CREATING A GOVERNMENT

STATE AND FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONS

ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION 1778

• 1ST FORM OF CONSTITUTION • HELD COLONIES TOGETHER• PROVIDED AUTHORITY OVER COLONIES• GOVERNED THE NATION DURING THE WAR• CREATED CONGRESS–REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL 13

COLONIES/STATES• STATES HAD MOST INDIVIDUAL POWER, BUT

ONLY 1 VOTE IN CONGRESS

STRENGTHS/POWERSCongress

• DECLARE WAR • DELIVER MAIL • CREATE MONEY • SIGN TREATIES • DEAL WITH NATIVE AMERICAN ISSUES

State Powers

• COLLECT ITS OWN TAXES• ISSUE ITS OWN MONEY• HAVE ITS OWN MILITIA

WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS:

• CONGRESS COULD NOT:– IMPOSE/COLLECT TAXES – CONTROL TRADE – ENFORCE LAWSSO….

• CONFEDERATION DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH $• COULD NOT RESOLVE ISSUES BETWEEN STATES• STATES DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH $,RAISE TAXES• SENSE OF LAWLESSNESS DUE TO ANGER• REPAID SOLDIERS IN LAND, NOT $

CREATED A NEED FOR CHANGE!

• AFTER SEVERAL YEARS LEADERS KNEW THEY HAD TO COME UP WITH NEW IDEAS

• LEADERS MET IN PHILADELPHIA AT THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, MAY 1787

• US CONSTITUTION WAS CREATED

Actions of the Convention

• Elected George Washington President• Established the government would remain a

Democratic Republic• ISSUES–Balance of Power– Slavery– Federalist vs. Anti-Federalists

The Great Compromise• Bicameral Legislature– Senate – 2 votes per state/2 senators– House of Representatives – Number is based on

each state’s population/Large states get a larger amount of reps and votes and small states have fewer reps and votes

AND THE NEXT SOLUTION:Slavery Issue

• THE THREE FIFTHS COMPROMISE:FOR REPRESENTATION AND TAXES 3/5 OF THE SLAVES IN A STATE

COUNTED TOWARD THE TOTAL #,SO FIVE SLAVES COUNTED AS THREE PEOPLE

BAN ON SLAVERYFED GOVT WOULDN’T BAN SLAVE TRADE

FOR AT LEAST 20 YRS (1808)

CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 1788

• ESTABLISHED THE GOVERNMENT• DELEGATES CREATED A BETTER AND

STRONGER DOCUMENT, SOLVED PROBS• LAWS AND RULES• 3 BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT• 2 GA SIGNERS: –WILLIAM FEW AND ABRAHAM BALDWIN

• 3 PARTS- –PREAMBLE-ARTICLES-AMENDMENTS

Division of Power

• Three Branches of Government– Legislative – Makes laws– Executive – Enforces laws– Judicial – Interprets lawsChecks and Balances – Each branch keeps the other

two in check

ARTICLES

• ARTICLE ONE: LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

• ARTICLE TWO: EXECUTIVE BRANCH

• ARTICLE THREE: JUDICIAL BRANCH

• SETS UP AND DESIGNS EACH PART OF GOV’T

BUT STILL HAD PROBLEMS:

• Federalists vs antifederalists–Federalism-national government

and states share powers–Antifederalist opposed

Constitution because it took too many powers from the states and no list of rights

Bill of Rights• Written to protect people from the power of

the government• Written by James Madison• 1st ten amendments• Guarantee rights such as freedom of speech,

press, and religion.• Won the rights that they had fought for in

Revolution• One of the first acts of the government

GA’S ROLE IN THE US CONSTITUTION

• 1- WILLIAM FEW JR.-– HELPED WRITE THE GA CONSTITUTION OF 1777– ELECTED 1780 TO SERVE GA AS REP FOR

CONTINENTAL CONGRESS– ELECTED LATER TO US CONGRESS REP GA– SIGNED THE US CONSTITUTION

ANOTHER IMPORTANT GEORGIAN:• ABRAHAM BALDWIN- – ALSO REPRESENTED GA IN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION– LATER REP GA IN US CONGRESS– FOUNDED UGA– SIGNED THE US CONSTITUTION– VOTE ON REPRESENTATION ISSUES/PROBS WAS

INSTRUMENTAL IN THE END VOTE– (split GA vote on rep, he voted for the small states,

Houston for large states- thus creating The Great Compromise)

3-2-1

• 3- STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

• 2- MEN FROM GA WHO SIGNED THE US CONSTITUTION

• 1 –UNICAMERAL DEFINITION

GEORGIA CONSTITUTION

FIRST CONSTITUTION- 1777

• Unicameral-House of Assembly• Archibald Bulloch, William Few, Lyman Hall• Legislature- elected governor and other

officials,appointed judges• Weak executive branch• John Treutlen appointed 1st governor

2nd GA CONSTITUTION• 1789• Resembled US Constitution- 2 parts rather than

3• Bicameral-General Assembly• 3 branches• Plans for local/county government• Counties set up- local units– Center of local govt, jails, courthouse– Seat of government close to citizens

CHANGES:

• 10 state constitutions in all,last one in 1983• Made changes as they were needed• 1795- changed election of governor– Both houses choose

• Legislature meet in January• Louisville (Jefferson County) as capital- closer to

the people as GA was getting bigger• 12 articles with many more specifics than

U.S.Constitution