Download The United States Constitution

History and Adoption
&
The Preamble
• 55 Delegates
– 74 were chosen by various state legislatures (not elected by people), 19
could not make it. Many delegates arrived late or left early.
• The meetings were conducted in secret and members were not
allowed to share what happened during the meetings until the
conclusion of the convention.
– James Madison took this so seriously he didn’t release his notes until
after his death.
• Most were lawyers
– 7 had been governors, 39 were members of the Confederation Congress
• George Washington was presiding officer
– Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton
– Thomas Jefferson was absent because he was serving as minister to
France at the time.
The New Jersey Plan
• William Paterson – a delegate from NJ offered a counterproposal.
• The NJ Plan didn’t scrap the Articles
completely.
– Allowed a single house
– States would be equally represented
– Only real change was that the Continental Congress
could raise taxes and regulate trade
Which plan would you have
chosen?
• Write down answers to these questions
– Which plan is better for big, populous states? For
small states with low population?
– Equal representation sounds great, but how could it
backfire in Congress?
– Which plan would you have voted for? Why?
The Delegates Disagree
• The delegates agree to start with the VA Plan.
• The smaller states’ delegates want the legislature
to have all states equally represented.
• Large states want the legislature to be based on
population.
Roger Sherman of Connecticut struck a deal which became known as the
Connecticut Compromise or the “Great Compromise”.
The Great Compromise
• One house of Congress would based on population
• the House of Representatives
• The representatives would be elected by eligible voters.
• One house of Congress would have states equally
represented.
• the Senate, made up of 2 Senators from each state.
• Senators would be chosen by state legislatures not voters
• This was the case until 1913 and the passage of the 17th amendment.
The 3/5 Compromise
(regarding slavery)
• Southern delegates wanted slaves to count towards their
population in the House of Representatives.
• Northerners objected since slaves were not eligible to vote
and that if they were counted as population that they should
be counted for taxes as well.
• A compromise was settled upon, every 5 slaves would count
as 3 free persons for purposes of representation and taxes.
• The diversity of US played a large role in the final drafting of
the constitution. Balancing the different attitudes of the
North and the South and the protection of minority rights
inherent in the Bill of Rights.
• Clearly in this instance slaves were left out of this process.
So, how did the delegates limit this
national government?
• Federalism
• power was shared between the national, or federal government,
and the state governments.
• Separation of Powers
• separating powers of the government amongst the three branches:
executive, judicial, and legislative.
• Checks and Balances
• Within this system, each branch of government had the ability to
limit the power of the other two branches.
• Amendments
• changes to the constitution can be made anytime but must go
through adoption process.
• Judicial Review
• The judicial branch would determine the constitutionality of the
federal government’s actions
Ratification! The Great Debate
• In order to become law the Constitution had to
be ratified, or passed, by nine of the 13 states.
• The people elected representatives to vote for or
against the Constitution at a state convention.
• The two sides of the debate were given names:
Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
Federalists
James
Madison
Alexander
Hamilton
John
Jay
• Wanted to adopt the Constitution.
• The name was chosen because they wanted to
emphasize that the power would be shared
between the states and the national government.
• Supporters were mostly merchants and artisans
living in the large cities on the coast. Also,
coastal farmers were supportive.
• The inability of the government to regulate trade hurt
people the most.
Anti-Federalists
From Left to right: Anti-Federalists
Patrick Henry, George Mason,
and Richard Henry Lee.
• Wanted the state governments to be
more important than the national
government.
• Wanted a Bill of Rights that
guaranteed the rights of citizens in
this new government.
• Many were western farmers living
far from the coast who were
suspicious of the wealthy and
powerful.
Thomas Jefferson
was also a staunch
Anti-Federalist who
was insistent on a
Bill of Rights.
Why The Federalists Prevailed
• The Federalists offered a program that they
believed solved problems that most people,
including Anti-federalists, acknowledged.
• The Federalists had an aggressive propaganda
campaign present in the large coastal cities of the
day.
– The Federalist Papers were 85 essays supporting the
Constitution and rebutting criticisms of it.
However…
• We see one piece of the Constitution that the
Anti-Federalists eventually won…
• The Bill of Rights
• The first ten amendments to the Constitution
The US Constitution
The Preamble
The Preamble
We the People of the United States, in Order to
form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defense, 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.
The Preamble
• The Preamble lays out the purpose the founders
have in mind for this new document. The basic idea
is to provide for Hobbes, Locke, and Plato’s
“common good”, to set up a government where all
are given the opportunity to prosper.
• What are the SIX goals of the Constitution,
according to the preamble?
The Preamble – DECODED!
We the People of the United States, in Order to:
• form a more perfect Union,
• establish Justice,
• insure domestic Tranquility,
• provide for the common defense,
• 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.
Constitution Presentations
• Each group will be given a separate portion of the
Constitution that they will be presenting to the class. (A
set of questions in the guided reading)
– 3-5 minute presentation
– Completed by Thursday, August 25th
– Make sure you go over the answers to your questions in the
guided reading
– Can use a poster
– All members need to participate in presenting!
– How is this piece of the Constitution important today?
– 20 points – do your best!