US Government and Constitution

Article of Confederation

• First constitutional document.
• Governing document needed after the Declaration of Independence to govern the colonies and move away from British rule.
• Fundamental weakness: lacked a strong central army.

Annapolis Convention

• Purpose: To address the issues with the Articles of Confederation.

Shays' Rebellion (1787)

• Magnified the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, especially regarding the need for a strong army.
• Daniel Shays, a farmer and former army captain, led a rebellion due to foreclosures and high taxes in Massachusetts.
• The goal was to prevent land foreclosures by obstructing the county court.
• The rebellion was suppressed by the government, but it highlighted the necessity for a stronger central government and army.

Constitutional Convention (1787)

• 55 delegates from 12 colonies (Rhode Island did not participate).
• Met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for five months.
• Purpose: To fix the Articles of Confederation, not initially to create a new constitution.

The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

• Resulted from the clash between the Virginia Plan (big states) and the New Jersey Plan (small states).
• Virginia Plan:
  • Representation based on state population and revenue contribution.
  • Bicameral legislature (two chambers).
  • All revenues contributed must go to the national government.
• New Jersey Plan:
  • Unicameral legislature with one chamber (House of Representatives).
• Compromise:
  • Bicameral Legislature: combining the Virginia and New Jersey plans.
    • Senate (upper house): Equal representation with two senators per state (100 total).
    • House of Representatives (lower house): Representation based on population size.
• Architects of the Great Compromise: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.

Three-Fifths Compromise

• Southern states wanted slaves to be counted as equal to free people to increase their states power.
• Each slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person for taxation and representation purposes.

Bill of Rights

• The last compromise at the Constitutional Convention.
• The first ten amendments to the Constitution.
• The Constitution has been amended 27 times since 1787.
• The Bill of Rights were the first ten amendments.
• Authored by James Madison.

Key Features of the Constitution

• Establishment of a Supreme Court.
• Supremacy Clause: National government is superior to state governments when there are conflicts between the laws.
• Separation of Powers: Three separate branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) with coequal powers.

Federalist Papers

• 85 papers written in support of the Constitution.
• Authors: Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison.
• Purpose: To explain why the constitution was necessary.