1. Georgia Constitution and The Articles of Confederations

2. Standards
The student will describe the impact of events that led to the ratification of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights
Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both the Georgia Constitution of 1777 and the Articles of Confederation and explain how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation led to a need to revise the Articles
Describe the role of Georgia at the Constitutional Convention of 1787; include the role of Abraham Baldwin and William Few, and reasons why Georgia ratified the new constitution.

3. Word Review Ratify- To approve or make valid
Unicameral - Consisting of a single branch, chamber or house, as a legislative assembly.
Bicameral - having two branches, chambers, or houses, as a legislative body.
Confederation - local/state governments make their own laws. A weak overlying central government.

4. Reading Guide AOC
1. What problem did the colonists face after gaining independence from Great Britain?
They did not know what kind of government that should have?
2. How did their experience with heavy-handed British rule effect the establishment of the new form of government?
They wanted a government that couldn’t do much
3. How many governments did they have under the Articles of Confederation?
13 Each state had their own government.
4. What was the Congress of the Confederation?
A group of representatives that make laws.
5. How many branches of government did they have?
1 Congress was the only branch of government.

5. Reading Guide AOC – Part II
6. How was voting determined among the states?
each state got one vote.
7. What were the PROS of the government established by the AOC?
1) for a not too strong (weak) government;
2) states could keep their power and independence;
3) the power to create a military to protect all the states.
8. What were the CONS of the government established by the AOC?
Did not give congress the power to enforce laws
No power to collect taxes for the military
Every single state had to agree to the changes
9. What made this very difficult to resolve?
Each state had different needs based on economy, population, and size of the state. People had different opinions – some wanted more government others wanted less.

6. Reading Guide: Georgia’s Constitution
1. Citizens of Georgia had two opinions regarding who should have power in the New Government. Explain the two sides.
The power was in the hands of a few wealthy landowners
To give all the people of Georgia a chance to govern themselves
In the Georgia constitution of 1777, the Parish system was eliminated. What was it replaced with?
County system
What type of legislature did the Georgia Constitution of 1777 create?
Unicameral (one house)
What powers did the legislature have?
They had the power to make appointments for the judicial branch (the courts) and the executive branch (the governor).
5. According to the Georgia Constitution of 1777, what group had the most power?
The 12 lawmakers from the legislature who served as an executive council. They could accept or reject any proposals initiated by the governor.

7. The Georgia Constitution of 1777
1777 – 1789 (12 years)
Based on the principles of the Declaration of Independence
Not capable of meeting the needs of governing the state.
Three Branches of Government

8. Legislative Unicameral, or one branch Powers
Appoint members of the judicial and executive branch

9. Executive Branch Governor Appointed by legislative branch
Limited to a ONE year term
Very little power

10. Judicial Branch All Courts
Legislature appointed the positions for this branch

11. Freedoms of the People Freedom of :
Press
Religion
Trial by jury
The people were not given the opportunity to ratify the constitution

12. Articles of Confederation
1776 – 1789
America’s first constitution, but not the same as we have today
Provided a very WEAK central government
Due to their experience with Britain’s monarchy, so their goal was to give as much power as they could to the people through “autonomy” of the states.
Too many limitations caused the government not to function smoothly

13. National Government’s
Powers
Did not have Power
Declare War
Coin Money
Establish post offices
Send and recall Ambassadors
Could not impose tax
Could not regulate the trade of goods between the states (states could put taxes on each other)

14. Overall Weakness of the AOC
Strong legislative branch
No Executive branch
No Judicial branch
Each state had its own currency
All 13 states had to approve a law for it to pass
ONE vote per state no matter the size of the population

15. AOC Video
Link

16. The Articles of Confederation
QUICK QUIZ!
The Articles of Confederation

17. Under the Articles of Confederation, a President would lead the country.
Think
About It
 True
 False 

18. Under the Articles of Confederation, states would be independent.
Think
About It 
 True
 False

19. The Articles of Confederation were easy to change.
Think
About It
 True
 False 

20. Under the Articles, states with more people got more votes in Congress.
Think
About It
 True
 False 

21. Under the Articles, Congress did not have the power to collect taxes.
Think
About It 
 True
 False

22. Under the Articles, Congress could pass laws and force states to follow them.
Think
About It
 True
 False 

23. The Articles of Confederation created the first American government.
Think
About It 
 True
 False

24. Creating a New U.S. Constitution
Government

25. Problems with the Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were purposefully designed to provide the people with as much power as possible.
After their recent history, they wanted to limit taxes.
(1)This created a very weak central government and lead to many problems including:
Fighting over land and sea rights
(2)Lack of funds meant they could not maintain an Army or Navy and they could not build roads or canals
(3) Difficulty passing laws because all 13 states had to agree

26. Constitutional Convention
(4) The convention was held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in There were 55 delegates in attendance, representing every state except Rhode Island.
(5) The initial intention of the meeting was to simply revise the Articles of Confederation, but it resulted in an entirely new government and constitution.

27. Georgia in the Constitutional Convention
(6) Georgia, and other Southern delegates, were unified in their relentless support of slavery.
This lead to:
(7) Three-Fifths Compromise- a compromise agreed upon by the North and the South which allowed for slaves to count toward a state’s overall population by counting slaves as “3/5 of a person.”

28. Georgia in the Constitutional Convention
Georgian, Abraham Baldwin, is given credit for changing his vote to side with the “small states” in the Congressional representation debate. This decision evened the numbers for and against the Virginia Plan and allowed for the Great Compromise.
(8) The Great Compromise- created a bicameral legislature where each state had two members in the Senate but representation in the House of Representatives was based on the state’s population.

29. (9) Abraham Baldwin One of four Georgians at Constitutional Convention
Served FIVE terms as U.S. Congressman
Served TWO terms as U.S. Senator
Most famous for his role in the creation of the University of Georgia and served UGA’s first president.

30. William Few
(10) He did not make a major impression at the Constitutional Congress
(11) But- he later served as a senator, a representative, and a judge in the state of Georgia
(11) In New York he became a member of the legislature and a bank president.

31. Georgia Stories
Video Link

32. Changes to the New Constitution

33. Reading pages
With the new constitution, the government was formed by THREE branches instead of ONE: legislative, executive, and judicial.
The legislative branch was now BICAMERAL instead of UNICAMERAL. They created the SENATE and the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
With changing times and circumstances, the delegates provided for a method of amending, or making changes or additions, to the U.S. Constitution.
The first ten amendments made to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights.
Video – School House Rock

34. Executive Branch Enforces the Laws
Legislative Branch Makes the Laws
Judicial Branch Interprets the Laws
President, Vice President, The Cabinet, Departments (Defense ,Education)
Supreme Court
U.S. District Courts
Special Courts (tax)
Bi Cameral
-House of Reps (2)
Senate (6)
-Elected by the people

35. Checks and Balances
Checks and balances- the system that provides to each branch of government some power that controls or prevents some actions of the other two branches
Separation of Power- a division of responsibilities for government among the three branches (legislative, judicial, and executive)
Without checks and balances and separation of power, one person or portion of the government would have unlimited power.
This is the creation of an oligarchy, autocratic, or dictatorship.

36. Checks and Balances Can decide if presidential acts are constitutional
Can veto bills and call emergency sessions of Congress
Can impeach the President, override a veto and confirm executive appointments.
Can appoint Supreme Court justices and judges
Can interpret constitutionality of laws.
Can confirm or impeach judicial appointments, such as Supreme Court justices.

37. articles vs. constitution
QUICK QUIZ!
articles vs. constitution

38. Articles, Constitution or Both?
A) Created a president
Articles, Constitution or Both?
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each statement applies to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, or both. A

39. Articles, Constitution or Both?
B) Created a government
Articles, Constitution or Both?
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each statement applies to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, or both. A B

40. Articles, Constitution or Both?
C) Had one branch of government
Articles, Constitution or Both?
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each statement applies to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, or both. A C B

41. Articles, Constitution or Both?
D) Had enough power to do its job
Articles, Constitution or Both?
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each statement applies to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, or both. A C D B

42. Articles, Constitution or Both?
E) Created a court system
Articles, Constitution or Both?
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each statement applies to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, or both. A C D B E

43. Articles, Constitution or Both?
F) Gave large and small states the same power
Articles, Constitution or Both?
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each statement applies to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, or both. A C D B F E

44. Articles, Constitution or Both?
G) Created a Congress
Articles, Constitution or Both?
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each statement applies to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, or both. A C G D B F E

45. Articles, Constitution or Both?
H) Compromised between large and small states
Articles, Constitution or Both?
Both H
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each statement applies to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, or both. A C G D B F E

46. Articles, Constitution or Both?
I) Created a military
Articles, Constitution or Both?
Both H
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each statement applies to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, or both. A I C G D B F E

47. Articles, Constitution or Both?
J) Didn’t let Congress enforce its laws
Articles, Constitution or Both?
Both H
Articles
Constitution J
Decide whether each statement applies to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, or both. A I C G D B F E

48. Cause and Effect Activity
When you look at causes and effects, you can see the relationship between different things that take place. Use what you have learned to match the causes and effects for different stages of American Government.
When I say go, dump out your cause and effect strips.
Match three cause/effects statements onto the chart under the correct categories.

49. Cause: The British government treated the American colonists harshly.
 British Rule
Cause: The British government treated the American colonists harshly.
Effect: Many American colonists feared a powerful government.
Cause: Many former colonists feared losing their freedom to a new government.
Effect: The new Americans made sure their new government could not take away states’ freedom and independence.
Cause: The British government taxed the American colonists unfairly.
Effect: The new Americans made sure their new government did not have the power to collect taxes.

50. Cause: The Articles of Confederation did not create any courts.
Cause: The government under the Articles of Confederation could not collect taxes to raise money.
Effect: The government could not pay its debts from the Revolutionary War, and America lost standing with other nations.
Cause: The legislature created by the Articles of Confederation gave equal power to large and small states.
Effect: Large states were unhappy because, with bigger populations, they thought they should have more power.
Cause: The Articles of Confederation did not create any courts.
Effect: When a problem arose between states, there was nowhere to settle the dispute.

51. The Constitution

52. Georgia’s New State Constitution

53. Changes over time
Since the original state constitution of 1777, Georgia has had TEN other constitutions.
Each of these constitutions set the guidelines for those who governed the state and outlined the rights and responsibilities of Georgia’s citizens.

54. Structure of the Constitution
Legislators began writing our current constitution in 1977 and it was approved by Georgia citizens in 1983
The constitution is broken up into 11 articles and is 89 pages long
It outlines the rights, rules, regulations, and procedures for both the state’s citizens and the state’s government.

55. What is a preamble and what is its purpose?
An introduction
States the ideas, or philosophy, behind a constitution
States the purpose of the government and the Constitution

56. Preamble
A short paragraph that gives reasons for the Constitution

57. Article I: Bill of Rights
Individual rights
Separation of powers/church & state
Property rights

58. Article II: Voting and Elections
Elections must be by secret ballot and law-abiding
Steps to take for a run-off election
Steps to take if a public official is found guilty of a serious crime

59. Article III: Legislative Branch
Made up of ten sections
Outlines the structure and function of the two houses of GA’s General Assembly
Explains how bills are passed into laws

60. Article IV: Constitutional Boards and Commissions
Provides for a: Public Service Commission, State Board of Pardons and Paroles, State Personnel Board, State Transportation Board, Veterans Service Board, and Board of Natural Resources

61. Article V: Executive Branch
Sets out the qualifications and terms of office for the governor and lieutenant governor
Explains duties and powers of governor
Lists other elected positions in GA’s executive branch

62. Article VI: Judicial Branch
Outlines GA’s unified court system
Gives purposes and limits of each court
Magistrate
Probate
Juvenile
State
Superior
Court of Appeals
Supreme

63. Article VII: Taxation and Finance
Lists reasons why GA may tax its citizens
Explains methods and limits of taxation

64. Article VIII: Education
Explains how GA’s public school system is paid for by taxes
Outlines the structure of the school system at state and local levels

65. Article IX: Counties and Municipal Corporations
Outlines roles and functions of county and city governments

66. Article X: Amendments to the Constitution
Explains how changes, or amendments, to the Constitution can be made

67. Article XI: Miscellaneous Provisions
Deal mostly with historical and legal continuity - that is, how GA’s different constitutions have been changed over the years

68. The End