SS.7.C.1.5 Articles of Confederation - Ms. Chicoine …mschicoine-ela.weebly.com/uploads/9/7/7/9/97794716/q1...Congress would not respond because it was too weak and did not collect

Quarter One: Unit Four Name:__________________________

1 (SS.7.C.1.5, SS.7.C.1.6, SS.7.C.1.7, SS.7.C.1.8, SS.7.C.3.3, SS.7.C.3.5)

SS.7.C.1.5 Articles of Confederation ****At the end of this lesson, I will be able to do the following:

_____Students will identify the weaknesses of the government under the

Articles of Confederation (i.e., Congress had no power to tax, to

regulate trade, or to enforce its laws; the national government lacked a national court system

[judicial branch] and central leadership [executive branch]; and changes to the Articles required

unanimous consent of the 13 states).

**** Terms I need to know at the end of this lesson…. Articles of Confederation (weaknesses) Shay’s Rebellion Debt Constitutional Convention

Key Events:

Year Event

1775 Revolutionary War begins (the 13 Colonies revolt against the British)

1776 Declaration of Independence written and approved by the Continental Congress

1781

Ratification of the Articles of Confederation by all 13 states March 1, 1781. The

Articles created a loose confederation of independent states and a weak central

government, leaving most of the power with the state governments.

1783 Revolutionary War Ends

Britain recognizes the independence of the USA (Treaty of Paris)

1787 US Constitution written at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, PA [May 25 -

Sept. 17]

1788 US Constitution ratified by 9 states [June 22] and becomes the supreme law of the

USA

Critical Background Information: Mark the text with a purpose! (NUMBER PARAGRAPHS)

1. The core parts of the Articles of Confederation The first government of the United States following the Declaration of Independence was the Articles of Confederation (1781-1789). A confederation is a state-centered, form of government where the power is held at the state level. The Declaration of Independence spoke of the many abuses of King George III, who, as a king ruled over the executive, legislative and judicial powers of the government in the colonies. In the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson stated that both King George III and the form of government in place at the time both failed to protect the colonists’ “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.” ….AKA natural rights. What did John Locke say that citizens could do if their government did not protect their rights? __________________________________________________ The colonists decided to create a government that was quite different from a unitary system where the powers of government were concentrated in a single person, the king. This confederal system reflected the colonists’ fear of a powerful central government or a king that held all the power. Under the Articles of Confederation, states kept their freedom and independence. Each of the 13 states had a vote in the weak national Congress (appointed by the state governments), a unanimous vote of all 13 states was required for the Articles to be amended. That was difficult when each state was looking out for



themselves. The national Congress was also denied the power to tax, so it could not pay for the army and navy needed to defend the nation. The national Congress also lacked the power to regulate trade. As for the other powers of government, there was no national court system nor was there a national executive. The result of this system was that each state acted in many ways as an independent country. The lack of a national court system meant that criminals committing crimes in one state would often flee to another state where they could not be punished. Without a national military, states that were attacked from outside forces or from inside forces (like a rebellion) could not turn to the national government for support or resources for their defense. The result of these state actions was that the states, despite being part of the same country, did not function as a nation. For instance, fears emerged that the 13 states functioning as independent countries would make the nation vulnerable to attack by Spain, France, by Native Americans. Responding to Shay’s Rebellion

Shay’s Rebellion was a citizen rebellion that began in 1786. Two thousand western Massachusetts farmers marched on county courthouses to prevent their homes and land from being foreclosed upon and taken from them. The farmers’ land was threatened with foreclosure because they were assured that they did not have to pay taxes and other debts on their land during the Revolutionary War. These promises were not kept, which prompted the farmers to revolt. Congress would not respond because it was too weak and did not collect federal taxes therefore it did not have its own army. Shay’s Rebellion made it very clear that big changes needed to be made. The federal government needed the power to collect taxes to be able to form a United States military.

**What did Shay’s Rebellion make obvious? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The lack of a weak national Congress along with each state’s independent and often conflicting actions, raised concerns that the Articles of Confederation were not designed in a way to protect the new nation. The Articles of Confederation definitely did not UNITE the states. In February 1787, Alexander Hamilton called for a constitutional convention, a “Meeting of Commissioners to Remedy Defects of the Federal Government” to take place the following May. The original purpose was to amend or tweak the Articles of Confederation. In May 1787, 12 of the 13 states met in Philadelphia, PA for this purpose. It became apparent that tweaking the Articles of Confederation would not do and the outcome of the Constitutional Convention was the U.S. Constitution which was completed on September 17, 1787 and sent to the states for their review and ratification or approval. ***Why did they meet at the Constitutional Convention? _________________________________________________________________________________________ ***What was the outcome of the Constitutional Convention? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Purpose

Outcome



SS.7.C.1.5 Articles of Confederation Triple D! Define…Describe…Draw

Word/Term Paragraph

# in the

reading

Definition/Describe/Draw

Articles of

Confederation

Define:

Describe in your own words:

Draw:

Confederation (or

confederal system of

government)

Define:


Draw:

Weaknesses in the

Articles of

Confederation

Define:


Draw:



Constitutional

Convention

Define:


Draw:

debt Define:


Draw:

Shay’s Rebellion Define:


Draw:



SS.7.C.1.5 Constitution Fixes Weakness in Articles of Confederation

Excerpts of the U.S. Constitution

Directions: Below are six excerpts from the U.S. Constitution. Summarize the excerpts in your own words. Then, compare the

excerpt to the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and determine which weakness is related to the excerpt.

US Constitution: Article I, Section 8: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes,

Duties, Imposts, and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general

Welfare of the Unites States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the

United States.

What does this mean?

Which weakness does this fix?

US Constitution: Article I, Section 8: The Congress shall have Power… To regulate Commerce

foreign Nations, and among the several States



US Constitution: Article II, Section 3:….he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed…



US Constitution: Article III, Section 1: The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in

one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and

establish.



US Constitution: Article II, Section 1: The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the

United States of America.



US Constitution: Article V: The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it

necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution…



1. There was no central leadership (executive branch)

2. Congress had no power to tax

3. Congress had no power to regulate trade

4. The national government lacked a national court system (judicial branch)

5. Changes to the Articles required unanimous consent of the 13 states.

6. Congress had no power to enforce its laws



NOTES:



SS.7.C.1.6 Preamble Introduction and Unscramble the Preamble

****At the end of this lesson, I will be able to do the following: _____Students will explain how the Preamble serves as an introduction to the U.S. Constitution, establishing the goals and purposes of government. _____Students will identify the SIX goals and purposes of government as set forth in the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution (i.e., 1. form a more perfect union, 2. establish justice, 3. ensure domestic tranquility, 4. provide for the common defense, 5. promote the general welfare, and 6. secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity). _____Students will recognize that the intention of the phrase “We the People” means that government depends on the people for its power and exists to serve them. **** Terms I need to know at the end of this lesson…. Union Justice Domestic Tranquility Welfare Posterity Ordain Defense

The Preamble of the U.S. Constitution

What is a synonym for preamble? ___________________________________________ Following are some words that will help you UNSCRAMBLE the PREAMBLE:

1. union something formed by combining

parts, such as states into one country

6. defense method of protecting oneself

2. justice a system of establishing what is

legal and illegal by fair rules, legal

system

7. welfare well-being

3. insure ensure, to make sure 8.

posterity

future generations

4. domestic referring to something at home, not

foreign, within the country

9. ordain to establish something by law

5.

tranquility

peace 10.

liberty

Freedom from, independence

Circle the text from this statement that answers the question: Where does the

government’s power come from?

We the People of the United States…do ordain and establish this

Constitution for the United States of America

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and

establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”



What are the goals and purposes of government? Translate the goals and

purposes of government.

List the goals and purposes of

government:

Translate the goals and purposes of government:



SS.7.C.1.8 Federalists and Anti-Federalists

****At the end of this lesson, I will be able to do the following: _____identify the viewpoints of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists about the ratification of the U.S.

Constitution.

_____ compare the viewpoints of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists about the ratification of the U.S.

Constitution.

_____ recognize the Anti-Federalists’ reasons for the inclusion of a bill of rights in the U.S. Constitution.

**** Terms I need to know at the end of this lesson…. Federalist Viewpoints Federalist Papers Anti-Federalist Viewpoints

Anti-Federalist Papers Bill of Rights Ratification

Background Reading: Mark the text with a purpose!

During the period from the drafting and proposal of the Constitution between May and

September, 1787, to its ratification or approval in 1788 there was an intense debate on

ratification. During this period, people basically divided into two groups, the Federalists and the

Anti-Federalists.

People opposed to the ratification of the Constitution were called the Anti-Federalists.

They were concerned that the Constitution gave too much power to the federal, or national,

government at the expense of the state governments. They were also concerned that, within the

federal government, the legislative and executive branches were too powerful. Specifically, the

Anti-Federalists were concerned that the “necessary and proper” clause in Article I, Section 8 of

the Constitution, which allows Congress to do what it believes is “necessary and proper” in order

to carry out its other responsibilities, was too broad and would give Congress too much power.

Anti-Federalists were also concerned that the Constitution lacked a specific listing of

rights or a bill of rights. They believed that a bill of rights was essential to protect the people

from the federal government. The Revolutionary War had just been fought because the American

people needed to defend their rights. With the war experience still in mind, the Anti-Federalists

did not want a powerful national government taking away those rights. The lack of a bill of rights

became the focus of the Anti-Federalist campaign against ratification. To communicate their

concerns, Anti-Federalists such as Patrick Henry wrote essays and newspaper articles to spread

their point of view and these writings became known as the Anti-Federalist Papers. Other Anti-

Federalists were George Mason and Thomas Jefferson.

We need a bill of rights! We need a

strong central

government!



The supporters of the proposed Constitution called themselves Federalists. For the

Federalists, the Constitution was necessary in order to protect the liberty and independence that

was gained from the American Revolution. The main arguments in favor of ratifying the

Constitution were stated in a series of essays published in newspapers written by James Madison,

George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay called the Federalist Papers.

They believed that the three branches of the national government separated the powers

and protected the rights of the people. Each branch represents a different aspect of the people,

and because all three branches are equal, no one group can assume control over another. They

also believed that a listing of rights can be a dangerous thing. If the federal government were to

protect specific listed rights, what would stop it from violating or abusing rights that were not

listed? Since they cannot list all the rights, the Federalists argued that it is better to list no rights

at all.

Overall, the Federalists were more organized in their efforts. By June of 1788, the

Constitution was close to ratification. Nine states had voted to ratify it (eight voted “yes” and

New York at first voted “no”), and only one more (New Hampshire) was needed. To achieve

this, the Federalists agreed that once Congress met, it would draft a bill of rights. Finally, New

York and Virginia approved, and the Constitution was a reality. Interestingly, the Bill of Rights

(1st Ten Amendments) was not originally a part of the Constitution, and yet it has proved to be

highly important to protecting the rights of the people.

Bill of Rights Video:

http://sunnylandsclassroom.org/Asset.aspx?id=1505

Take Notes from reading and video:

Federalist Anti-Federalist

Beliefs

http://sunnylandsclassroom.org/Asset.aspx?id=1505



People

What papers did they write?

View Points of the Federalist and Anti Federalist From the video and the background reading tell me what you know….

Question: Paragraph

# Answer in a complete, well-developed sentence.

What were the

Federalist

viewpoints?

Who were some

Federalists?

What were the

Federalist

papers?

What were the

Anti-Federalist

viewpoints?

Who were some

Anti-Federalists?

What were the

Anti-Federalist

papers?

What is the Bill

of Rights?

What does

ratification

mean?



SS.7.C.1.7 Separation of Powers

and Checks and Balances

****At the end of this lesson, I will be able to do the following: ______Students will explain the concept of

limited government as set forth in the U.S.

Constitution.

______Students will describe and distinguish

between the concepts of separation of powers

and checks and balances.

______Students will analyze how

government power is limited by separation of

powers and/or checks and balances.

_____Students will be able to recognize

examples of separation of powers and checks

and balances.

**** Terms I need to know at the end of this lesson…. Limited Government Separation of Powers Checks and Balances Constitutional Government

*************************************************************************************

The framers of the Constitution feared too much centralized power. Therefore at the national

level, they created three different branches of government to administer three different types of

power. (Which Enlightenment thinker came up with this idea? _________________________)

The legislative branch made the laws through a Congress of two houses, the Senate and the

House of Representatives. The executive branch enforced the laws through a president and

many advisors called cabinet members. And the judicial branch interpreted the laws through a

Supreme Court and other lower courts. In the words of James Madison: “The accumulation of all

powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many,

and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition

of tyranny.” (What does Madison mean? _________________________________________)

Within the separation of powers, each of the three branches of government has “checks and

balances” over the other two. For instance, Congress makes the laws, but the President can veto

them and the Supreme Court can declare them unconstitutional. The President enforces the law,

but Congress must approve executive appointments and the Supreme Court rules whether

executive action is constitutional. The Supreme Court can strike down actions by both the

legislative and executive branches, but the President nominates Supreme Court justices and the

Senate confirms or denies their nominations. *************************************************************************************

Complete: The legislative branch is made up of _______________, comprised of

the House of ______________ and the __________________. The executive

branch is made up of the _______________ and his __________________. The

judicial branch is made up of the __________________ _________________ and

lower federal courts.



SS.7.C.3.3 Structure of the US Constitution

PREAMBLE (Introduction) –the six goals and purposes of

government

ARTICLE I - Establishes the Legislative Branch (House of

Representatives and the Senate). This branch “makes laws”

ARTICLE II - Establishes the Executive Branch (headed

by the President). This branch “enforces laws”

ARTICLE III - Establishes the Judicial Branch (a system

of courts and judges). This branch “interprets laws”

ARTICLE IV - Establishes the relationship between the

states and the federal government. Describes how to admit

new states to the Union.

ARTICLE V - Describes how to amend the Constitution.

ARTICLE VI - Establishes the Constitution as the supreme

law of the USA. Authorizes the national debt (Congress can

borrow money). Public officials must take an oath to support

the Constitution.

ARTICLE VII - Lists the requirements for ratification of

the Constitution.

AMENDMENTS 1-27 (1-10… THE BILL OF RIGHTS)

Complete



SS.7.C.3.5 The Amendment Process ****At the end of this lesson, I will be able to do the following: _____ recognize the methods used to propose and ratify amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

_____ identify the correct sequence of each amendment process.

_____ identify the importance of a formal amendment process.

_____ recognize the significance of the difficulty of formally amending the U.S. Constitution.

**** Terms I need to know at the end of this lesson…. Amendment Process Caucus Ratify

Amending the U.S. Constitution

Article V (FIVE) of the U.S. Constitution outlines two methods for introducing amendments to the U.S.

Constitution. One method of amending the Constitution is for 2/3 of each house of CONGRESS (287 of

the 435-member House of Representatives, and 66 of the 100 Senators…. That is a total of 353!) to pass a

proposed amendment and send it to the states’ legislatures. It takes 3/4 (38) states’ approval of the

amendment in order for it to be added to the Constitution

What is Congress? ________________________________________________________

****We the People do not directly vote on new amendments, and the President does not vote on or veto

any amendment. ****

Another method for amending the Constitution is a Constitutional Convention to be called for by 2/3 (33)

of the state legislatures. At such a convention, one or more amendments can be proposed and then sent to

the state legislatures (or state conventions) for approval – again, 3/4 of the state legislatures must

approve. (This method has not been used successfully).

The Constitution has been amended 27 times; the first 10 amendments, the “Bill of Rights”, were

ratified in 1791. The Constitution was last amended in 1992.

Questions:

Define Amendment:____________________________________________________________

Define Caucus: ________________________________________________________________

How many amendments to the Constitution have been ratiftied? _____

What are the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution called?____________________________

Which Article of the Constitution states the process for amending the Constitution? __________

True or False: The President directly votes on amendments to the Constitution?_____________

Remember the song…..2/3s of both houses, 3/4s of all states!

Documents

SS.7.C.1.5 Articles of Confederation - Ms. Chicoine …mschicoine-ela.weebly.com/uploads/9/7/7/9/97794716/q1...Congress would not respond because it was too weak and did not collect