like that it did not include a Bill of Rights

17.  Delaware was the first and New York was the last of the nine states needed to ratify.  Eventually all thirteen would do so, but Rhode Island finally did AFTER George Washington became President of the US. BUT RATIFY IT DID

18.  Looking at the six basic principles of the Constitution, how do you think each of them plays in to the idea of liberty and/or security?  Popular sovereignty  Limited government  Separation of powers  Checks and balances  Judicial review  Federalism  See handout for further instructions. LIBERTY V. SECURITY