The Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention

What kind of government did the Articles of Confederation establish?

In June 1776, the Second Continental Congress formed a committee to draw up a plan for an American government. The committee finished the document, called the Articles of Confederation, the following year. The authors created a limited government--one bound by law to certain powers--hoping to avoid a national government that was too powerful. The Articles created an association of states held together by a "firm league of friendship" in which "each state retains its sovereignty [supreme power], freedom, and independence."

Ideas from English Government When creating the document, the Articles' authors looked to their British heritage. They incorporated the rule of law, which means that everyone, including government officials, must follow the law. This idea came from Magna Carta. They also took concepts from the English Bill of Rights, which made Parliament supreme to the monarchy. Finally, they followed models of self-government like the Mayflower Compact, in which signers agreed to act as a single political body and to obey all laws made by the group.

The Articles of Confederation were ratified by 1781 and bound the new states together under one body of law. All states had an equal voice in Congress which was a single body. There was no president. Congress had the power to make war and sign treaties, raise an army, print money, and set up a postal system.

​Magna Carta 1215 document signed by King John that limited the king's power and made everyone including parliament officials, subject to the law of the land

English Bill of Rights 1689 act of Parliament that made it supreme to the monarchy and placed limits on the power of the monarchy

Mayflower Compact document signed by the Pilgrims aboard the ship the Mayflower in which the signers agreed to act as a single political body and to follow laws made by the group

Multiple Choice

Having undertaken for the Glory of God...a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these [people], solemnly and mutually...covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation...and by virtue here of do enact...such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony...

-The Mayflower Compact, 1620

In what way did the document excerpted above have a major influence on the US system of government?

• It established the idea of self-government and majority rule.

• It ensured there was a clear distinction between church and state.

• It guaranteed that each citizen had a number of basic civil rights.

• It allowed the people to democratically elect government officials.

What kind of government did the Articles of Confederation establish?

Problems with the Articles Problems soon developed with the Articles, however. Though Congress could request funds from states and raise an army, it did not hold the power of enforcement. States refused to send troops when asked. In addition, heavy debt from the Revolutionary War led many states to print extra money to help pay the debt, which caused a national financial crisis. Congress could not prevent the states from printing their own money.

In 1786, an incident known as Shays' Rebellion convinced many people that the federal government needed to be stronger. The Massachusetts government raised taxes to help pay its debts. Outraged farmers protested, saying they could not pay their bills. In August, farmers in three counties revolted, closing down courts that were trying to seize property. In September, Daniel Shays led hundreds of men in closing down the Massachusetts Supreme Court in Springfield and then in an attack on a building where government weapons were stored. Eventually, the rebellion was put down. When Massachusetts asked the federal government for help during the crisis, Congress could offer little assistance.

Shays' Rebellion revolt led by farmer Daniel Shays in 1786 in which participants shut down the Massachusetts Supreme Court to prevent the state government's seizure of property due to unpaid taxes; convinced many that the national government needed greater power

How did the Constitutional Convention resolve differences through compromise?

In February 1787, the Confederation Congress asked all thirteen states to send a delegate to a convention for revising the Articles. The convention met in May and chose George Washington to preside over proceedings. Right away, there were differences in opinion. Some delegates believed that only small changes should be made to the Articles. Others thought that the Articles should be scrapped entirely. The delegates also argued over representation in Congress, tariffs, and slavery. James Madison of Virginia kept detailed notes of the proceedings. He was the author of the basic plan of government the convention finally adopted. For this reason, he was often called the Father of the Constitution.

James Madison remembered as the Father of the Constitution for his role in crafting the document

Multiple Choice

The Philadelphia Convention of 1787 was originally called to --

• create a new plan for the US economy

• write a new constitution for the US

• make changes to the Articles of Confederation

• pass laws to prevent the states from raising taxes

How did the Constitutional Convention resolve differences through compromise?

The Great Compromise Delegates Edmund Randolph of Virginia and William Paterson of New Jersey presented plans to address representation in Congress. The large states favored Randolph's Virginia Plan, which proposed a legislature with two houses, with membership based on state populations. The small states favored Paterson's New Jersey Plan. This plan called for a legislature in which each state had an equal number of representatives.

Roger Sherman of Connecticut then proposed the Great Compromise, which created a legislature (Congress) with two houses. Membership in the lower house, the House of Representatives, would be based on population; the upper house, the Senate, would have an equal number of members for each state.

Great Compromise agreement that created a legislature with a lower house based on population and an upper house with an equal number of members for each state

Drag and Drop

The Great Compromise created a bicameral legislature. Which characteristics match the correct part of Congress?

Senate: ​

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House of Representatives: ​

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Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

two representatives for each state

representation based on a state's population

representation approved by judicial branch

depends on a state's size in square miles

How did the Constitutional Convention resolve differences through compromise?

Three-Fifths Compromise Another disagreement involved counting the enslaved population totals. Southern delegates wanted enslaved persons counted for representation. Northern delegates wanted them counted for taxation. With the Three-Fifths Compromise, the delegates agreed that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted toward the total population, not only for representation purposes but also for taxes.

Other Compromises In the debate over abolition of the slave trade, delegates agreed that the slave trade would not end before 1808. They also agreed that tariffs would be placed only on foreign imports, not on exports.

Three-Fifths Compromise agreement that three-fifths of slaves would e counted toward state populations for representation and taxation

How did the Constitutional Convention resolve differences through compromise?

Key Principles of the Constitution By the end of the Convention, the delegates had created a document that holds the key principles of American government today. The Constitution was crafted around the principle of republicanism--a belief that the people hold supreme power and elect others to represent their wishes in an assembly. Protecting the political power of the people, or popular sovereignty, was a primary concern of the framers. It had been part of the Declaration of Independence. One of the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence, for example, was the British government's "imposing taxes on us without our Consent." Thus, under the Constitution, all bills of revenue (taxes) must originate in the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives was the only government body in the national government to which the people originally directly elected representatives. (Today, voters also directly elect US senators, but the president is still indirectly elected through the Electoral College.)

republicanism government in which people hold the power and elect others to represent them

popular sovereignty the people hold the political power

How did the Constitutional Convention resolve differences through compromise?

The framers also wanted to protect the rights of the states. To do so, they created a federal system. Federalism is the sharing of power between the national government and the states. The states hold certain powers, but they must obey the national government.

To balance the power within the federal government itself, the framers established a separation of powers--the division of government power among three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch (Congress) makes the laws. The executive branch (the president) carries out the laws. The judicial branch (the courts) interprets the laws. A system of checks and balances ensures that no one branch becomes too powerful. Each branch holds powers that check those of the other branches. The president, for example, can veto laws passed by Congress, but Congress can override a presidential veto if two-thirds of members vote again to approve the law

federalism the sharing of power between the national government and the states

separation of powers the division of government power among different branches

checks and balances the division of powers that prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful

Categorize

Options (2)

creates a central government with a single branch

establishes a federal system of checks and balances

Both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution describe a central government that is independent from Britain. Match the specific characteristic to the correct document.

Articles of Confederation

Constitution