Articles of Confederation & US Constitution PDF

The Articles of Confederation and U.S. Constitution (AKS 33 d) © Brain Wrinkles  Articles of Confederation Video on The Articles © Bra...

The Articles of Confederation and U.S. Constitution (AKS 33 d) © Brain Wrinkles  Articles of Confederation Video on The Articles © Brain Wrinkles  A Plan America’s first written constitution was not the Constitution that we have in place today. As the American Revolution began, America had no national government. In 1777, colonial representatives worked together to write a new government plan called the Articles of Confederation. © Brain Wrinkles  Drafting the Articles of Confederation © Brain Wrinkles  A Plan It took four years for all 13 states to sign it and the Articles of Confederation finally went into effect on March 1, 1781. The Articles set up a republican democracy where citizens elect people to represent them. The Articles created a weak central government that gave states a lot of power over their own affairs. © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Confederation Americans were scared of giving too much power to the central government because they had just fought for independence from a powerful government. They viewed the states as independent, and the United States as more of a loose confederation of states working together only when necessary. They did not want to lose their hard-won independence by turning the new government into another tyrant. © Brain Wrinkles  In summary… No Power © Brain Wrinkles  No Power The new U.S. government could declare war and sign treaties, but that was about the extent of its power. There was no strong national government, nor was there a leader in charge (no chief executive like a president). The states had a lot of power, but they could never all agree on anything. © Brain Wrinkles  Weaknesses The new U.S. government could not establish a national army without the permission of all the states. It could not levy taxes to fund the government, making it impossible to pay debts or soldiers. The government could not regulate trade among the states, so states could put tariffs on each other. It provided for no judicial or executive branch, only a one-house legislative branch. © Brain Wrinkles  Weaknesses Congress could make laws, but not force states to comply with them. Each state only received 1 vote, regardless of its population. ⅔ of state were needed to pass a law and all 13 states had to approve an amendment. Each state had its own currency (although the national government could print money also). © Brain Wrinkles  The United States did not have a common currency under the Articles of Confederation. © Brain Wrinkles  Not Working It soon became apparent (especially to key leaders) that the Articles had to be revised because the national government was just too weak. The states argued over borders and trade, and Congress had no power to stop them. Foreign governments did not know if they were dealing with 1 country or 13 different ones. The country’s economy worsened. © Brain Wrinkles  George Washington called the Articles of Confederation “a half-starved, limping government”. © Brain Wrinkles  A New Constitution © Brain Wrinkles  Change The founders realized that the Articles of Confederation were too weak to effectively govern the country and had to be revised. In May 1787, delegates from 12 states met in Philadelphia with the intent to change (amend) the Articles. © Brain Wrinkles  Independence Hall, Philadelphia © Brain Wrinkles  Convention The members ended up discarding the Articles and writing a completely new document. This meeting became known as the Constitutional Convention. © Brain Wrinkles  Constitutional Convention 1787 © Brain Wrinkles  Georgia Georgia selected six delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Two delegates did not attend, and two others left early. Abraham Baldwin and William Few signed the U.S. Constitution as members of the Georgia delegation. © Brain Wrinkles  Abraham Baldwin (1754-1807); Short video soldier, successful politician, helped found University of Georgia and was its first president © Brain Wrinkles  Representation During the Constitutional Convention, Baldwin was involved in debates over the issue of states’ representation in Congress. Small states were concerned that they would be outvoted by large states. © Brain Wrinkles  Representation When he realized that small states might withdraw from the convention, Baldwin changed his vote to side with the smaller states. His vote forced a tie, and the issue was sent to a committee for further review. © Brain Wrinkles  Compromise Baldwin helped develop the Great Compromise to solve the representation dilemma. This created a bicameral legislature where each state had two members in the Senate, but representation in the House of Representatives was based on the state’s population. The compromise pulled the convention out of a complete standstill. © Brain Wrinkles  Another Compromise Southern delegates to the Convention (including those from GA) did not want any restrictions on slavery AND wanted to count slaves in a states’ population. Northern delegates wanted to end the slave trade and to NOT count slaves as part of a states’ population. The “Three-Fifths Compromise” was agreed to. Slaves would count as ⅗ of a person for representation. This ended debate in the short term, but would not solve the issue of slavery long-term. © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Constitution School House Rock – The Preamble Click on the symbol. 3:01 After the delegates’ debate was settled, the new constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. The U.S. Constitution is the written plan that establishes the framework for America’s government. © Brain Wrinkles  Page 1 of the Original Copy of the U.S. Constitution © Brain Wrinkles  Constitution The U.S. Constitution describes how the country’s government is organized and how power is divided. It describes what the government may or may not do. The U.S. Constitution also establishes America’s government as a representative republic (democracy) and limits the power of the government. © Brain Wrinkles  Democracy As a democracy, the people hold the power of the government because they can vote. Citizens vote to decide issues and choose representatives. Three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) with checks and balances was established. The basic rights of America’s citizens are protected by the U.S. Constitution. © Brain Wrinkles  William Few By 1787, most Georgians supported a stronger central government. Georgia’s other delegate to the convention, William Few, represented Georgians well by voting in favor of the national government during critical times at the convention. He worked diligently to make sure that the Constitution was ratified. © Brain Wrinkles  William Few (1748-1828); soldier, politician in GA and New York) © Brain Wrinkles  Georgia On January 2, 1788, Georgia was the 4th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Many Georgians favored a strong national government that could protect them from American Indians and the Spanish in Florida. Georgians in coastal regions also hoped that a strong central government would Click on the popcorn to improve trade regulations. learn more. Answer the questions in your notebook. © Brain Wrinkles 5:03