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British Colonial Rule
Unit 2
Foundation of American Government
Unitary System – all power flows from one central government
Powerful British Government
“Countdown to the
Constitution”
Mr. Ahlberg
1 King + Parliament (2 houses)
Individual Colonies
Notes #2
Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation
•  United States’ first form of Government
Confederate System – power concentrated in political subunits (states)
with a weak central government (typically unite for a common goal)
Individual States
•  1781-1787
•  Designed specifically to be “Non-British”
•  Limited Central Government
•  State powers not threatened
•  Created Equality among the States (1 vote per State)
•  No executive (they hated kings)
•  Confederacies are typically…U S A L ! !
N T B E !
Weak Federal Government
Articles of Confederation
•  Successes
•  Won the Revolutionary War over a superior foe
•  Negotiated a favorable treaty with Britain
•  Established the Northwest Ordinance
–  Rules for new states to be added to the union
•  Set the precedent for Federalism
A of C – Weaknesses
•  “State retain sovereignty, freedom, and
independence” Gov’t has no control
•  Unicameral Congress with one vote per state
•  Supermajority (9 of 13) to pass a law
•  Supermajority (13 of 13) to amend
•  No Executive/President (could not enforce laws)
•  No Federal Judiciary (could not settle disputes)
•  No power to levy taxes
•  Had to beg states for money
•  Couldn’t pay off war debt
•  Could not raise an army (draft soldiers)
•  No National currency
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Shays’ Rebellion
•  To pay for war debts, some states raised the
taxes on farmers
•  Farmers in Massachusetts were arrested and
foreclosed on for not paying these taxes
•  Daniel Shays
•  was a farmer and a officer in the Continental Army
•  Rebelled against judges and government officials
•  Fear spread that the rebellion would spread
•  Showed that Gov’t under AoC was weak
Two “Revision” Plans
•  Virginia Plan
The Constitutional
Convention
•  55 from 12 States Delegates
•  met in Philadelphia
•  purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation
•  Demographics of Delegates
-33 Lawyers
-half were college graduates
-7 former governors
-7 plantation owners
-8 business leaders
-age 26-81 (avg. age 42)
-all male, all white
Two “Revision” Plans
•  New Jersey Plan
–  Favored large states
•  Representation would be based on state
population
–  Strong central government
–  Bicameral (two house) legislature
•  larger house elected by the people
–  House of Representatives
•  smaller house that would be selected by larger
house
–  Senate
Great Compromise
•  A bicameral legislature
–  The House of Representatives
membership would be
apportioned according to the
state populations
•  Elected by popular vote
–  The Senate would have two
members from each state,
•  Elected by the state legislature
–  The 17th Amendment changed this
to a popular vote
–  Agreed with strong central
government…BUT
–  Congress would be unicameral
(one house
•  Representation would be equal
for all states
–  Did not want large population
states to dominate the
legislature
Three-fifths Compromise
•  The question of counting
slaves as part of the
population was debated
between northern and
southern states.
•  A compromise was reached
•  The South could count 3/5 of the
slaves living in a state toward their
population
•  The North secured the end of the
importation of new slaves by 1808.
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Other Agreements
•  President
Separation of Powers
• 
•  A chief executive who had the
power to approve laws or could
veto them
•  Congress was given the power to
override a veto
Prevents an all-powerful ruling body
1. 
2. 
3. 
Legislature – passes law (Congress)
Executive – enforces law (President)
Judiciary – interprets law (Supreme Court)
•  Supreme Court
•  Originally created to arbitrate
disputes between the President and
Congress as well as the Federal
Government and the States
Amending the Constitution
•  Amendments are proposed by a 2/3 vote
in each house of Congress
•  Proposed Amendments are sent to each
state to be ratified (accepted)
•  Must be ratified in at least ¾ of the state
legislatures
•  Meant to be difficult, but not impossible
•  Designed to require action from both the Federal
and State governments
Fed vs. Anti-Fed
•  Ratification – formal approval
•  Federalist – in favor of adoption of US
Constitution creating a federal union and
strong central government
•  Anti-Federalist – opposed to ratification in
1787, opposed to strong central
government
Constitution
Federal System – powers are divided and/or shared between state
and central governments (Current gov’t designed by framers)
Central US government
State governments
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