Creating a Government

Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
 Where are we in time?
Hint: what had just happened?
What was the war fought over?
 Separate
or
stay
together?

Together… barely.

They created a weak national

government with little power.
 Articles of Confederation
• Read: We the People, pp. 56-58.

• Using power notes, take notes on the main

ideas and details about the Articles of
Confederation.
 Weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation
1. Problem: No power to get money
2. Congress could not collect taxes

3. Had to ask states for money!

2. Congress couldn’t pay back the war debt

3. Needed 10 million… but states only gave 1.5

million !
1. Problem: No control over state governments
2. Congress couldn’t make laws about people’s
behavior or force them to do anything.

3. If people disobeyed, there was no way to

punish them.

3. Could not enforce the Treaty of Paris

4. Loyalists, or people who had remained loyal

to England, got treated badly in some
states
1. Problem: Could not enforce trade agreements

2. Citizens were not paying countries

3. Other countries stopped trading with the US

3. Many Americans lost $$

1. Problem: Unfair trade among states

2. States were taxing each other for trading

1. Problem: Citizen’s rights were not being
protected

2. The majority ruled for their own interest

3. Factions- groups that had a common interest

and made laws for themselves

3. Laws did not always benefit everyone

 Journal:
Read: “Life on a Sailing Ship”

Answer & Discuss:

1. Were there any limits of power on the captain?
2. Did the people on the ship have any power?
3. What type of government did the ship most closely
represent? Explain.
4. What laws would you suggest should be made to
protect the rights of the sailors?

(We the People, p. 31)

Constitutional Convention
• 1. Constitutional Convention Facts
2. Info about meeting
2. (where, when, etc)
2.
2. Important people A person who was
important at the meeting
3.
4.
3.
4. A detail about what that
person did
3.
4.
3.
4.
Where was it held?
Philadelphia,
PA

The former
capitol

May 25-
Sept 17, 1787
Who was there?
 Important faces
James Madison

“The Father of the

Constitution”
 Important Faces
Alexander Hamilton

-Federalist: argued
for more power
for the Government
 Important Faces
George Washington

-elected to run the

meeting
 Important Faces
Benjamin Franklin

81 years old

Mediator of delegates
• 1. Constitutional Convention
2. A meeting to design a new government
because the Articles of Confederation failed
2. Philadelphia, PA
2. Date: May-Sept, 1787
2. Important people
3. James Madison
4. Took Notes on meeting
3. Alexander Hamilton
4. Federalist- wanted strong gov.
3. George Washington
4. President of meeting
3. Benjamin Franklin
4. Made sure people got along
 Problems they faced…
Who votes?
More
Government! Which state has
most control?

Less
Do slaves count in
Government! population?

How to balance
power?

How to make a
democracy work?
Compromises
Vote: Who gets the resources?

Was this vote fair? Why or why not?

If not, could you come up with an idea that

would be more fair to your state?
Virginia Plan- Representatives based on the
population of each state

Who would this help?

Who would this hurt?
New Jersey Plan- Representatives equal for
each state

Who would this help?

Who would this hurt?
 Great Compromise

Bicameral Legislature- two houses

Congress

Senate House of
Representatives
 Who is “the population”?
Do non-voters count?

Do slaves count?

Be able to justify your answer.

 Three-Fifths Compromise
• South wants slaves to be counted as state
population

– Why??

• North does not want slaves to be counted as state

population

– Why???
 Three Fifths
Compromise

Compromise –
-Count slaves as 3/5
-North agreed to wait 20 years before seeking an
end to slave trade
-South agreed that laws do not have to be passed
by 2/3 vote