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Drafting the Constitution
Main Questions
 Do we tweak the Articles or write something new?
 Should we have a strong or weak central
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government?
What should we do about slaves?
How do we get out of debt?
How do we regulate money?
How do we elect the President?
Main Ideas
 The Central Government needs more power
Ex: Power to tax
 The Constitution works because of compromise.
 Washington sets the standard of what it means to be
President.
Issues with Articles
 Financial: Unpaid war debts
 Foreign: No respect from European nations.
 Domestic: Issues with laws on citizen behavior and
state trade.
-Issues between states
Shays Rebellion
 Farmers wanted state governments to issue more $.
 Felt they were treating northern states better.
 Daniel Shays & his men riot in Massachusetts in 1786.
 Demand: Paper money, tax relief, moratorium on
debts, relocate the capital, and no more jail for debt
 Rebellion is put down.
Consequences to Shays Rebellion
 Reveals the limited power of the Articles of
Confederation.
 More urgency for a national constitution.
Battle of Fallen Timbers
 Natives saw westward movement of Americans as a
direct threat.
 Natives in Ohio Valley had been attacking them.
 1794 General Anthony Wayne defeated the Shawnee,
Wyandot, and others in the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
Consequences of The Battle of Fallen Timbers
 Reminder of issues with Natives
 Treaty of Greenville gave Americans Ohio territory
and the ability to settle there.
Annapolis Convention
 George Washington hosted a conference in Mt.
Vernon, Virginia in 1785.
 Reps from (Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and
Pennsylvania) discuss the problems with Articles
and set up another meeting at Annapolis Maryland
1786
 Another meeting set at Philadelphia to draft the
constitution.
Drafting the Constitution
Philadelphia Convention
 12/13 states sent delegates (55)
 George Washington- Presiding officer
 *White, wealthy, land-owning, educated
males in attendance*
Issues to be Addressed
How do we distribute power in the government?
 James Madison- creates a system called
*Checks and Balances*- Each group watches over the other group in
order to prevent any single group from having too much power.
3 Groups:
Executive- Enforces Laws
Judicial- Interpret Laws
Legislative- Make Laws
Main Issues
1)
2)
3)
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5)
Representation
Slavery
Trade
Powers and election of the president
Ratification
Issues to be Addressed…
Representation
 How do we make it fair for all states?
James Madison- Virginia Plan (favored big states)
Roger Sherman proposed
*Great Compromise* - Two- house Congress.
Senate: Every state gets 2
House of Representatives: Based on population
Issues to be Addressed…
Slavery
 How do we count slaves and should slavery be
allowed in the constitution?
What they decide:
-Three-fifths Compromise- Slaves were
considered 3/5 of a person in regard to taxation and
representation.
-Slaves could be imported for at least 20
years longer.
Issues to be Addressed…
Trade issues
 Northern states want central government to regulate
interstate trade.
 South afraid of taxes on agriculture exports.
Commercial Compromise:
*Congress regulates interstate and foreign
commerce, including tariffs on foreign imports, but
no taxes on exports.*
Issues to be Addressed
President issues
 Presidential terms?
 How to elect him?
 How much power?
*Limit terms to 4 years with no limit on reelection*
*States given a number of electors equal to
representatives and senators.*
*President given considerable power (ex: veto)*
Issues to be Addressed…
Ratification
*September 17, 1787*
*Philadelphia convention approved the Draft of the
Constitution.*
Fear it will not be approved by all 13 states
*Declare only 9/13 need to approve*
Issues attaining Ratification
Differing Opinions
Federalists- Support the Constitution and a strong
federal government.
Ex: Large cities, wealthy, north
Anti-Federalists- Opponents of the Constitution
Ex: Small Farmers
Federalists v. Anti-Federalists
Federalists
Leaders:
George Washington,
Ben Franklin, James Madison,
Alexander Hamilton
Anti-Federalists
 George Mason, Patrick Henry,
James Winthrop, John Hancock
Arguments: Strong central gov.
 Weak central government
Strategy: Show weakness in Articles
 Constitution provided no protection
of Confederation.
of individual rights. Too much
power for central government
Advantages: Strong leaders, well
 Popular to distrust government
Disadvantages: Ideas were new
 Unorganized, slow response to
organized
and untried, no Bill of Rights
Federalists
Bill of Rights
 Anti-Federalists argue there must be a Bill of Rights in the
Constitution.
Bill of Rights Rights given to individuals to keep the government from
having too much power.
Washington Presidency
Issues
-Organizing the Federal Government
-Foreign Affairs
-Domestic Concerns
-Political Parties
Organizing the Federal Government
Executive Department- Washington elects four heads of
departments.
Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of Treasury: Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of War: Henry Knox
Attorney General: Edmund Rudolph
Federal Court System: Congress’s first laws was the
Judiciary Act of 1789
*Supreme Court would rule over state courts.*
Organizing the Federal Government
Hamilton’s Financial Program
1) Pay off national debt at face value and federal government
take the states debt.
2) Protect nations industries and put high tariffs on
imported goods.
3) Create a national bank
Hamilton’s Plan is modified
 Debt paid off by the federal government as long as
they move the capital to Washington D.C.
 Lower tariff rates than Hamilton had hoped.
 Created the Bank of the United States (privately
owned)
 Federal excise on whiskey
Foreign Affairs
French Revolution
Should we ally with France in their revolution?
 Washington decides to establish the
Proclamation of neutrality (1793)
-Believed we were too young and weak to help France.
-Thomas Jefferson resigned because he disagreed with Washington.
Foreign Affairs
 “Citizen” Genet
-French minister to the US
-Objected to Washington’s policy
-Outrageous behavior in trying to get French support.
-Forced to stop working for the French.
Foreign Affairs
The Jay Treaty(1794)
Chief Justice John Jay
- Went to convince Britain to stop searching and seizing
American ships.
- Brought back a treaty that had the British leave American
posts, but did not address the searching and seizing of
American ships.
- -Angered American supporters of France but kept
neutrality.
Domestic Affairs
Political Parties
Two parties start to form under Alexander Hamilton
and Thomas Jefferson.
 Federalists support Hamilton
 Anti-Federalists which become known as
Democratic-Republicans support Jefferson.
Foreign Affairs
The Pinckney Treaty (1795)
Jay’s Treaty scared Spain into thinking Britain and American
were forming an alliance.
Thomas Pinckney sent to Spain as a special negotiator.
Consequences:
-Spain gave Americans access to all of the Mississippi and
into New Orleans.
-Spain changed the boundaries of Florida in favor of America.
Domestic Affairs
The Whiskey Rebellion (1794)
-Western Pennsylvania
-Farmers refused to pay a federal excise tax on whiskey
-Began attacking revenue collectors
-Washington used the federal gov. to raise 15,000 state
militiamen under Alexander Hamilton
-Easily put done the rebellion.
-Consequence: Illustrated the federal governments strength
and ability to put citizen rebellion down. -
Washington’s Farewell Address
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Washington Warned Americans:
Not to get involved in European affairs
Against the United States making “permanent
alliances” in foreign affairs
Not to form political parties
To avoid sectionalism
John Adam’s Presidency
 Between John Adam’s and Thomas Jefferson
 Adams wins by 3 electoral votes
 Presidency tested by France as relations with Britain
and Spain improved.
 France was still dealing with the French Revolution.
XYZ Affair
 Reports that U.S merchant ships seized by French
warships.
 Adams sent delegation to Paris for peaceful resolution.
 Anonymous French delegates (X, Y, & Z) tried to bribe the
American delegates.
 Newspapers ran wild with this story and the call for war
increased.
XYZ Affair Consequences
 US in an undeclared war with France
 Federalists favored war.
 US builds up its navy
 US cuts off all trade with France
 Finally France signs a treaty in 1800.
The Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
 Federalists won popularity during XYZ affair
 Federalist Congress wanted to restrict the Democratic-
Republicans.
Adopted 3 Laws:
1)Naturalization Act- From 5 to 14 years required for
immigrants to become US citizens
2)Alien Acts- President could deport any aliens considered
dangerous and detain enemy aliens during war.
3)Sedition Act-Made it illegal for newspaper editors to
criticize the President or Congress.
The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
“null and void”
 Republicans argued the Alien and Sedition Acts violated the
First Amendment of the Constitution.
 Supreme Court did not have judicial review yet.
 Kentucky and Virginia created resolutions (laws of their
own) that the Federal government must follow.
 Compact- Federal gov. contract with states that if broken,
states could nullify federal law.
Consequences to the Resolutions
 The argument used by Virginia and Kentucky would
be used again in a controversy in the 1830’s.
 Federalists lost their majority in Congress after the
election of 1800.
 Supreme Court under John Marshall made the court
the last resort on deciding if a federal law is
constitutional.
Election of 1800
 Federalists lost popularity.
(Alien and Sedition Acts & Taxes preparing for war)
Election Results:
-Congress and President powers were lost for Federalists
-Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr (Republicans)
received the same number of electoral ballots.
-House of Representatives decided on Jefferson.
-Passing of power peacefully- Called the peaceful revolution
known as the Revolution of 1800
1800 Election consequences
 Jefferson becomes President
 Peaceful transition of power
 Democratic-Republicans take control of Congress
 Illustrated a weakness in the electoral college
Partner Activity
 In your group reorder the Bill of Rights from most
important to least important.
 In a paragraph or two, explain why you came up with
the order that you have.
 Finally, draw a picture depicting at least 5 of the Bill
of Rights.