AP U.S. History

America was in debt from the war

Loans from France and the Netherlands taken during the war helped put America in debt

Congress had printed off large amounts of paper money to finance the war. This eventually led to inflation.

New territory gained as a result of the war, stretched all the way west and south to Spanish territory and north to Canada.

Lost primary trade with Great Britain and the West Indies

High taxes, farm foreclosures, bankruptcies. All a result of the war and being in debt.

Under the Articles the government could not levy taxes and regulate trade, made it even harder for the government to get out of debt.

Shays Rebellion The increase of already high taxes and hard times angered

Massachusetts farmers, eventually pushing them into the state of rebellion.

The farmers shut down the courts, not letting the judges in to seize the farm land.

Made people think that a stronger national government was needed to prevent future outbreaks such as this one.

Helped lead to the writing of the Constitutional Convention and the writing of the U.S. Constitution.

Congress could not regulate commerce

Only a unicameral legislature No separation of powers

Central government was to weak because majority of the power rested in the states

States never paid taxes to the national government and could make treaties of their own.

Congress could not tax, was never able to put the finances in order

Unanimous approval of the states was needed to amend the Articles

Where- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in Independence Hall Same location where the Declaration of Independence was signed

When- Summer of 1787

Purpose- To revise the Articles and to address the problems of governing the nation. Virginia Plan, James Madison (Proposed by Edmund Randolph)

Separation of powers

Bigger states supported, protection of the bigger states

Bicameral

2 house, one elected by people and the other elected by first house with number determined by state population

New Jersey Plan, Proposed by William Paterson

Separation of powers

Smaller states supported, protection of smaller states

Unicameral

Each state had the same number of votes

James Madison- (Virginia) Virginia Plan, Protection of the bigger states

Roger Sherman- (Connecticut) Connecticut(Great) Compromise.

First house had the number of votes of free people. Second house, the Senate had an equal number of votes.

William Paterson- (New Jersey) New Jersey Plan, Congress could tax, Judiciary system, Protection

of the smaller states.

Alexander Hamilton- (New York) Supported a strong national government, helped in the writing of

the Federalist Papers.

George Washington- (Virginia) Favored a strong central government, his policies like Hamilton’s

leaned towards the upper class. Elected first president in 1789

Edmund Randolph-(Virginia)

Introduced and defended the Virginia Plan, became the Attorney General of the U.S.

Benjamin Franklin- (Pennsylvania)

Rising Sun speech, was the sun rising or setting?

pro abolition of slavery

James Madison(Virginia)

Roger Sherman(Connecticut)

William Paterson(New Jersey)

Alexander Hamilton(New York)

Virginia plan, protection for the bigger states, bicameral

Connecticut(Great) Compromise, two houses

New Jersey Plan, protection of the smaller states, judiciary system, unicameral

Supporter of a strong NatioanlGovernment, Federalist Papers, Bank of the U.S.

George Washington(Virginia)

Edmund Randolph(Virginia)

Ben Franklin(Pennsylvania)

Favored a strong central government, became the first president, policies like Hamilton’s

Introduced and defended the Virginia Plan, became the Attorney General of the U.S.

Rising Sun Speech, Pro Abolition of Slavery

Virginia Plan

Three Branches of Government with Checks and Balances

Two houses

Supported by big states, big states had more representatives

Great Compromise-

Three Branches of Government

One house

Supported by the smaller states, each state would have one vote

Bicameral, each state sent the same number of representatives to the Senate and one representative for every 30,000 residents in of the state

New Jersey Plan

An agreement reached between the Northern and Southern states where 3/5 of the slave population would be counted for representation.

Split the northern and southern colonies, southern colonies were pro slavery.

Northerners looked at slaves as property and shouldn’t receive representation.

This would give the southerners a chance to earn more votes in the national legislature.

The federalist believed in a strong central government Separation of powers- Three separate branches of

government to protect individual rights.

Individual rights were protected without bill of rights.

Separation of government and church

Establish the Constitution no matter what Government wasn’t prospering under the articles

Something had to be done in order to get rid of the articles

http://www.infoplease.com/t/hist/virginia-plan/

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/greatcomp.htm

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h363.html

http://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-articles-confederation/

http://teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/