Creating the Constitution

Please put the events in the correct order (chronologically)

• The American colonies rose up and started protesting against the tyranny of Great Britain.

• In 1776, they sent the British king the Declaration of Independence and wrote the Articles of Confederation.

• After nearly eight years of fighting in the American Revolutionary War, the British finally retreated.

• Shay's Rebellion

• The Americans send representatives to Congress to FIX the Articles of Confederation and establish a lasting government.

A CONVENTION OF COMPROMISES

The meeting of the Founding Fathers in ​ (a)   was called the ​ (b)   . The meeting took all summer, for many of the delegates disagreed on what needed to be done. Some wanted to ​ (c)   the Articles​ (d)   ; others wanted to start from scratch. In the end, everyone had to ​ (e)  

• May 1787
• June 2024
• Constitutional Convention
• Party of the Century
• of Confederation
• of Justice
• alter
• display
• make compromises.
• chillax and take a nap

The Great Compromise

One of the biggest arguments was about representatives. It was important to decide how many delegates each state would have in Congress, which is the law-making body of the government. The bigger states wanted the number of representatives to be based on each state’s population. The smaller states worried that this would be unfair. They wanted every state to have the same number of delegates.

In the end, they agreed on the Great Compromise. Congress would be...

• split in two (2) parts

• split in eight (8) parts

• allowed to eat any pizza they wanted.

• abolished

The Great Compromise

The House of Representatives would be based ​ (a)   The Senate would have ​ (b)   from each state.

• on population.
• an equal number of representatives
• on popularity
• 5 representatives

The Three-Fifths Compromise

Before and after the official founding of the United States, many people were taken from Africa to the Americas against their will and forced into slavery. States with large populations of enslaved people thought they should count as part of their overall populations. A high total population meant that these states could have more delegates in the House of Representatives — and therefore more power. States with fewer enslaved persons were against this.

Why were smaller states opposed to counting enslaved people as full persons for Congressional representation?

• It would decrease their own representation in Congress.

• It would increase the political power of slave-holding states.

• It would lead to higher taxes for smaller states.

• It would immediately abolish slavery in their state

The Three-Fifths Compromise

Eventually, the states came to an agreement. Only three-fifths of each state’s population of enslaved people counted toward the state’s total population. Despite contributing to a state population and therefore the number of state representatives, enslaved people were not considered citizens and therefore had no voice in the country where they lived and that their forced labor helped build. This rule remained a part of the U.S. Constitution until after the American Civil War.

Which of the following is true?

• Enslaved people were allowed to vote for leaders.

• Every enslaved person was fully counted for deciding how many representatives a state would have.

• The rule was only in place for a few years.

• Only part of the enslaved population was counted for representation, but they still had no rights or say in government.

THE CONTENTS OF THE CONSTITUTION

The meeting ended on September 17, 1787. The result was a document called the Constitution

of the United States of America. It had only seven articles and was the shortest constitution in

the world. It wasn’t long, but it covered what the Founding Fathers believed to be the most

important parts of government.

On what date did the meeting that resulted in the creation of the United States Constitution end?

• • July 4, 1776

• • September 17, 1787

• • March 4, 1789

• • June 21, 1788

THE CONTENTS OF THE CONSTITUTION

The meeting ended on September 17, 1787. The result was a document called the Constitution

of the United States of America. It had only seven articles and was the shortest constitution in

the world. It wasn’t long, but it covered what the Founding Fathers believed to be the most

important parts of government.

How many articles does the original United States Constitution contain?

• • 3

• • 10

• • 7

• • 100

Separation of Powers

The Founding Fathers remembered the problems they experienced under ​ (a)   rule.

They were determined to preserve their rights. At the same time, the Articles of Confederation

taught them that the central government needed to have some ​ (b)   .

They decided to split the government into​ (c)   sections.

• Great Britain’s
• power
• three
• 50
• France's

The ___________ branch, or Congress, makes the laws. The executive branch, or the president, makes sure the laws are followed and handles relationships with other countries. The judicial branch interprets the laws and makes decisions on legal cases. The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court and all federal courts.