The American Democratic Republic

1
The American Democratic Republic

• Chapter 2 The Constitution

2
Introduction

• Shayss Rebellion
• What was it?
• Who was involved?
• Why?
• Lesson learned
• Popular democracy was dangerous
• Government existed to protect property
• Man had no security if government could not do so

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The American Revolution and the Declaration of
Independence

• Revolution was meant to protect existing rights
  as Englishmen
• Life, liberty and property threatened by British
  policies on trade and taxation
• Revolution morphed into a fight for
• Popular sovereignty
• Political equality

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The American Revolution and the Declaration of
Independence

• Key Ideas in the Declaration of Independence
• Only the people could establish a government
• Government existed with the consent of the people
• Government was to protect the rights of citizens
• Government could be changed by the people if it
  failed to protect those rights

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The American Revolution and the Declaration of
Independence

• The Declaration of Independence
• Three parts
• Philosophy of government
• A list of grievances against King George III
• Separation of the colonists from Great Britain

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Problems with Articles

• Lack of executive power
• Dependence on the states for funding
• Inability to protect the nation in foreign
  affairs
• Inability to prevent commercial warfare among
  states

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The American Revolution and the Declaration of
Independence

• The Declaration of Independence
• Omissions
• Did not deal with
• Slavery
• Jefferson's protest against slavery was deleted
• The rights of free African Americans, slaves,
  women or Native Americans

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The Articles of Confederation The First
Constitution

• Loose confederation of states league of
  friendship
• Power vested in states
• Weak central government

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The Articles of Confederation The First
Constitution

• Problems with the Articles
• Weak central government
• No chief executive, national judiciary or
  standing army
• No authority to compel taxation or regulate
  commerce
• National laws and changes to those laws had to be
  approved by nine of the thirteen states
• Difficult to amend
• Sovereignty lay with the states, not the people

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The Articles of Confederation The First
Constitution

• Threats to the new United States
• Unchecked democracy in the states
• Threat to property rights in the states

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The Constitutional Convention

• Who were the Framers?
• Wealthy
• Creditors
• Successful merchants, bankers, etc.
• Slave owners
• Critics of the Framers
• Charles Beard
• Thurgood Marshall

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The Constitutional Convention

• Consensus and Conflict
• Consensus
• Articles were not working
• New nation needed a strong, centralized
  government
• Conflict
• Fear of a strong, centralized government
• Fear of unchecked democracy

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The Constitutional Convention

• New Constitution must
• Strengthen central government
• Represent states in central government
• Deal with slavery

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The Constitutional Convention

• Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)
• Virginia Plan
• New Jersey Plan

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The Constitutional Convention

• Slavery
• The words slave, slaves or slavery do not appear
  in the Constitution
• Key components on slavery
• Slaves 3/5 a person in calculation of
  representation in the House
• Congress could not ban the international slave
  trade before 1808
• Non-slave states were required to return runaway
  slaves to their respective states

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The Constitutional Convention

• The Presidency
• Single executive
• No term limits
• Electoral College

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The Constitutional Convention

• What did the Framers create?
• Republicanism
• Self government
• Limited government
• Limited in scope
• Limited in participation

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The Constitutional Convention

• What did the Framers create?
• Federalism
• Some powers given only to the states
• Some powers given only to the federal government
• Some shared powers
• Some powers denied both the states and federal
  governments

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The Constitutional Convention

• What did the Framers create?
• Separation of powers
• Checks and balances
• Foundation for a national economy

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Ratification of the Constitution

• Hotly contested
• Delegates had not been given authority to write a
  new constitution, but to amend the Articles of
  Confederation
• Differing opinions regarding a strong central
  government
• Lack of a bill of rights

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Ratification of the Constitution

• Federalist Papers
• 85 essays written to
• extol the virtue of the Constitution
• Encourage its ratification
• Written under the name Publius, but
• Written by
• Alexander Hamilton
• James Madison
• John Jay

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The Constitution

• The rule book for American society
• Flexible enough to adapt to changes in American
  society, but
• Arguments over original intent v. loose
  construction
• Constitution can be amended, but it is a
  difficult process

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Discussion Question

• How democratic are the procedures for amending
  the Constitution? To what extent does the
  amendment process reflect eighteenth-century
  republican principles? Should the amendment
  process be simplified?

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Chapter 2 The Constitution

• The End