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US Constitution

The Declaration of Independence a. Pursuit of Equality i. Not very true ii. Thomas Jefferson 1. All men created equal, yet he owned slaves b. Slavery i. No states south of Pennsylvania abolished slavery 1. their economy would drop if they did ii. Congress didnt abolish slavery b/c they didnt want a North/South split iii. Unity > equality of man c. Continental Congress i. Representatives from all colonies ii. Each colony drafted its own constitution 1. solid state government d. Post-War Equality i. Loss with the British trade II. The Articles of Confederation *Essay 5 a. Characteristics i. Loose alliance ii. State constitutions ruled iii. 1 congress 1. reps from every state 2. equal voting unit 1:1 3. 9/13 must vote yes to pass law *Created a purposely weak government b/c they didnt want to be like Britain. b. Weakness i. No executive 1. no enforcement 2. congress didnt have power ii. No national Judiciary 1. biased decisions in courts 2. favoured the state benefit iii. No regulation of commerce (trade) 1. taxes between interstate trade iv. No power to tax 1. no funding for government programs v. No power to raise an army 1. didnt want a standing army 2. had no defense against attackers c. Shays Rebellion i. Daniel Shay I.

1. war veteran who racked up debt because the compensation he received from the was was no good in Massachusetts. 2. went to Boston to steal from the rich ii. No state defense 1. Caused a realization for the need of troups a. Army paid by rich people formed 2. Realized, for the better interest of the country, that a stronger central government was needed iii. From the Articles of Confederation The Constitution d. Successes of the Articles of Confederation i. Rules about land exploration 1. Land ordinance of 1765 a. Sold land chunks to raise money for war debt i. However 1 chunk in every township was set aside for education. (public schoolhouse, college, etc.) 2. Northwest Ordinance of 1787 a. No slavery in Northwest land i. Gold found: 1. if slaveholders came, they would harvest all the gold before poorer people could have a chance. ii. If the Population hit 60,000 they could petition to become a state III. Philadelphia a. Meeting of the Continental Congress i. Trashed the Articles of Confederation ii. Meeting was Top Secret iii. Who was there? 1. delegates from every state a. most were young b. except Ben Franklin (age 81) iv. Motives? 1. self preservation of rights 2. state preservation of rights v. Conflicts (Big vs. Small) 1. Virginia Plan a. Sovereign by the people b. Bicameral c. A central government i. Three branches d. Ratification by the people *The Bigger states favoured this because they had a bigger population and they would have more votes.

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vi. The New Jersey Plan 1. Sovereign by the state 2. Unicameral legislature 3. Removable executive (president) 4. National judiciary a. Avoids biased decision in court 5. Ratification by states vii. Compromise- The Connecticut Compromise 1. Legislature: bicameral a. Lower house- population based b. Upper house (senate)- 1:1 equal rights vote 2. Executive: Single person chosen by the Electoral College 3. National Judiciary a. Final decisions on national issues viii. Population Controversy 1. Women and Children Count 2. Slaves? a. South wanted them to count so they would have a bigger population b. North didnt want them to count because they didnt want the South more powerful c. Compromised as a 3/5 of a person ix. Taxes 1. Regulates commerce 2. Can pass with 2/3 votes The Electoral College a. Disproportionate- small state impact i. 1st place: President ii. 2nd place: Vice President b. How to deal with mobocracy i. Delegate can decide for themselves Basic Principles a. Federalsimi. Power divided between national and state governments b. Seperation of Powers i. Each branch independent and coequal c. Checks and Balances i. Power of each branch checked by the other two d. Supremacy Law i. Federal Government and their laws are supreme

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Articles of Confederation VS. The Constitution Articles of Confederation The Constitution Both Documents Democratic congress 3 branches Divided votes Executive 1 constitution Bill of rights

Congress 1 vote per state No Executive State constitutions

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists


Alex Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay Property Owners in the North Believed in elitism Power central government Distrusted people Supported Government Thomas Jefferson (Brutus/ Cato) Small Farmers/ Laborers Decency of the common man Everyone has a say Trusted people Skepticle of Constitution Believed in rebellion Demanded Bill of Rights

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