articles of confederation + constitution (1)

articles of confederation

  • written in 1777

  • designed to prevent tyranny from a central government or authority

  • outlined a “firm league of friendship” between the states, which were left largely to govern themselves as separate entities

structure

  • 2-7 delegates per state, only 1 vote per state

  • delegate term limits - no elections, delegates selected by state governments

  • 9/13 states required to pass legislation

  • every state must vote yes to ratify amendments before it could take effect (very difficult to attain)

  • congress could declare war, make treaties, and settle disputes between states

  • no executive power

challenges

  • unable to tax

  • worthless “continental dollars”

  • no standing army

  • representatives frequently absent

  • disputes over land

successes

  • northwest ordinance 1785: created a northwest territory and divided the land into 5 smaller territories

  • northwest ordinance 1787: outlined how states would be admitted to the union, outlawed slavery in the territory

  • shay’s rebellion: high debt and excessive taxes resulted in a massive rebellion and opened american eyes to how ineffective the government was

the constitution

  • the product of a 1787 convention initially intended to revise the articles

  • convention of 55 delegates from 12 states (rhode island refused to send delegates)

  • 2 main ideologies: the virginia plan (james madison) and the new jersey plan

virginia plan

  • 3 branches of government - executive, legislative, and judicial

  • bicameral congress

  • representation based on state population

  • strong national government

  • federalist

new jersey plan

  • 2 branches of government

  • unicameral congress

  • equal representation for all states (same amount of representatives)

  • weak national government

  • anti-federalist

constitutional compromises

should representation of states be equal or proportional among states?

  • [the great compromise] bicameral legislature, with equal representation in one (the Senate) and population-related representation in the other (the House)

how should members of congress be elected?

  • senators chosen by state government, representatives elected by the people

  • changed by 17th amendment; both the house and senate are elected by the people

who leads the executive branch? how to choose who’s in charge?

  • single executive (fed 70 - energy in the exec)

  • electoral college - votes based on how many people you have in congress

what powers should congress have regarding trade?

  • congress regulates interstate/international commerce (commerce clause)

how should slaves be counted for taxation/representation purposes?

  • [3/5 compromise] every 5 slaves count as 3 people in a state population for both representation and taxation