Aim: 1) Shay

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Aim 1) Shays Rebellion2) Constitutional
Convention
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Shays RebellionBackground

• Springfield, Massachusetts-Summer of 1786
• Massachusetts government wanted to pay off debt
  and have a sound currency
• Between 1780 and 1786, legislature levied 1.9
  million pounds in taxes
• Burden of taxes falls heavily on farmers
• Most farmers already in heavy debt
• Faced possible loss of their land for failure to
  pay debts and state taxes

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• Daniel Shay led rebellion
• Shay was a veteran of the Revolutionary War
• Massachusetts government fails to issue paper
  money or pass other measures to help debt ridden
  farmers
• Shay and his followers storm the courts in
  Springfield to prevent courts from meeting and to
  prevent seizure of their land
• Governor James Bowdoin dispatched army to put
  down rebellion
• Rebels attack army
• 1,000 people arrested
• Shay fled to Vermont

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Reaction to the Rebellion

• Governor Bowdoin-Must follow laws or America
  would descend into A state of anarchy,
  confusion, and slavery.
• Thomas Jefferson- (Anti-Federalist)- A little
  rebellion now and then is a good thing. The tree
  of liberty must be refreshed from time to time
  with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
• George Washington- What, gracious God, is man
  that there should be such inconsistency and
  perfidiousness in his conduct? We are fast
  verging to anarchy and confusion!

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Importance of the Rebellion

• Massachusetts appealed to Congress for help but
  legally Congress could do little
• National government needed to be strengthened
• Need for uniform economic policies
• Protect property owners from governments
  infringing on their rights
• Revolutionary War fought on the idea of
  democracy. Was that idea now out of control?

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• Does private liberty endanger national safety?
• Mobacracy
• - Unchecked power in the hands of the people
• - How mobs scare government leaders

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Annapolis Convention

• Famous Americans who attended-James Madison,
  Alexander Hamilton, and John Marshall
• Recognize need for a stronger national government
• Meet in September 1786- delegates only from six
  states
• Better ways to regulate interstate and
  international commerce
• Hamilton proposes another gathering in
  Philadelphia

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• Every state except Rhode Island sent delegates to
  Philadelphia
• Convention starts in May 1787
• Delegates do away with Articles of Confederation
  and decide to draft a new constitution

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Constitutional Convention

• Starts on May 25, 1787
• 55 Delegates
• George Washington-Presiding Officer
• Other famous Americans include James Madison,
  George Mason, and Ben Franklin (81 Years Old,
  Author of Treaty of Paris 1783)
• Most delegates came from wealth
• Exception is Alexander Hamilton
• Half the delegates had a college education
• Only 1/10 of 1 percent of Americans attended
  college

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• 22 served in Revolutionary War
• To allow for free and open debate, meeting took
  place in private
• Madison took careful notes-not published until
  1840 when last delegate died

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• The Constitution- a Four Act Drama
• Act One- Alternate Plans to the Articles of
  Confederation
• Act Two- Great Compromise
• Act Three- Ratification Process
• Act Four- Bill of Rights
• CC has also been called the Miracle in
  Philadelphia

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Issues

• Structure of the new national government
• Power of the state governments
• National security vs. individual liberty and
  freedom

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Structure of Government

• 3 branches with a strong central government
• Power of the Purse belonged to Congress. Did
  not have to ask States for permission to raise or
  levy taxes
• States prohibited from infringing on peoples
  rights
• Delegates rejected Hamiltons idea of President
  and Senators serving for life
• Rich and well born must rule for the masses who
  seldom judge or determine right.
• George Mason-The key to a stable, effective
  republican government was finding a way to
  balance the competing claims of liberty and
  power.

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Virginia Plan Class Reading

• Under this plan, what happens to state
  government?
• How is Representation decided?
• What is meant by the word faction(s)?
• Why was it important to extend the sphere?

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Virginia vs. New Jersey Plan

• Under Constitution, national government had to be
  stronger than state governments
• Caused a heated debate-balance of power between
  federal and state governments and big vs. small
  states

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Virginia Plan

• James Madison
• 2 house legislature
• States population determined representation in
  each house
• Small states fear big states like Virginia,
  Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania would dominate

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NJ Plan

• William Patterson
• One house Congress
• States cast one vote
• This issue threatens to ruin the convention.
  Many delegates ready to walk out.
• Solution is Great Compromise

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Great Compromise

• Roger Sherman
• Connecticut Compromise
• 2 House legislature
• Senate-2 from each state, 6 year term, chosen by
  state legislature. 17th Amendment in 1913 allows
  for direct election of senators
• HOR-determined by states population, 2 year
  term, chosen by the people

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Election of the President

• Electoral College
• Number of electors determined by a states number
  in the HOR plus 2 senators
• Today- 270 Electoral Votes out of 538 needed to
  elect the President
• Originally, electors cast two ballots- 1st
  place-President, 2nd place-Vice President
• 12th Amendment makes President and VP a ticket
• If no candidate received a majority of votes,
  election would be decided or thrown into the
  HOR
• Senate would chose VP
• Is it possible for a candidate to win the popular
  vote but lose in the EC?
• Yes, has happened four times in our history

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Debate over slavery

• Words slaves and slavery do not appear in
  Constitution
• Institution of slavery divided delegates
• North-Slaves should be counted towards states
  share of federal taxes
• 3/5 Compromise-3/5 of all other persons (slave
  population) will count towards representation in
  the HOR and the Electoral College
• Constitution prohibited the abolishment of
  slavery until 1808
• Constitution allowed for fugitive slave laws

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Slavery in the Constitution

• South Carolina delegates were the major voice to
  keep slavery
• 170,000 slaves came to Georgia and SC between
  1787 and 1808
• Constitution gave national government no power to
  interfere with slavery in the states
• 3/5 Compromise gave southern states tremendous
  political power
• Between 1788 and 1848, 12 of the 16 Presidents
  were southern slaveholders

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Judiciary System

• Main job was to settle disputes under the laws
  and treaties of United States
• No such system under AOC
• Supreme Court
• Inferior Courts-Federal Courts
• Judges to both would be appointed by President
• Supreme Court judges serve for life

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Ratification

• Last convention session took place on September
  17, 1787
• Franklin urges delegates to sign
• 39 of 45 remaining delegates signed it
• Sent to states for ratification