US Founding Documents: Declaration, Articles, Constitution

• Notes cover the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights

Declaration of Independence

• Two main reasons for the Declaration of Independence included declaring independence from Britain and to motivate foreign allies to join the fight.
• King George III was blamed most for the grievances.
• Grievances against King George III:
• He kept armies in the US during times of peace.
• He cut off the US's trade with all parts of the world.
• He imposed taxes without US consent.
• He plundered the US seas
• He deprived the US of jury trials in many cases.
• He burned down US towns.

Articles of Confederation

• Each state had one vote in Congress under the Articles.
• Congress could pass laws with the approval of 9 of 13 states.
• Congress could handle war, peace, and money matters.
• States could choose their own military leaders.
• All states would help raise money for the central government, but Congress couldn't require states to pay taxes.
• Congress was unable to regulate trade or arguments between the states.
• The Articles of Confederation had a very loose organization of states which granted the national government more power which later became a big problem.
• The US owed over $45 million to other countries from the Revolutionary War but had no way to pay it back so veterans were not getting paid.
• Many states taxed goods that crossed their borders.
• Spain closed its port in New Orleans to encourage US citizens to join the Spanish in Spain
• During the war, both New York and New Hampshire claimed Vermont, and used their own state militias to try and solve the problem.
• Vermont wanted to ally with the British if the US government would not allow them to become their own state, this led to many fights that no one could stop.
• Britain refused to remove their troops from the Ohio River Valley
• Britain also supported Native Americans.
• Congress and individual states printed their own money which made it difficult to determine money's worth.
• Congress had no gold or silver to make any more coins so there was a major problem when purchasing goods from another state

Shay's Rebellion

• Farmers in Massachusetts were ordered to sell their lands and pay their debts due to the money shortage.
• Many farmers were unpaid war veterans.
• Daniel Shays led the rebellion by closing courthouses to prevent judges from stealing farms and to prevent the government from arresting any of the debtors.
• Rebels seized an arsenal of weapons, and Congress did not have an army to stop them.
• Congress eventually sent in a militia to stop the rebellion.
• The Rebellion caused congress realized they needed to change the Articles of Confederation

Constitution

• The Virginia Plan:
• Power divided among executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
• Legislative branch would have a Senate and House of Representatives.
• Representation in both houses based on state population.
• The New Jersey Plan: -A single legislative house. -Each state had one vote.
• The Connecticut Compromise: -Three branches of government. -Two legislative houses: a Senate and a House of Representatives. -Senate would have two representatives per state. -House of Representatives' membership based on population.
• Debate Between Large and Small States: -Centered on equal voting power versus population-based voting.
• Debate Between Northern and Southern States: -Focused on whether enslaved people should be counted as property or population.
• Northern Perspective: -Enslaved people should only be counted as property for taxation purposes. -Enslaved people should not be counted as population for representation.
• Southern Perspective: -Enslaved people should be counted as part of the population for determining the number of representatives in the House. -Enslaved people should not be counted as property for taxation. -The national government should help catch runaway slaves.
• The 3/5's Compromise: -Each enslaved person would count as three-fifths of a person for both taxation and representation.
• Importation of new slaves from Africa would end by 1808.

Constitutional Convention

• The Constitutional Convention consisted of 55 delegates from twelve of the thirteen states (minus Rhode Island).
• All members of the countries social, economic, and political elite
• Many had been members of the continental congress
• All were white males nearly all were wealthy
• More than half were lawyers and more than half owned slaves
• The groups of people not represented include: Women | Native Americans | Enslaved people
• James Madison took the most notes at the Constitutional Convention and wrote most of the Constitution itself.

Branches of Government

• Executive Branch:
• Led by the President
• Responsible for carrying out laws passed by Congress.
• President serves a four-year term, can be re-elected only once, is the commander in chief, directs foreign relations, appoints a cabinet that act as the president's advisors, elected by electors in the electoral college
• Legislative Branch:
• Makes the laws.
• Consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. -Senate: Each state has two senators; senators serve six-year terms; senators are elected directly by the people. -House of Representatives: The number of representatives from each state is based on population, and representatives serve for two years, and are elected directly by those from their congressional districts (435 members).
• Congress makes new laws by proposing bills; bills must be approved by both houses and the President.
• Judicial Branch:
• Includes local, state, and federal court systems.
• Responsible for interpreting the laws.
• Supreme Court: -Determines if a law or government action goes against the Constitution (judicial review). -Consists of nine justices who serve for life. -Reviews cases involving constitutional questions; justices are chosen by the president and have to be approved by the senate.
• Checks and Balances:
• The government has a system so that no branch has too much power over the other branches

Checks & Balances

-Legislative Branch: -President can veto a law. -Supreme Court can rule that any law passed by Congress is unconstitutional. -If the House of Representatives passes a law the law can be rejected by the Senate -Executive Branch: -The Senate can reject any treaty the President has negotiated. -Congress can refuse to pay for any act the President wants to take.
-Congress can override Presidential vetoes with a ⅔ vote, and remove the President from office through impeachment

• Judicial Branch: -The President can influence the judicial branch by picking judges who agree with the President. -Congress can make an amendment to the constitution if they want to override a supreme court decision. -The President can pardon people who are convicted for federal crimes

Bill of Rights

• Guarantees the freedom of religion, speech, and the ability to protest peacefully
• The right to bear arms
• No forced quartering of soldiers
• Protection against unlawful search and seizure
• Guarantees due process of law; the right to remain silent; and the right to own public property
• The right to a speedy trial, a lawyer, being told what your being charged for, public trials
• The right to a trial by jury
• Protection from cruel or unusual punishments, and an appropriate bail
• Citizens have more rights than listed here
• Congress doesn't have more rights than what's listed here

Review of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the Bill Of Rights. It highlights reasons for the Declaration of Independence and grievances against King George III. It also details the structure and powers under the Articles of Confederation.