MW

chapter 7

A New Government 

  1. Enlightenment MIND

    1. Problems solved through reason and science (mind)

    2. Intellectual movement that started in Europe during the 18th C. (17 hundreds) 

      1. Focused on reason, science, and individual rights over tradition and religion

        1. Example: discovery of gravity

          1. (1) People started to question the things happening around them

    3. Enlightenment placed a premium on “useful” knowledge

      1. Knowledge that could improve the condition of humanity 

    4. Enlightenment was about challenging old ideas

      1. Medical procedures

        1. X-ray, biopsy, CAT Scans

      2. Telescope 

        1. We used to not question things around us, now we study things in other galaxies

      3. Lightning Rod

        1. Lighting rod kept houses and barns from catching on fire

      4. Colleges in colonies

    5. Enlightenment directly contradicts the ideas taught by religion and the Great Awakening

      1. How?

        1. GA: Don’t think just believe

        2. E’ment: Don’t believe just think 

    6. American revolution, Declaration of Independence, and Constitution are all products of the E’ment 

      1. We would have not questioned the king without the E’ment, nor would we have though we could have created a better government 

  2. Articles of Confederation (First Government)

    1. “Thrown together” for of government that was put in place during the revolution to fight Great Britain 

    2. Attempted to create a national government to unite 13 VERY DIFFERENT colonies

      1. Difference: Slavery 

  3. III.Main Summary of Clip

    1. Background info leading up to Revolution 

      1. Letter to King/Colonists raising Army

      2. Franklin Plan= Articles of Confederation

      3. Congress had no power over the states and must trust the states to fund the federal government voluntarily 

    2. Congressional Powers

      1. Conduct foreign affairs (other countries)

      2. Congress controls the Army 

    3. WEAK National Government 

      1. No executive branch (president)

      2. No national court (Supreme Court)

  4. IV.Articles of Confederation needed MUSCLE!

    1. States regularly ignored laws of Congress

      1. Shay’s Rebellion

      2. A of C. Proved to be too weak because the Federal Government could not defend itself against angry farmers

    2. All states had to agree unanimously (ALL) on any change of the original articles

    3. Congress authorized a convention to meet in Philadelphia in May 1787 to consider all the defects off the Articles of Confederation 

      1. Meeting leads to… 

The Constitutional Convention

  1. People of the convention: “an assembly of demigods”

    1. James Madison- “Father of the Constitution”

      1. First delegate to reach Philadelphia 

      2. Virginia Plan was mostly his ideas

      3. Very important man in getting the Constitution written and ratified 

    2. George Washington

      1. Most highly respected American of his time

      2. His participation in the convention added dignity to the proceedings

      3. President of the convention 

    3. Ben Franklin

      1. “Elder statesman of the country”

        1. Very respected 

      2. Chair and quote from pg 198- “rising sun”

    4. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams 

      1. Were absent during the convention

      2. Serving as ambassadors overseas

    5. George Mason 

      1. Refused to sign because of lack of Bill of Rights

    6. Patrick Henry (Give me Liberty or give me death)

      1. Refused to attend because he did not want to weaken the state’s power by strengthening federal government 

  1. Proposing a New Government 

    1. The Virginia Plan “Big State Plan”

      1. Two House Legislature

        1. Give house seats based on total population per state 

    2. The New Jersey Plan “Small State Plan”

      1. Counter-plan proposed after the Virginia Plan

      2. One house legislature

        1. Each state with equal representatives

        2. Similar to A of C but Congress could tax

    3. The Connecticut Compromise

      1. Settled dispute over legislature 

        1. Equal vote in the upper house, proportional in the lower

      2. Slaves equal 3/5ths of a person

Ratification Debate 

  1. T- Chart

Anti-federalists                                              Federalists 

A. Opposed to the constitution     A. Supported the Constitution

B. Stirred up people’s fears of a B. Convinced people that a strong central government      strong central government was C. Main concern was lack essential for a new nation

of Bill of Rights C. Used newspaper editorials for support

  1. Graphic Overview of Ratification

Federalists

Anti-Federalists

(Political) Power Balance 

Strong Central Government 

Wanted State Power 

Finance (Money)

Wanted to have taxes 

Feared taxes

General Concerns 

Feared factions (cliques)

Feared tyranny (king)

  1. Ratification 

    1. Federalists needed support of only 9 of the 13 states

      1. Constitution ratified on June 21, 1788

    2. Even though Anti-Federalists lost, they won support for the Bill of Rights

  2. Bill of Rights

    1. Federalists added amendments to the Constitution that gained support and guaranteed a person’s rights

    2. 12 amendments were sent to the states, 10 were ratified

      1. First 10 amendments

  3. Government created by constitutional convention in 1787 had to work for 237 years

    1. Longest lasting constitution in the world

    2. Wise authors made the constitution both strong and flexible 

      1. Flexible; amendments

    3. Constitution is often called a “living document”

      1. We are still governed by the constitution created 237 years ago in a vastly different world 

      2. Elastic Clause: We can “stretch" the constitution to fit today’s world 

    4. Supreme Court reads Constitution for us legally 

      1. Supreme Court decides causes based on their interpretation about the constitution 

      2. Constitutional or unconstitutional 

    5. We read 237 year old constitution with today’s eyes

      1. Internet; AI

Test

TOTAL POINTS: 115

20 matching- 2pts each (40)

5 sequence of events- 2pts each (10)

10 multiple choice- 2 pts each (20)

8 F or A- 2 pts each (16)

9 fill-in-the blanks- 1 pt each (9)

5 short answer (21)