Download Chapter 8 Notes Packet - Montgomery County Public Schools

Creating the Constitution
Chapter 8
Introduction
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After the Revolutionary War ended, Virginia Patriot, James Madison worked in Congress
to tried to get the states to work together. He failed.
After declaring independence in 1776, Congress had tried to unite the states under one
nation government.
Members of Congress feared that a strong central government would crush the rights they
were fighting to preserve.
Their solution was a plan of government called the ____________________ ______
________________________.
Articles of Confederation
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The Articles created “a firm ________________ _____ ________________” in which
“each state retains its sovereignty (power), freedom and independence.”
This “league of friendship” was a loose union in which the 13 states cooperated for
common purposes.
It was run by _________________ where each state had one vote.
On paper, the Articles of Confederation gave Congress several important powers:
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Make war and peace
Raise an __________ and a navy
Print _________________
Set up a __________________system
In reality, these powers were limited by the inability of Congress to impose___________.
Congress had to ask the states for ____________ to do anything and often, states would
ignore Congress’ requests.
James Madison said the Articles of Confederation were no more effective a binding the
states into a nation than “a rope of sand.”
The ___________ ____________________ of the United States.
The _______________ ____________ _________ _____________ ______________.
The national government could not collect taxes or settle disputes between states.
Early Quarrels and Accomplishments
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Before the end of the Revolutionary War, states began _________________ (arguing)
among themselves about taxes on goods that crossed state borders.
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States quarreled over boundaries and Congress was unable to end the arguing.
This was one of the ______________________ of the Articles of Confederation.
Developing Western Lands
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Congress did get the states to agree on how to develop the western lands acquired by the
United States in the Treaty of Paris.
There was no organized way to settle that land. Settlers simply moved there and claimed
land. This resulted in _________________ over who really owned the land.
Congress ended the confusion by passing the Land ________________ of 1785.
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Under this law, western lands were divided into six-mile squares called
“___________________”.
Each township was then divided into 36 sections of 640 acres each.
One section of each square was for public schools and the other sections were
sold to settlers.
Surveyors proceeded to lay out townships in the Ohio Valley, then known as the
__________________ _____________________.
By 1787, the government was ready to sell sections to settlers. This raised the question
of how these areas would be governed.
Were they to be colonies of the United States or ____________ _______________?
The Northwest Ordinance
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Congress answered this question in the ___________________ _________________ of
______________.
This law divided the Northwest Territory into smaller territories, each governed by a
________________ _____________________.
When a territory had 5,000 free adult males, it could elect its own legislature (lawmaking
body).
When the population reached 60,000, a territory could apply to _______________ to
become a ____________________.
The Northwest Ordinance included a list of rights that gave settlers the _____________
____________________ as other citizens, except for one=___________________.
____________________ was _______________in the Northwest Territory.
This system of settlement served the nation well. Over time, the United States would
continue to _________________ _______________ as it spread to the Pacific Ocean
and beyond.
The Need for Change
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Under the Articles of Confederation, the new nation also had serious
__________________ problems.
The paper money printed by Congress during the war was ____________________.
Congress had the power to make coins that would not lose their value, but it
_______________ ___________ or silver to mint into coins.
The states reacted to the money shortage by ______________ __________ __________
paper currency (money). Eventually, bills of different sizes and colors were floating
from state to state.
No one knew what any of these currencies were worth, but most agreed that they were
__________worth much.
Shays’ Rebellion: Massachusetts Farmers Rebel
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The money shortage was particularly hard on farmers who could not earn enough money
to pay their ___________ and ____________.
In Massachusetts, judges ordered farmers to sell their land and livestock to pay off debts.
The farmers rebelled under the leader, _____________ _____________. (Shays was
also a hero of Bunker Hill.)
Shays and his followers ______________ ______________ courthouses to keep judges
from taking their farms.
Next, they marched on the national _______________ (place where weapons and
ammunition are stored) at Springfield to seize the weapons stored there.
Congress was unable to stop them because the _______________ ______________ was
disbanded.
Massachusetts ended Shays’ Rebellion by sending ___________ troops to Springfield to
restore order.
To many Americans, the uprising was a disturbing sign that the nation they fought so
hard to _____________was falling apart.
A Call for a Convention
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_______________ ________________ shocked Congress into calling for a
___________________ to consider “the situation of the United States.”
Each state was invited to send delegates to Philadelphia in May 1787, “for the sole and
express purpose of revising the _________________ of __________________.”
______________ _______________ believed that a nation made up of many groups
needed a strong central government.
Opening the Constitutional Convention
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In the summer heat on May 25th, 1787, the _____________________
_________________ met for the first time in the east room of the Pennsylvania State
House (later called Independence Hall; also where the Declaration of Independence was
written 11 years earlier.)
The delegates first action was to elect ______________ _______________ president of
the convention.
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He was admired and respected as the former commander of the Continental
Army.
The Delegates
_______ delegates from 12 states attended the convention.
______________ ____________, which prided itself as “the home of the otherwise
minded” and feared a strong national government, boycotted the meeting.
Some leaders of the Revolution were missing: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were
representing the United States in Great Britain and France.
Other who did not attend included Sam Adams, John Hancock and Patrick Henry – they
feared a strong national government would endanger the rights of the states.
The delegates were described by a historian as, “the well-bred, the well-fed, the wellread, and the well-wed.”
Their average age was 41. _______________ _____________ was the oldest at age 81.
More than two-thirds were lawyers. More than one in three owned owned slaves.
The Father of the Constitution
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_______________ ______________ was a leader in the convention. His influence was
so great that later he would be called “The Father of the Constitution.”
Madison addressed the convention over 200 times.
When he wasn’t speaking he was sitting near the front taking notes.
His notes covered more than 600 printed pages. From this record (____________
___________ ____________) we know what went on inside the convention day by day.
The Rule of Secrecy
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No one _________________the convention knew what was happening.
After choosing the president of the convention, delegates voted on rules for the
convention. The most important of which was ___________________.
The delegates wanted to ________ _____________ to speak their minds without causing
alarm or opposition among the general public.
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Not a single word about the convention debates appeared in any newspaper.
Shared Beliefs and Clashing Views
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The delegates had a lot in common, but they also had very _____________
_____________ on many of the issues facing the new nation.
Delegates were committed to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and agreed
the basic purpose of the government was to protect the rights to “_________,
______________ and the pursuit of ______________.”
They also believed the “____________ ____________” of government came from “the
consent of the governed.”
These beliefs reflected liberal ideas of England’s ____________________ thinkers who
believed that human rights are decided by “_________ _____ ____________.”
Among these rights were the rights to liberty and equality.
The best way to protect these rights was through some form of ___________ (a country
governed by elected representatives.)
The delegates used ideas and the framework of government from their own states. Each
state had a form of elected representatives and a local constitution (written plan that
provides the basic framework of government.)
They had difficult questions to answer:
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How should have a say in a truly representative government?
How powerful should the ________________ government be?
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If it was too powerful it jeopardized the __________of people.
Too ________ (Articles of Confederation) it cannot do its job to protect
liberty and property.
Issue: How should states be represented in the new government?
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Most delegates initially believed that they were there to revise the Articles of
Confederation.
__________________ delegates presented a new plan of government.
After much debate, it was decided to throw out the Articles of Confederation and write a
new ____________________.
The delegates (later known as the “________________”) were divided on where the
government should get its power to rule. Madison’s answer was in the
________________ ___________ and said the government’s power should come
directly from the ____________________.
The Virginia Plan
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The Virginia Plan called for a strong national government with ___ __________ (parts).
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___________________Branch (Congress) would make laws.
__________________Branch (President) would carry out (“execute”) laws.
____________________Branch (Courts) would apply and interpret the laws.
Congress would be made up of 2 houses (________________=2 chambers/houses).
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House of Representatives
Senate
The number of lawmakers that a state could send to Congress depended on
its population.
______________ states _______________ this idea because larger populations had more
power in both houses of Congress.
The New Jersey Plan
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Delegates from the _______________ states _______________ the Virginia Plan.
Before they voted, William Paterson of New Jersey introduced a rival proposal.
Like the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan called for a 3 branch government; however,
the ___________________ branch would have ___ ____________ (not 2). Each state
would have an equal vote in Congress regardless of their population.
This would keep the smaller states from being ____________________ by the larger,
more populous states.
The Great Compromise
Debates and tempers rose and continued into July.
Finally, a compromise was proposed based on a plan put forward earlier by Roger
Sherman of Connecticut.
The compromise kept the ____-___________ _________________.
The _________________ of ___________________________ would represent the
people and the number of representatives would be based on the state’s
______________________
The 2nd house, the Senate, would represent the sates. Each state would have ____
_________________, to be elected by their state legislatures.
The vote was close, but the plan was approved and became known as the
_________________ _________________________.
How should slaves be counted?
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_________________ or ____________________?
___________-______________ of the slaves lived in the South.
Like everyone else, southerners wanted as many representatives in the House as possible.
They argued that _____________ ____________ be counted in their total population.
Delegates from the North __________ _________ ____________ and argued that
slaves were property in the south and if they were to be counted as people they should
become citizens and allowed to vote.
New Thinking on Slavery
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In the North, new thinking inspired by Ben Franklin’s ________________
______________, led one state after another to pass laws ending slavery.
In the south, people were not ready to abolish it because the economy was still too
dependent on the labor of slaves.
Some southern states did pass laws making it easier for owners to free their slaves.
The Three-Fifths Compromise
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After a bitter debate, James Madison proposed a compromise to count each slave as
_________-____________ of a __________________ in the population.
The delegates approved this idea.
This compromise was against the line in the Declaration of Independence saying “all men
are created _______________,” but it served the necessary purpose of moving forward.
Issue: How should a Chief Executive be Elected?
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Another Issue:_____________ would head the new government’s executive branch?
James Madison suggested that a ___________ ______________ should serve as the
chief executive.
The delegates were ____________that one person would take advantage of their
___________ like King George III had done.
The debate started…1 executive or 3…
The framers eventually agreed on a single executive, to be called the “______________.”
To keep this leader from becoming like a king, the president’s term would be limited to
_________ years.
A ______________ ___________________ would also be elected to fill the position if
they president died in office.
Choosing the Chief Executive
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Some delegates wanted _______________ to __________ the president, but others
feared that the person chosen by Congress would do as Congress instructed him.
Other delegates suggested the _____________ ____________ on the president, but
Madison feared people would choose someone from their own state and that would be
unfair to smaller states.
Other delegates thought the president should be chosen by a group of
“_______________” from each state in order to make a wise choice for the entire
country.
The Electoral College
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After much debate, they decided that a special body called the ______________
________________ would elect the government’s leaders.
The Electoral College is made up of electors who cast votes to elect the president and
vice president every few years.
Each state has as many electors in the Electoral College as the number of senators and
representatives it sends to ___________________.
Each state could ______________ ______________ they choose the electors.
Originally, the electors voted for 2 candidates without saying which should be president
or vice president.
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The runner up became vice president.
This system eventually caused much confusion in the 1800 election and would be
changed.
Political Parties and Elections
The Electoral College was set up due to the framer’s concerns that ______________
would not know enough about a candidate outside their own state to _______________ a
president _________________.
Within a few years of the convention, _______________ _______________ were
nominating candidates for president and educating voters in each state about those
candidates.
The Electoral College system still affects presidential elections today. In most states, the
candidate who gets______________ of the votes (even if it’s less than half) gets all the
state’s electoral votes.
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Person with the ____________ _____________ because president.
A candidate can win a majority in the Electoral College without necessarily
winning a majority of the votes in the country.
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Ex: 2000 election of George W. Bush
The Convention Ends
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By the end of the summer, the designing of the _________________was finished, but it
still needed to be_______________ by the states.
First question: How many states would have to ____________ (approve) the Constitution
before it could go into effect?
The framers decided that _____ of the ___________ states had to approve it.
Second question: ___________ should ratify the Constitution - the people or the state?
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Delegates agreed: The Constitution would be ratified at _______________
________________ by delegates elected by the people in each state.
Signing the Constitution
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On September 17, 1787, the delegates declared the Constitution complete.
_________________ _________________ shared thoughts that would be printed in over
50 newspapers:
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“I confess that I do not entirely approve of this Constitution…if therefore
astonishes me to find this system approaching so near to perfect…and I think it
will astonish our enemies.”
No convention could create a _____________ plan.
14 delegates left before the convention ended and 3 doubters did not sign the
Constitution. Only _____ of the original _________ delegates
_________________the Constitution.
Ben Franklin declared that “a new day was dawning for the United States.”
The Constitution Goes to the Nation
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Newspapers in every state printed the Constitution. Readers saw this as a plan that would
create a “_____________” system of government, in which ______________
________________ _________________ shared power with the sates.
The entire country was debating the same issues the convention dealt with during the four
months they met.
The Federalists
_________________ of the _____________ called themselves _________________.
They argued that the Constitution would create a national government that was strong
enough to unite the quarreling states into a single republic.
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay led the Federalist campaign for
ratification.
They wrote newspaper articles identifying the weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation and describing how the ______________ would ____ those weaknesses.
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Federalists also addressed ___________ of Americans that a strong government would
_______________ their freedom. They discussed how the ________________ were
___________________.
The most influential articles published were called “The _______________
_______________.”
The Anti-Federalists
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_________________ of the ___________________ were called the __________________________.
They feared that Congress would _________-__________ them, the president would be
like a _______________, and the judicial branch would ___________________ the state
courts.
They complained that the Constitution listed the powers of government, but
____________ __________ the _______________ of the people.
They did not want to give up any ______________ _______________ to form a stronger
union.