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4.1 – After the Revolutionary War
Background Information
Continental Congress
– This name was given to a group of people
who wrote the Declaration of
Independence
– This was the closest thing that the United
States had to a government
• Still do not have a president
George Washington
– America’s most influential person at this point in
the country’s history
– What exactly was his role going to be moving
forward?
• Was he going to become a king (just like they had in
Britain)?
• Was he going to retire and have other’s figure out the
American government?
What is next?
BIG QUESTION:
What type of government should the
United States choose to rule the
people?
Two Major Types of Government
– Federal government—a ruling body who runs the
country and controls individual states
• Also known as the central government
– State government—a ruling body within each
state that controls certain powers within the
individual states
Articles of Confederation
• This was the name of the official set of laws
that were adopted by the Continental
Congress
• Two most important facts regarding the
Articles of Confederation
– This was America’s first constitution
– This document gave too much power to individual
states and not enough power to the federal
government
Articles of Confederation
• Legislative Branch (today is known as
Congress) was the only branch created in the
Articles of Confederation
– Main role of the legislative branch—pass laws
No Executive and Judicial Branch?
• Executive Branch (president) and Judicial
Branch (U.S. Supreme Court) were not part of
the Articles of Confederation
– What does that mean?
• There is no president
• There is not a U.S. Supreme Court
Problems within the
Articles of Confederation
Branches
• No president and no federal
court system
Taxing
– Under this document taxes were optional—the
federal government could not force states or
individuals to pay taxes
– This is problematic because the country will not
be able to build an army or an infrastructure
Trade
• Federal government was not given the
power to enforce rules on trade
Voting
–Each state had one vote in order to
make changes to the Articles of
Confederation
• Big states (NY and VA had the same power
as small states DE and RI)
• All 13 states needed to agree in order to
make changes to the Articles of
Confederation
–Very difficult to happen
No Unity
–13 separate states
–13 separate currencies
–13 separate set of laws
–13 separate armies
Overall
–The federal government needed to
have more power than the states
–The Articles of Confederation needs to
be replaced ASAP
Quick Review
SEARCHING THROUGH
HISTORY…
• In a world where most nations were
still governed by kings, there were few
political systems that could serve as
models for the new republic (USA)
The Continental Congress Debates
• While the states developed their own
individual constitutions, the Continental
Congress tried to draft one for the states as
a whole AKA Articles of
Confederation.
• Delegates had to answer 3 basic questions
– 1. Representation by population or by state?
– 2. Supreme Power… can it
be divided?
– 3. Western lands….who
gets them?
A Closer Look: Representation
Weaknesses of the Confederation
1. Representation Problems: The Confederation
didn't recognize the differences in population among the
states
– Each state, regardless
of its population, had
only one vote in
Congress
– The political power of
Georgia (population
of 23,375) was equal
to that of
Massachusetts
(population of 235,308)
THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
2. The Articles of Confederation did
not create:
– Executive department
– U.S. Supreme court systems to
interpret the meaning of laws
The greatest problem with the
Articles will be the inability of
its weak central government to
meet the needs of the nation.
--Americans were too scared to
give one government, or group,
too much power
3. Land Ordinance of 1785
 What is it: Passed by Congress; plan for surveying western lands
Surveyors
Notes
NORTHWEST
ORDINANCE OF 1787
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
 What is it: Procedure set up by Congress for dividing the
western land into territories & setting requirements for the
creation of new states
Declared slavery illegal in the old Northwest Territory
First effort by the national government to prohibit
slavery in the territories
 Land Ordinance and Northwest Ordinance were one of the first acts of the
First Congress under the new Constitution of 1787
 Land Ordinance and Northwest Ordinance were the Articles greatest
achievement because it set the course of the developing nation
4.2 - Problems with the
Articles of Confederation
What type of government is best?
• Monarchy—government that is ruled by a
royal family (king and queen)
– Most Americans are familiar with this because this
is what Britain and France had
Tyranny
—government that is ruled by a tyrant
– One person has all of the power and they can do
as they please
Democracy
—government that is run
by the people (through
voting)
– This is what most
Americans wanted
Republic
- government that is run by the people with
elected representatives
– This is also what America wanted
Today
We have a democracy and a republic!
Problem with taxes
• This event in American history supports the
idea that the Articles of Confederation is too
weak and a strong federal government is
needed
Wealthy Americans
– These people loaned their own money to support
the Revolutionary War but now wanted to be paid
back
– Problem—According to the Articles of
Confederation taxing was optional
– Problem—Some states refused to follow the
Articles of Confederation
Massachusetts Legislature
• They passed and enforced extremely high taxes that
everyone in the state must pay (or else they would
be jailed)
Eastern v. Western Massachusetts
– Eastern Massachusetts—home to the wealthy
because of the ports in Boston, did not have a
difficult time paying the tax
– Western Massachusetts—home to the poorer
people who focused on farming, very difficult for
these people to pay the tax
Farmers in Western Massachusetts
– Complained that the tax was too high and needed
to be lowered
– There was no way for them to pay the tax because
they were farmers who did not make a lot of
money
• Most of these farmers were Revolutionary War
veterans
Massachusetts Legislature
– Refused to lower the tax
– Took the homes and farms of the farmers who
were unable to pay the tax
– In some cases the farmers were thrown in jail for
refusing to pay their taxes
Daniel Shays Rebellion
Daniel Shays
– Revolutionary War veteran and farmer who lived
in Western Massachusetts
– He attempted to peacefully protest and petition
(unsuccessful)
– He then led a violent rebellion with other farmers
against the Massachusetts legislature
Outcome
– Shays was arrested and sentenced to death (never
officially happened)
– A lot of the rioters were arrested and left
Massachusetts for states with lower taxes
– Major importance—there was no federal army to stop
the rebellion
– Major importance—the Articles of Confederation was
too weak and needed to be changed immediately
4.3—Constitutional Convention
Constitutional Convention
• What was this?
– A name given to a meeting that was held in
Independence Hall in Philadelphia
Constitutional Convention
• Why was this meeting held?
– Discuss the problems with the Articles of
Confederation
– Shays’ Rebellion prompted this meeting to be held
Convention
• Who was there?
– 55 delegates (important and prominent
politicians)
– James Madison—future president and very
intelligent (graduated from Princeton in two years)
– George Washington—elected as the first president
of the United States at this meeting
Convention
• Major change made at the Constitutional
Convention
– Articles of Confederation was thrown out and the
Constitution was to be written
Virginia Plan
• Edmund Randolph—man from Virginia who
believed that larger states should have more
power when writing laws and implementing
taxes
Virginia Plan
• How was voting to be determined under the
Virginia Plan?
– States with large populations would have more of
a say in passing new laws and taxes
Virginia Plan
• Who supported this plan?
– States with large populations such as Virginia and
New York
Virginia Plan
• Who was against this plan?
– States with small populations such as Delaware
and Rhode Island
New Jersey Plan
• William Paterson—man from New Jersey who
believed that all states should remain equal
when writing laws and implementing taxes
New Jersey Plan
• How was voting to be determined under the
New Jersey Plan?
– All states would be allowed one vote on passing
new laws and taxes
New Jersey Plan
• Who supported this plan?
– States with small populations such as Delaware
and Rhode Island
• Who was against this plan?
– States with large populations like Virginia and New
York
Great Compromise
• Problem
– America was divided on which plan to use—
Virginia Plan or the New Jersey Plan
Roger Sherman
– He was a Connecticut delegate who argued that
both plans should be used
Legislative Branch
• Legislative Branch
– House of Representatives (435 members today)
are based on a state’s population
• California (53 members) Delaware (1 member)
– Senate (100 members today) are based on
equality (each state has 2 senators)
• This is how laws were passed 200 years ago
and also today—House of Representatives and
the Senate must agree
Three-Fifths Compromise
• Problem
– How are slaves to be counted towards a state’s
population?
Southern States Argument
• Argument by southern states
– Slaves are people and living within our state
borders so they should be counted towards our
population
• If we have more people, we will have more
representatives in the House of Representatives
Northern States Argument
• Argument by northern states
– Slaves are considered property and should not
count towards the state’s population
• If the southern states have more people, then
unfortunately they will have more representatives in
the House of Representatives
Agreement
– Slaves would count as 3/5 of one person
– In other words: For every 5 slaves, 3 people
would count towards a state’s population
Do Now
• What were some compromises/agreements
the North and South made towards our new
Constitution?
Other ideas agreed upon…
• After dealing with issues of slavery and
representation, the delegates dealt with
issues of government powers
– Decided to divide powers between the states
and the national government and separated
national government’s power into three
branches
• New system of government 
Federalism
– Federalism: shared powers between the
national government and the state
governments
CREATING THE NEW
GOVERNMENT
Separation of Powers
Checks and Balances
• Legislative Branch
• Prevent one branch
from dominating the
other branches
– Makes laws
• Executive Branch
– Carry out laws
• Judicial Branch
– Interpret laws
– Ex: President holds
power, but Senate has
to approve some of the
President’s decisions
New Procedures for Presidential Elections:
 Upper classes did not trust the common people to vote
wisely or vote the upper class out of power
Delegates came up with a new system of electing the
President
Electoral College: a body of people representing
the states of the US, who formally cast votes for
the election of the president and vice president.
New Jersey has a population of 8,807,501 people.
So, we have 12 House of Representatives and 2
Senators representing us in Washington D.C.
Total = 14 votes
How does voting work?
• Electoral College includes 538 electors
• There are a total of 535 Members of Congress.
– 100 serve in the U.S. Senate
– 435 serve in the U.S. House of Representatives
– three who represent Washington, D.C = 538
• President needs 270 electoral votes to win.
CREATING THE
CONSTITUTION
• After nearly 4 months of debate
and compromise, the delegates
succeeded in creating a
constitution that would last for
years to come
• The convention’s work was
over, but the new government
could not become a reality
until the voters agreed
– The Constitution of the United
States of America was sent to
Congress, which submitted it to
the states for approval
• The Constitution was sent to special
state conventions for ratification.
4.4 – Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Ratification
• the formal approval or act of validating a
constitution or amendment
Ratification
How many states needed to agree to sign the
Constitution to make it official?
– 9 of 13
Ratification
• How many states did the Constitutional
Convention want to agree to the Constitution?
– 13 of 13
– Why?—this shows widespread support of the
document
• The Constitutional Convention and George Washington
did not want any states opposed
Ratification
• Debate
– Delegates had many different opinions on signing
the U.S. Constitution
• Some still believed that states should have more power
than the federal government
Federalist
• Federalist—a person who was in favor of a
strong federal government and in support of
the Constitution
• Famous federalists—James Madison and
Alexander Hamilton
Federalist Papers
• This was the name given to 85 essays that promoted
the ideas of why a strong federal government was
better than having strong state governments
Federalist
Famous quote, “If men we angels, no
government would be necessary.”—James
Madison
– Since men were not angels (perfect) than a strong
federal government was necessary to make sure
that everyone followed the same rules
– If there was no government than there would be
chaos, anarchy, riots, destruction, etc.
Anti-Federalist
• Anti-Federalist—a person who was in favor of
strong state governments and against having a
strong federal government
• Famous Anti-Federalists—Thomas Jefferson
and James Monroe
Anti-Federalist
• Farmers—this was the largest group of antiFederalists
– Farmers believed that the federal government
would tax the people more than the state
governments
– Farmers believed that they would be taken
advantage of
• Similar to the events of Shays’ Rebellion
Anti-Federalist
• Why were the Anti-Federalists against the U.S.
Constitution and a strong federal
government?
– They wanted all of the power in the hands of the
people
– They believed that a strong federal government
would become corrupt
Bill of Rights
• Bill of Rights
– These are the first ten amendments of the United
States Constitution
– These rights stated that individuals would be
protected from specific actions by the United
States Government
– These rights would also protect them from a
tyranny
Bill of Rights
• Most important Amendment
– First Amendment: Freedom of speech, press,
religion, assembly
• Anti-Federalists
– These men agreed to sign and ratify the United
States Constitution if the Bill of Rights was part of
it
4.5 – United States Constitution
Background Information
• What is the United States Constitution?
– One of the two most important documents in
American History (Declaration of Independence)
– This document provides the framework to the
organization of the U.S. Government
– This is the supreme law of the land
Background Information
• The U.S. Constitution is argued to be a living
document
– It was ratified (became official) in 1787 and it
provides the framework for our country
• The reason why many believe America is the land of the
free is because of this document
• Only 27 changes have ever been made to it in over
200 years
Ratification
– Delaware was the first state to sign it followed by
the other 12
– Eventually all other states agreed to signing the
U.S. Constitution
Five Basic Principles of the
Constitution
#1
Popular sovereignty—this idea states that the
people are the most important part of
governmental power
– In other words—if the American people are
unhappy with their government or specific
politicians than they can vote for the person who
has similar beliefs to them
#2
• Separation of Powers—this idea separates the
government into three equal branches
#2
– Legislative Branch—also known as Congress is
made up of 2 houses (groups)
• House of Representatives (435 members)
• Senate (100 members)
– Executive Branch—President, Vice-President, and
Cabinet
– Judicial Branch—U.S. Supreme Court and other
smaller court systems within the country
#3
Checks and Balances—this idea does not permit
one branch from having more power than the other
branches
– Each branch has some ownership over the other
branches
– Supreme Court Justice (judge) dies, the replacement is
chosen by the President, approved by the Legislative
Branch
– Congress writes bills, President signs a bill to make it a
law, the Supreme Court judges whether or not that
law is in violation of the Constitution
#4
Limited Government—this idea guarantees that
the government does not have all of the
power—it only does what the people allow it to
do
#5
Federalism—this idea divides the government’s
power between the federal government and the
state governments
– Federal government powers—federal taxes,
federal laws, make currency, build an army,
drinking age
– State government powers—driving age, gay
marriage, marijuana use
Three Parts of the Constitution
Preamble
–This part lists the six goals of the U.S.
Government
• Form a more perfect union, establish
justice, insure peace, provide for the
common defense, promote the
general welfare, secure liberty
Articles
Articles
– There are 7 articles that each cover one important
topic of the U.S. Government
– Articles I, II, and III outline the powers of the three
branches
Amendments
– Amend simply means to change
– Bill of Rights (first 10 Amendments of the U.S.
Constitution)
– Other important amendments
• 13—slavery is abolished
• 15—African American right to vote
• 19—women’s right to vote
Requirements for Government
Employees
House of
Representatives
Minimum Age Residency
25
State in which
elected
Citizenship
7 years
Members
435
Senate
30
State in which
elected
9 years
100
President
35
Supreme Court
Justices
None
Must have
Natural born
been a state
U.S. citizen
resident for 14
years
None
None
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