The Constitution
Chapter 1, Section 3
Main Idea
• The Revolutionary War gave the 13 colonies a
common goal of independence, but they
remained reluctant to unite under a strong
central government.
Articles of Confederation
• War ends in 1781.
• Treaty of Paris signed in 1783.
• Individual states wrote their
own constitutions.
• The Articles of Confederation
loosely unified the states
under the Confederation
Congress.
Weaknesses of the Articles
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No president.
No national court system.
Congress had no power to tax.
Congress has no power to enforce treaties.
Every state has one vote.
Congress has no power to regulate commerce.
Shay’s Rebellion
• January 1787
• led by Daniel Shays
• protesting new taxes that hurt farmers during a
recession.
• Represented the problems of the Articles of
Confederation.
TIMELINE!
• Place these events in proper chronological order.
• You must be able to justify why one event comes
before or after the other!!!
•Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
•The Enlightenment
•Jamestown Colony
•The Stamp Act
•Treaty of Paris
•Declaration of Independence
•Plymouth Colony
•Glorious Revolution
•Articles of Confederation
•The Great Awakening
•English Bill of Rights
•Battles of Lexington &
Concord
•The Constitution of the
USA
A New Constitution
• May 1787, 55 delegates in Philadelphia began
creating a new national government.
▫ George Washington chosen as presiding officer.
▫ Met to revise the Articles of Confederation, but
decided to completely abandon them.
Constitutional Convention
• All the delegates supported a stronger national
government with the power to levy taxes and
make laws that would be binding upon the states.
Constitutional Convention
• The delegates wanted to protect against tyranny
by the government itself, as well as tyranny by
the people.
▫ (Not too much gov’t & not too much democracy)
Debate and Compromise
• From the reading, add these to your notes:
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Virginia Plan
New Jersey Plan
Great Compromise
Three-Fifths Compromise
Debate and Compromise
Warmup: Take out & review your answers
1. What differences between the 13 states made
compromise necessary?
2. What caused Shay’s Rebellion?
3. Why did small states object to the Virginia
Plan?
4. Describe the structure of government created
by the Great Compromise.
5. What probably would have happened if
opponents of slavery at the Constitutional
Convention had insisted on abolition?
6. How many states abolished slavery during the
founding area?
Fight for Ratification
• After approval by the Confederation Congress,
the Constitution need 9 of 13 states to approve it
(ratification).
Federalists
• Supporters of the
Constitution
• James Madison, Alexander
Hamilton, & John Jay
wrote The Federalist
papers, which summarized
their arguments.
Antifederalists
• Opposed the Constitution
• Some believed that a Bill of Rights was needed to
protect individuals.
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POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY
LIMITED GOVERNMENT
FEDERALISM
SEPARATION OF POWERS
CHECKS AND BALANCES
JUDICIAL REVIEW
The Flexibility of the Constitution
• Elastic Clause: “Congress shall
make all laws which shall be
necessary and proper”
• To amend the Constitution, 2/3
vote of both house, ¾ votes of all
states.
• Expressed Powers Concurrent Powers
given to the federal shared between
government.
state and federal.
Directly stated in
Article I, Sec. 8.
Reserved Powers
given to the state
government in the
10th amendment.