UNIT THREE

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UNIT THREE

• WRITING OF THE CONSTITUTION

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I. Drafting the Constitution

• A. Annapolis Conference
• 1. Virginia called for a meeting of all states
• 2. Annapolis, Maryland (Sept. 11, 1786)
• 3. Discussed problems of the Articles and
  petitioned the Cont. Congress to fix the economic
  problems
• B. February, 1787
• 1. Congress approved a convention for the
  sole and express purpose of revising the
  Articles of Confederation.
• 2. Convention to be held in Philadelphia

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• C. What is needed?
• 1. Most delegates agreed that a national govt.
  was needed.
• 2. Montesquieu
• a. French writer
• b. Idea of separation of power
• c. Divide the power of govt.
• 1. Legislative-----make laws
• 2. Executive------Enforce laws
• 3. Judicial---------Interpret laws
• d. Help guard against tyranny

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3. Getting Organized

• a. Site Pennsylvania State House
• Philadelphia, Penn.
• b. May 25, 1787
• 1. Quorumthe minimum number of delegates needed
  to conduct a meeting. (May 25, 1787)
• 2. Delegates decided to not fix the Articles of
  Confederation
• (did not follow instructions)

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• Pennsylvania
• State House

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• d. Who were the delegates?
• 1. 12/13 states participated (RI refused)
• 2. 55 delegates attended
• a. 33---legal profession
• b. 3---physicians
• c. 50 college graduates
• d. 6---large plantation owners
• e. Avg. age was 42
• 3. Notable Delegates missing
• a. Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Patrick
  Henry were all opposed to a strong central govt.
• b. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were
  working in Europe

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D. Convention Begins

• 1. Quorumthe minimum number of delegates
  needed to conduct a meeting.
• a. May 25, 1787
• b. Independence Hall
• 2. Elected Leaders
• a. George Washington elected Presiding Officer
• b. William Jackson---secretary of the convention
• c. James Madison kept a daily, detailed journal

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• 2. Rules of the convention established
• a. Meetings kept secret
• b. Each state given one vote
• c. Difficult conditions (summer, etc)

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• 3. The Virginia Plan (May 29, 1787)
• a. Governor Edmund Randolph and James Madison of
  Virginia developed a series of resolutions
  proposing a new national govt.
• b. Bicameral legislature
• 1. Lower Chamber chosen by the people
• 2. Upper Chamber made up of people from the
  lower chamber
• 3. Representation based upon the states
  population (favored large states)

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• c. An executive and judicial branch elected by
  the legislature
• 1. Power to make and enforce laws
• 2. Power to collect its own taxes
• d. Federal system established
• --State and National governments would share
  government powers

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• 4. New Jersey Plan (June 15, 1787)
• a. William Patterson of New Jersey
• b. Proposed the following
• 1. Each state would have one vote,
  regardless of size.
• 2. Unicameral Congress would be able to
  regulate trade and taxation
• 3. Several people elected from Congress
  to form an executive office
• 4. Executive office would appoint a
  Supreme Court
• 5. Supremacy Law priority of national law
  over state laws.
• c. Plan favored smaller states

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• 5. Crisis and Questions
• a. Both plans were rejected (large vs. small)
• b. Questions arose over how to elect officials
• c. How much power to give to the executive?
• d. Delegates threaten to leave

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• 6. The Connecticut (the Great) Compromise
• a. Roger Sherman of Connecticut
• b. Attempted to make compromises to both groups
• c. Compromisean agreement where two groups have
  to give up something in order to meet each groups
  demands

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d. Proposals of the Conn. Compromise

• 1. Lower House of Congress
• a. Named the House of Representatives
• b. Representation would be based on each states
  population (larger states)
• c. Chosen by the people
• 2. Upper House of Congress
• a. Named the Senate
• b. Each state would have an equal number of
  senators 2 per state (small states)

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3. On July 16, delegates accepted the Conn.
Compromise
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7. Three-Fifths Compromise

• a. A compromise that dealt with taxation and
  representation
• b. 600,000 slaves in America/ 4 million total
  people in America
• c. Issue of Slavery
• 1. Northern States---abolished slavery
• 2. Southern States---needed slavery for the
  large plantation economy

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• Map of
• the 13
• Colonies
• numbers
• numbers of slaves (1770)

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d. Representation and Taxation

• 1. Southern States
• a. wanted to count slaves into the total
  population for representation
• b. but not for taxation purposes
• 2. Northern States
• a. Compromised with southern states
• b. Allowed slaves to count for representation,
  but also for taxation
• c. Slaves would count as 3/5 of a person

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• E. Economic Compromises
• 1. Legislative Branch given the power to
  regulate commerce (Foreign and Interstate)
• 2. Slavery issue not to be dealt with until 1808
• 3. Forbidden the power to tax exports from any
  State (protect tobacco trade)
• 4. All treaties must be approved by 2/3 vote of
  the Senate

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• F. Sources of the Constitution
• 1. Political writings of
• a. John Locke
• b. Montesquieu
• c. William Blackstone
• d. Rousseau
• 2. Ancient Greece and Rome
• 3. Past Experiences
• a. Continental Congress
• b. State Constitutions
• c. Articles of Confederation

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• G. Issues of Suffrage
• 1. Suffrage the right to vote
• 2. Women, slaves, and Indians did not have the
  right to vote
• 3. States given the right to decide who should
  have the right to vote
• H. Final Meeting of the Convention
• 1. Sept. 8, 1787
• 2. Committee chosen to prepare a final version
  (Gouverneur Morris)
• 3. Document called the Constitution of the
  United States of America

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• I. Signing the Constitution
• 1. September 17, 1787
• 2. 39 out of the 42 still present signed
• 3. Edmund Randolph, George Mason, and Elbridge
  Gerry refused to sign b/c believed the new govt.
  had too much power
• J. Ratification (to approve)
• 1. The final draft of the Constitution sent to
  all 13 states following the convention
• 2. In order to ratify the Constitution, 9 states
  had to approve it

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III. Ratification Process

• A. The Federalists
• 1. Who
• ---James Madison, Alexander Hamilton John Jay
• 2. Support
• a. The Constitution
• b. Strong Central govt.
• 3. The Federalist Papers
• a. Series of newspaper articles
• b. Supported the Constitution

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B. Anti-Federalists

• 1. Who
• a. Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and Edmund
  Randolph
• b. Opponents of the Constitution and a strong
  central govt.
• 2. Objections
• a. It gave too much power to the national
  government at the expense of the state
  governments.
• b. There was no bill of rights.
• c. The national government could maintain an
  army in peacetime.
• d. Congress had too much power

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C. Ratifying the Constitution

• 1. Delaware became the 1st state to ratify the
  Constitution on Dec. 7, 1787
• 2. Others would soon follow in Jan. 1788
• a. Pennsylvania b. New Jersey
• c. Georgia d. Connecticut
• 3. After a long debate Mass., Maryland, and
  South Carolina ratified in Feb. 1788
• 4. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the 9th
  state to ratify (Constitution becomes official)

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D. Virginia

• 1. Main battleground state for the
  anti-federalists led by Thomas Jefferson and
  Patrick Henry
• --- Stressed importance of a Bill of Rights to
  protect individual freedoms
• 2. James Madison and George Washington pledged
  their support and convinced Virginians to ratify
  the Constitution
• (June 25, 1788)

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E. New York the last key state

• 1. Ratification came after a long battle
• 2. Anti-Federalists received strong support
• 3. The Federalist
• a. Collection of 85 essays supporting the
  Constitution
• b. Written by Alexander Hamilton and Madison
• c. Published as letters to the people of NY
• d. Helped convince NY to ratify on July 26, 1788
• 4. NC and RI failed to ratify the Constitution
  until after the new govt. was established

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F. A new government established

• 1. New York City chosen as the temporary capital
• 2. 1st Wed. in January set as the date to choose
  presidential electors
• 3. 1st Wed. in Feb., 1789 set for first elections
• 4. First Congress was to convene on March 4, 1789
• a. 22 senators b. 59 representatives
• 5. April 6, 1789 George Washington elected
  President and John Adams as Vice-Pres

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6. April 30, 1789 George Washington and John
Adams inaugurated
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• 7. June 9, 1789
• a. James Madison introduced 12 possible
  Amendments to the Constitution
• b. Fulfilled promise to the anti-federalists
• ..a bill of rights is what the people are
  entitled to against every govt. on earth..
• --Thomas Jefferson

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