1
Chapter
Two:
The
Constitution
Learning Objectives
2
 Explain the impact of events in the early
settlements, including Jamestown
(representative assembly) and Plymouth (social
contract) on later political developments in the
colonies.
 Trace the events and circumstances that led to
the Revolutionary War.
 Explain the reasons for British attempts to raise
revenue.
Learning Objectives
3
 Describe the colonial response:
 Boston
Tea Party
Continental Congress
 Second Continental Congress
 Common Sense
 First
 Explain the key ideas in the Declaration of
Independence, including the concepts of
natural rights and consent of the governed.
Learning Objectives
4
 Explain the development of the Articles of
Confederation.
 Explain the structure of the government created
under the Articles of Confederation, including
Congress.
 Explain the weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation (dependence upon the good will
of states, the inability to tax or support a militia,
the need for unanimous approval of
amendments).
 Explain the impact of Shays’ Rebellion.
Learning Objectives
5
 Summarize the events leading to the calling of
the Constitutional Convention.
 Explain the problem of representation in
Congress, including the Virginia and New
Jersey plans.
 Describe the Great Compromise and the
Three-Fifths Compromise.
 Explain the attempts at the distribution of power
(separation of powers, checks and balances,
and the Electoral College).
Learning Objectives
6
 Describe the historical context surrounding the
drafting and ratification of the Constitution,
including the motivations of the founders.
 Describe the Bill of Rights.
 Detail the ways in which Constitutional
amendments are proposed and ratified.
 Describe the informal ways in which Congress,
the president, and the courts can change the
Constitution.
The Colonial Background
7
 In 1620 the first New England colony was
established.
 Separatists were dissatisfied with the Church of
England and sought a place where they could
practice their religious beliefs.
 The compact they formed set forth the idea of
consent of the governed.
The Colonial Background
8
The Colonial Background
9
 British Restrictions on
the Colonies
 The
British government
passed a series of taxes
to pay for the French
and Indian War:
 Sugar
Act of 1764
Act of 1765
 Coercive Acts of 1774
 Stamp
The Colonial Response: Continental
Congresses
10
 First Continental Congress was held in 1774 in
Philadelphia to express grievances to the King.
 Second Continental Congress was held in 1775
to establish an army and to attempt a
settlement with Parliament.
 By July 2, 1776 the Second Continental
Congress adopted a Resolution of
Independence.
Declaring Independence
11
 The Declaration of Independence
 Enumerates
colonies grievances with Britain.
people’s natural rights of life, liberty,
equality, and consent of the governed.
 Delineates
Declaring Independence
12
 Rise of Republicanism
 While
republicans were opposed to rule by the
British, they were also opposed to rule by any
strong central authority and were even skeptical
of a permanent union of the states.
 Each
state was seen as the sovereign authority
and the only legitimate ruling force.
The Articles of Confederation: The First Form
of Government
13
 The confederation was a voluntary association
of independent states.
 Thirteen states established a government
consisting of a Congress of the Confederation.
 Each state had a single vote.
The Articles of Confederation: The First Form
of Government
14
The Articles of Confederation: The First Form
of Government
15
The Articles of Confederation: The First Form
of Government
16
 Accomplishments Under the Articles
 Settled
land disputes among the states over
western lands.
 Passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 that
established government for new territories.
 Could declare war and conduct foreign policy.
The Articles of Confederation: The First Form
of Government
17
 Weaknesses of the Articles
 Could
not collect revenue from the states.
not raise an army.
 Amendments to the Articles required unanimous
consent of Congress.
 Did not establish a national court system.
 Could
Drafting the Constitution
18
 In order to address the weaknesses of the
Articles, Congress approved a convention to
revise the Articles in Philadelphia in 1787.
 Fifty-five delegates from the 13 states attended.
 Majority of delegates were nationalists who
wanted a strong central government.
Drafting the Constitution
19
 Politicking and Compromises
 The
Virginia Plan called for:
 Bicameral
(two-chamber) legislature
executive, elected by legislature
 National judiciary
 National
Drafting the Constitution
20
 Politicking and Compromises (Continued)
 The
New Jersey Plan called for:
 One
state, one vote
to regulate trade and impose taxes
 Congressional acts to be supreme law of the land
 Congress to elect an Executive office
 Executive office to establish a Supreme Court
 Congress
Drafting the Constitution
21
 The “Great Compromise”
 Established
a bicameral legislature with the
House of Representatives apportion based on
population.
 Established the Senate with two members from
each state.
 Established a Supreme Court and allowed
Congress to establish lower courts.
Drafting the Constitution
22
 The Madisonian Model
 Separation
of the executive,
legislative, and judicial power
of government so that no one
branch has enough power to
dominate the others.
 Establishes a system of checks
and balances that enables one
branch of government to check
the actions of the others.
Drafting the Constitution
23
The Final Document
24





Popular sovereignty
Republican government
Limited government
Separation of powers
Federal system
The Difficult Road to Ratification
25
 Federalists favored a strong central
government and the new Constitution.
 Anti-federalists wanted a weak central
government and retain the Articles of
Confederation.
The Difficult Road to Ratification
26
 The Federalists’ Argument
 Federalist
Papers were published in New York
papers to promote approval of the Constitution.
 Considered
the best example of American
political theory.
The Difficult Road to Ratification
27
 Anti-Federalists’ Arguments
 Opposed
 Wanted
rights.
strong central government.
a guarantee of personal liberties, a bill of
The Difficult Road to Ratification
28
The Difficult Road to Ratification
29
 Support for the New Constitution
 Beard’s
 State
Thesis
Ratifying Conventions
 Support
Was Probably Widespread
The Bill of Rights
30
 A “Bill of Limits”
 No explicit limits on state government powers
 Did not apply to state governments
Altering the Constitution: The Formal
Amendment Process
31
Proposing an Amendment:
1.
a two-thirds vote in each chamber of
Congress.
Or
2.
a national convention that is called by
Congress at the request of two-thirds of the
state legislatures (the second method has
never been used).
Altering the Constitution: The Formal
Amendment Process
32
Ratifying an Amendment:
1.
by a positive vote in three-fourths of the
legislatures of the various states.
Or
2.
by special conventions called in the states
and a positive vote in three-fourths of them.
Altering the Constitution: The Formal
Amendment Process
33
Altering the Constitution: The Formal
Amendment Process
34
Altering the Constitution: The Formal
Amendment Process
35
Informal Methods of Constitutional Change
36
 Congressional Legislation
 Presidential Actions
 Judicial Review
 Interpretation, Custom, and Usage
Web Resources
37
 Emory University School of Law
U.S. founding documents, including the
Declaration of Independence, the U.S.
Constitution, and the Federalist Papers:
www.law.emory.edu/erd/docs/federalist
 National Constitution Center
information on the Constitution—including its
history, current debates, and news articles:
www.constitutioncenter.org
What If…the Constitution Had
Banned Slavery Outright?
38
 Even though slavery was banned in the north,
by 1780 there were nearly 650,000 slaves in
the United States.
 The Constitutional Convention compromised on
slavery: slaves were counted as 3/5 of a
person and slave trade would be banned by
1808.
 Southern states would not have ratified the
Constitution without these compromises.