The Birth of the Republic

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The Birth of the Republic

• The Framing of Our Government

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Post - War

• The end of the Revolutionary War did not mean an
  end to aggression or an end to potential revolt.
• The Americans would have to work diligently to
  create a nation in which everyone would be proud
  to call it their own.
• In almost every casethis meant compromise.

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Post -War

• Deciding upon a model of government was the
  nations first task.
• Pretty soon constitution and compromise would
  become synonymous.

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Essential Questions

• How effective was government under the Articles
  of Confederation?
• Why is the Constitution a document of
  compromises?
• What ideas and features are found in the United
  States Constitution?
• How might these constitutional concepts parallel
  or affect todays government and society?

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Stop Think!

• If you were part of the Continental Congress
  (National/Federal) what type of government or
  constitution (plan of government) would you
  propose?

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Creating a Government Helpful Hints

• Experience with British rule made Americans
  cautious about placing too much power in hands of
  one ruler.

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Creating a Government Helpful Hints

• States adopted constitutions that limited the
  power of the governor.
• States divided government functions
• (governor legislature)
• bicameral (two-house) legislatures
• Framers wanted to keep power in the hands of the
  people
• State legislators popularly elected.

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Forming a Republic

• Americans agreed that their country should be a
  Republic a government in which citizens rule
  through elected representatives.
• But, new challenges emerged as dependent colonies
  became self-governing states.

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Why?

• Initially, Americans favored a weak central
  government.
• States small, independent countries similar
  to the way the colonies had been organized.
• States would act independently on most issues and
  work together through a central govt. only to
  wage war and handle foreign relations.

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Making Predictions

• What problems could arise from states operating
  as though they were independent nations?
• Hint Think about the failure of the Albany Plan
  of Union

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Do Now

• How effective was government under the Articles
  of Confederation?

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Articles Basics

• Congress had the authority to conduct
• Foreign Affairs
• Maintain armed forces
• Borrow money
• Issue currency
• Congress DID NOT have the power to
• Regulate trade
• Force citizens to join the army
• Impose taxes
• To raise money or troops needed permission from
  state legislatures.

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Weaknesses and results

• Weakness No provision was made for a Judicial or
  Executive Branch of government Only a
  Legislative Branch was provided for.
• Result There was no president to enforce the
  laws passed by Congress, and there were no courts
  to settle disputes between states or between
  residents of different states.

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Weakness

• Congress did not have the power to tax it could
  only request funds from the States.

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Result

• Since its requests were either ignored or met
  only partially, Congress never had enough money
  to run the government or to meet its financial
  obligations to its bondholders and soldiers.

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Weakness

• The right to regulate currency and to issue paper
  money was given to Congress and the states.

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Result

• Too much Continental Currency was issued by
  Congress and the individual states that paper
  money lost its value.
• No real gold or silver backed up these bills.
• Too much variety among states

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One Continental Dollar

• Between 1779 and 1781, the number of Continental
  dollars required to buy one Spanish silver dollar
  rose from 40 146.

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Six Continental Dollars

• Congress had borrowed money from American
  citizens and foreign governments during the war.
  Lacking the power to tax, Congress still owed the
  Revolutionary soldiers their pensions.
• Congress couldnt pay its debts and Congress
  couldnt force the states to contribute.

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Treaty of Paris Repercussions

• The United States debt and its inability to
  correct it affected relationships with other
  countries as well.

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Problems with Britain

• Ex The British would not withdraw troops from
  several forts in the Great Lakes region and the
  British closed trading markets with the Americans
  because the United States did not pay Loyalists
  for the property taken from them during the war.
  The Congress could not force the states to honor
  this.

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Weakness

• Congress lacked the power to regulate trade
  between the states or with foreign countries.

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Result

• States taxed each others products
• Fought over navigation rights on rivers that
  served as boundaries between them
• Set up their own tariffs (taxes) on foreign
  imports

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Problems with Spain

• Foreign nations refused to negotiate commercial
  agreements with the US because Congress was
  unable to enforce them.
• Ex Spain closed lower Mississippi River

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Weakness

• Each state, regardless of population, had only
  one vote in Congress.

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Result

• Heavy populated states, such as Virginia and
  Massachusetts, felt that their interests were
  inadequately represented in Congress.
• States with large populations believed they
  should have more votes.

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Weakness

• At least nine of the Thirteen States had to
  approve a measure before it could be passed by
  Congress all thirteen had to approve amendments
  (changes or additions) to the Articles.

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Result

• It was difficult to obtain passage of legislation
  and virtually impossible to amend (change) the
  Articles if there was any opposition.

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Rebellion a brewing

• Opposition was inevitable in a post war era
  especially since the United States was
  experiencing a depression right after the war.
• Southern plantations were damaged during the war
  and rice exports dropped sharply.
• Trade also decreased when the British closed the
  West Indies market to American merchants.

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Imagine this

• You are an American farmer
• You cannot sell your goods
• Any money you have is requested by the states to
  meet war debts and you cannot pay.
• State officials seize (take control of) your land
  to pay the debts and you are thrown in jail.
• What will you do?

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A Costly solution?

• Many farmers believed that the issuing of more
  paper money would solve all of their problems
  more to go around to purchase items.
• But as we know, this would not solve the problem
  since the paper money would not have any value or
  consistency with the rest of the nation.

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Shays Rebellion
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The Confederation Govt

• The years between 1781 and 1789 was crucial for
  the new American Republic.
• Soon it would become clear that the Articles of
  Confederation would not provide a government
  strong enough to handle the problems facing the
  United States

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A word to the wise

• What country can preserve its liberties if their
  rulers are not warned from time to time that
  their people preserve the spirit of resistance?
• -Thomas Jefferson

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A converging view

• Rebellion against a king may be pardoned, or
  lightly punished, but the man who dares to rebel
  against the laws of a republic ought to suffer
  death.
• -Samuel Adams

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Convention Compromise

• While most states realized that the Articles of
  Confederation was not working, many states wanted
  to simply revise it rather than to start from
  scratch in creating a new plan of government.

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Strengths of the confederation

• After all, the Articles of Confederation did aid
  in settling and governing the nations western
  territories.

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The Northwest ordinance

• Passed in 1787
• Lands to be divided into 3-5 smaller territories.
• When the population of a territory reached
  60,000, the people could petition for statehood.
• Each new state would have the same rights and
  privileges as the original 13 states.
• No slavery

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Making Predictions

• How might the delegates change the Articles of
  Confederation?

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In the wake of Rebellion

• What authority could intercede when a state uses
  heavy-handed tactics against its own citizens? 
• Who is best capable of containing a breakdown of
  law and order? 
• What can be done to bring order to the messy
  financial situation? 

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Constitutional convention

• In September of 1786, Alexander Hamilton called
  a convention, or meeting, in Philadelphia to
  discuss the Articles and its weaknesses.
• After Shays rebellion the meeting took on
  greater significance.
• The meeting finally began in May 1787.

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Do Now

• In what way is the Constitution a document of
  compromises?

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Stop Think

• United we stand, divided we fall!
• The Constitution is not an instrument for the
  government to restrain the people, it is an
  instrument for the people to restrain the
  government. Patrick Henry

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Constitution Compromise

• Every part of the convention was wrapped up in
  debate.
• Strong central government vs. strong state
  governments?
• Proportional vote vs. one vote? (representation
  taxation)
• Should the Union abolish slavery?
• How should the president be chosen and for how
  long should he serve?

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Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

• A great debate also took place outside of the
  Philadelphia convention via newspapers, town
  meetings and during daily conversation.
• Supporters of the new Constitution were called
  Federalists.
• People who opposed the Constitution were called
  Anti-federalists.

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Debate Adoption

• And yet, the Constitution created a federal
  system of government that divided powers between
  the national government and the states and was
  ratified, or approved in 1788.
• It has served as our plan for government ever
  since.

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Convention Compromise

• The delegates definitely made compromises,
  (agreement between two or more sides in which
  each side gives up some of what it wants).
• However, for the delegates, compromise would not
  be easy.

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Convention Compromise

• The delegates brought many different perspectives
  to the convention (based not only on their
  location, but also on their occupation).
• This influenced how they believed they should
  change the Articles.

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Virginia Plan vs. New Jersey plan

• Virginia Plan Scratched Articles of
  Confederation
• New Jersey Plan Revised Articles of
  Confederation

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Virginia Plan

• Edmund Randolph creation of strong central
  government.
• Legislative Branch
• Powerful legislature
• Two houses, with membership proportional to
  states population
• Lower house elected by people
• Upper house elected by lower house.

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Virginia Plan

• Executive Branch
• Chosen by legislature
• Limited power
• Could veto or override legislation

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Virginia Plan

• Judicial Branch
• Would serve for life
• Could veto legislation

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New Jersey Plan

• William Paterson plan to revise or improve the
  Articles
• Legislative Branch
• One house with equal representation from all
  states
• Legislature could collect taxes from states and
  regulate trade

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New Jersey Plan

• Executive Branch - weak
• Chosen by Congress
• Would serve a single term (more than 1 person)
• Subject to recall on request of state governors

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New Jersey Plan

• Judicial Branch
• Appointed by executive branch
• Would serve for life

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You Decide!

• Which plan would you side with? Why?

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Representation Dilemma

• The states voted to work toward a national
  government based on the Virginia Plan, but how
  would they resolve the issue of representation?

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The Great Compromise

• Robert Sherman proposed a two house legislature.

Great Compromise
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You Decide!

• Should the Constitution be ratified?