The Constitution

The Constitution

A New Plan for Government

• Because of the problems caused by the Articles of Confederation leaders decided to meet to discuss these problems in May of 1787.

• At the meeting in Philadelphia, there were 55 delegates.

• Delegates are people chosen to represent and speak for all Americans.

• Some delegates hoped that they could just change the Articles of Confederation but soon realized that a simple change would not be enough.

• They had to start over & make a new government.

Multiple Choice

Where did the delegates meet to make a new government?

• Washington D.C.

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Boston, Massachusetts

• San Antonio, Texas

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Who are people chosen to represent and speak for all Americans?

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Aliens

Children

Volunteers

Delegates

The Constitutional Convention

• The meeting of the 55 delegates in Philadelphia was called the Constitutional Convention.

• The delegates worked six days a week for four months.

• James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay are considered the main authors of the document.

• On September 17, 1787, only one job was left.

• Each delegate signed the new constitution.

• A constitution is a group of laws.

• The United States Constitution has been and still is the basic law of our country.

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How many delegates met in Philadelphia at the Constitutional Convention?

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What is a Constitution?

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A New Law for a New Land

• While writing the Constitution, the delegates often disagreed with one another.

• One disagreement was about how to set up the legislature.

• The delegates wanted each state to be represented in this group.

• Delegates from states that had small populations, and states that had large populations disagreed about how each should be represented.

• In the end the delegates compromised.

Multiple Choice

What did the delegates disagree about during the Constitutional Convention?

• How to create the legislature

• How to choose a new king

• How to pave roads

• How to deliver the mail

Congress

• The compromise resulted in the Congress that we have today.

• It has 2 parts each called a house:

  • The Senate - In this house each state has 2 representatives.

  • The House of Representatives - In this house each state has a different number of representatives, depending on the number of people (population) in the state.

Multiple Choice

How did the delegates set up Congress?

• The decided to spilt it into two houses.

• They voted for each state to only have 1 representative

• They decided against having a congress

• They copied what England did

Multiple Select

What are the 2 houses of Congress?

• Senate

• Parliament
• Legislative Assembly
• House of Representatives

The Federal System

• The other problem that needed to be solved was the division of power between the states and the national, or federal government.

• In the end the delegates decided to share the power between the two.

• The sharing of power is called a federal system.

• Federal Government - defends our country & mints the money.

• State Government - makes laws that take care of our daily lives like schools and highways.

Multiple Choice

What is the federal system?

• A government were power is divided between the states and federal powers

• A government where power is divided based on income

• A government where power is divided between only states

• A government where power is concentrated on a single person

Checks and Balances

• The delegates also divided the federal government into 3 branches:

  • Legislative Branch

  • Executive Branch

  • Judicial Branch

• They did this so that the branches could share the power and no one branch can work alone.

• The delegates made sure to create a system of checks and balances among the 3 branches of government.

Multiple Select

What are the 3 branches of our government?

• Executive

• Legislative

• State

• Judicial

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Having 3 branches of government creates a system of...

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separation of powers

checks and balances

division of labor

unification of authority

The Bill of Rights

• After the delegates signed the Constitution, it did not become law right away.

• Before it could become law, two-thirds of the states had to approve it.

• Some states refused to approve it unless it had a Bill of Rights added.

• The Bill of Rights is a list of rights that every American should have.

• With a promise of a Bill of Rights to be added all 13 states approved the Constitution by 1790.

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What did many states want added to the Constitution before they would approve it?

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Multiple Choice

What is a Bill of Rights?

• A list of rights every American should have.

• A type of vehicle used for transportation.

• A type of document used in cooking recipes.

• A type of currency used in ancient civilizations.