APUSH Lecture 2B(covers Ch. 5 & 6)

Ms. KraySome slides taken from Susan Pojer

• Describe the types of governments created by the new states and the important features in their governments.

• Which groups advocated a stronger national government and how were they able to achieve their goal?

• What events led to the Constitutional Convention and how were delegates able to achieve consensus on controversial issues?

• Analyze the historical debate concerning the motives of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention.

At the same time Americans were struggling to win At the same time Americans were struggling to win independence on the battlefield, they were also struggling independence on the battlefield, they were also struggling

to create new institutions of gov’t to replace the British to create new institutions of gov’t to replace the British system they had repudiatedsystem they had repudiated

• State governments were the first political creations of the Revolution• New national

government would be modeled on them

1.Limited Republican governments

2.Popular sovereignty

3. Property ownership was the backbone of republican government• Ideal citizen = small

farmer

4. Importance of equality (revolutionary)• Equality of opportunity• Inequalities persist

(women, blacks, Indians)

1. Tug of war: conservative vs. liberal values• Conservatives

favored law & order above personal freedom, liberals the opposite.

2. Power of the executive limited• Shift to stronger

executives in 1780s

3. Bill of Rights

4. Separation of Powers

5. Property requirements for voting/office holding

Articles of ConfederationDrafted by John Dickenson in 1777

• Weak Central Government• Liberal viewpoint wins

– “We overthrew one tyrant, we don’t want another”

• This government had little authority and no executive

• It could not regulate trade, tax, raise an army, or directly control the states

• Structure of the Government• Each state gets one

vote in unicameral legislature

• 9 votes needed to pass laws

• Unanimous vote required to amend Articles

• Representatives frequently absent

• Western lands gained from Treaty of Paris would not go to individual states but would be held by the national government

• Won the Revolutionary War

• Land Ordinance, 1785• More and more people

moving westward, needed a system to include these new settlements in the political structure

• created a system for surveying and selling western land (the grid)

• Required land set aside for public school

• Northwest Ordinance, 1787• Est. guidelines for

statehood• Prohibited slavery in Ohio

Valley

• Diplomatic Problems• Inability to enforce Treaty of Paris

• British forts, loyalist property• Other nation’s don’t respect us

• southern states block treaty w/Spain

• Financial Problems• Post war depression (b/c loss of British markets)• Inability to pay war debts

• National gov’t pay national debt b/c can’t tax• States raising taxes rapidly to pay state war debts

• Trade , State Taxes , Inflation

• Tensions between the states

• Led by Daniel Shays• Massachusetts farmer & Rev. War vet

• Small farmers angered by crushing debts and taxes• Stopped tax collection & forced

debtors courts to close

• Demanded paper money, tax relief, moratorium on debts, relocation of state capital to the interior, & abolition of debtors’ prisons• Not an attempt to overthrow the gov’t

• Tried to seize an armory in Springfield, MA

“There could be no stronger evidence of the want of energy in

our governments than these disorders.”-- George Washington-- George Washington

• 12 representatives from 5 states[NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA]

• GOAL address barriers that limited trade and commerce between the states.

• Talk quickly shifted to ineffectiveness of the Articles• Despite opposition to a strong central authority, the Articles

of Confederation had proven ineffective in key areas: funding veterans’ pensions, promoting trade, the Indian threat, worthless state paper money, social unrest, and retiring debt

• Not enough states were represented to make any real progress.

• Sent a report to the Congress to call a meeting of all the states to meet in Philadelphia to examine areas broader than just trade and commerce.

• The Delegates• 55 delegates from 12 states (Rhode

Island refused to attend)• Not typical Americans: most were

white, college-educated, and had a legal background

• George Washington chosen to preside over the Convention• Constitution mostly written by James

Madison

• Quickly agreed on a government with three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial)

• Disputes arose over representation and slavery

vsvs..

Virginia Virginia PlanPlan

New Jersey New Jersey PlanPlan

Proposed by MadisonProposed by Madison

Favored large statesFavored large states

Representation based Representation based on populationon population

Bicameral legislatureBicameral legislature

Proposed by W. PatersonProposed by W. Paterson

Favored small statesFavored small states

One vote per stateOne vote per state

Unicameral legislatureUnicameral legislature

(Also called the (Also called the Connecticut PlanConnecticut Plan))

House of Representatives representation based representation based on state’s populationon state’s population

Large states Large states

Senateeach state gets two each state gets two reps regardless of reps regardless of

populationpopulation

Small States Small States

BicameralLegislature

•Should there be slavery?

• If yes, how should slaves If yes, how should slaves be counted for purposes be counted for purposes of of taxationtaxation and and representationrepresentation??

YESYES

NORTHNORTH • Slaves are property, Slaves are property,

they have no rights & they have no rights & can’t vote. can’t vote. Don’t count them for representation!

• Counting slaves for taxation purposes will incr. tax revenues from the South. Count them for taxation!

SOUTH • Counting slaves will Counting slaves will

incr. their pop. & give incr. their pop. & give them more rep. power them more rep. power in the House. in the House. Count them for representation!

• If slaves are counted for taxation purposes the South will have to pay more $$$. Don’t count them for taxation!

Each slave will be Each slave will be counted as counted as

three-fifthsthree-fifths of a of a person person for the for the

purpose of purpose of determining a determining a state’s level of state’s level of taxation and taxation and

representation.representation.

Commercial CompromiseCommercial Compromise: Congress : Congress can regulate interstate commerce can regulate interstate commerce but cannot tax exports.but cannot tax exports.

was afraid export taxes would be placed on their

cash crops (tobacco & rice)

wants central gov’t to regulate

interstate commerce and foreign trade.

vsvs..

NORTHNORTH SOUTHSOUTH

•How long How long should he serve?should he serve?

•How much How much power should power should he have?he have?

•How should he How should he be elected?be elected?

4 years4 years but no but no limit on re-limit on re-election.election.

Considerable, Considerable, including including vetoveto powerpower

Delegates don’t trust Delegates don’t trust “the people” so used “the people” so used an an Electoral College System

• The Sovereignty Question• Who has ultimate power - state

governments or national national?• Constitution’s solution: neither

• Ultimate power rests with the people (popular sovereignty)

• Federalism developed• State and national gov’t share power• Powers of Federal Government: tax,

regulate commerce, control the currency, pass “necessary and proper” laws

• Problem of concentrated authority• Many believed a republic could only

work if most power w/the states• Solution: separation of powers & checks

and balances

James James MadisonMadison

Electoral College SystemElectoral College System

Senators not directly electedSenators not directly elected

People directly elect members in People directly elect members in the House of Representatives (reps the House of Representatives (reps only serve 2 yrs)only serve 2 yrs)

• Our Founding Fathers did not trust “the people”

• Deliberately set up Constitution to limit power of the people.

• Sept. 17, 1787 a draft Sept. 17, 1787 a draft was approvedwas approved

• Ratification was Ratification was fiercely debated for for almost a year: Sept. almost a year: Sept. 1787 until June 1788.1787 until June 1788.

• Ratification required Ratification required approval from approval from 9 of the 13 states. states.

• John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Thomas Paine were on diplomatic business

• Samuel Adams and John Hancock were not chosen as delegates

• Patrick Henry refused to participate

Federalists Anti-Federalists

Leaders Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton

VA: Patrick HenryMA: John HancockNY: George Clinton

Arguments Stronger central gov’t needed to maintain order & preserve

union

Stronger central gov’t would destroy the work of the

revolution (limit democracy & restrict states’ rights)

Strategy Emphasized weaknesses of Articles; showed their

opponents as merely negative w/no solutions

Constitution had no protection of individual rights; gave central gov’t more power than Britain

ever had

Advantages Strong leaders, well organized,The Federalist Papers

Appealed to popular distrust of gov’t

Disadvantages Constitution was new & untried; lacked a bill of rights

Poorly organized; slow to respond to Federalist challenge

• Federalists: East coast & large cities

• Anti-Federalists : western frontier & small farmers

Heart of the Debate: • Federalists feared

disorder, anarchy chaos, the unchecked power of the masses

• Anti-Federalists were concerned about concentration of power

• Early federalist victories in DE, NJ, PA

• Touch Campaigns in NY and Virginia• The Federalist Papers

• Series of articles written in NY newspapers to help win ratification debate

• Written by Madison, Alexander Hamilton, & John Jay

• Explained the meaning and virtues of the Constitution

• Federalist Paper #10 – argued a large Republic would actual protect minority rights better than a small one

• Federalists promise to add Bill of Rights • Take away Anti-Federalists most

powerful argument

• A series of articles written A series of articles written in New York newspapers to in New York newspapers to help win the ratification help win the ratification debate there.debate there.• Written by Written by James MadisonJames Madison, ,

Alexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton, & , & John John JayJay

• Explained the meaning and Explained the meaning and virtues of the Constitutionvirtues of the Constitution• Federalist Paper #10Federalist Paper #10

• Among the greatest Among the greatest American contribution to American contribution to political theorypolitical theory

• Had the majority spoken or had a minority group of well to do, conservative, white, property-owners won the debate?

• Safeguards set up against mob-rule excesses and direct democracy

• Restored the economic and political stability of the colonial years.

• Set the drifting ship of state on a more promising course

• Saved the principle of democratic government by redefining popular sovereignty.

By ingeniously embedding the doctrine of self-rule in a self-limiting system of checks and balances the Constitution reconciled the potential conflicting principles of liberty and law & order

• Describe the types of governments created by the new states and the important features in their governments.

• Which groups advocated a stronger national government and how were they able to achieve their goal?

• What events led to the Constitutional Convention and how were delegates able to achieve consensus on controversial issues?

• Analyze the historical debate concerning the motives of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention.