road to the constitution
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Road To the Constitution. Failure of Articles of Confederation. State governments too powerful: Power to tax: Power to regulate trade: Power to dictate policy to national government: Power to raise militia:. Need For a Stronger National Government. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
FAILURE OF ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
State governments too powerful:–Power to tax:–Power to regulate trade:–Power to dictate policy to national
government:–Power to raise militia:
NEED FOR A STRONGER NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
• Great Britain was waiting for the United States to fail:• Large states taking advantage of small
states:• U-N-I-T-E-D STATES was not united:
SOLUTION
Government officials realized after Shays’ Rebellion that a change was needed
A convention of representatives from each state were called to Philadelphia in 1787
STATEHOUSE IN PHILADELPHIASITE OF THE CONVENTION
INSIDE OF STATEHOUSE (TODAY)
SITE OF THE CONVENTION
There were 74 men asked to come to Philadelphia but only delegates arrived in Philadelphia
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
The average age of a delegate was 44 years old
JONATHAN DAYTON (New Jersey) was the youngest at age 26
BEN FRANKLIN (Pennsylvania) was the oldest at age 81
Most had some experience as politicians in their home states
40 of the delegates had been members of the Continental Congress
34 of the 55 were lawyersAlso included soldiers, planters, educators, ministers, physicians, financiers, and merchants
Most were very wealthy and many owned slaves
All the delegates were white men
None of the delegates were African-Americans, women, poor
GUIDELINES FOR THE CONVENTION•Work of the Convention would remain a secret:
•White, highly educated, successful men with political experience would be sent:
•A majority vote was required on an issue:
•George Washington would preside over the Convention:
PROBLEMS AT THE CONVENTION
•Small States and Large State cannot agree on representation;
•Northern States and Southern States cannot agree on the issue of slavery;
•Federalist and Anti-Federalist cannot agree on the power of the National Government:
Bicameral Legislature (Two – houses)
Both houses will base representation on population with equal number of representatives in each house
Will have a president, legislature, and court system—Three Branches of Government!
Chief executive chosen by legislature and court system
Proposed by:Edmund Randolf
Unicameral Legislature (One – house)
Representation in legislature will be the same for all states
Congress could tax and regulate trade
Proposed by:William Patterson
Resolved Virginia and New Jersey Plans
Bicameral legislature (Two – houses) Representation in one house (the
House of Representatives) will be determined by population (representative elected by the people)
Representation in the other house (the Senate) will be the same for each state (two per state, elected by the state legislature)
Proposed by:Roger Sherman
Fixing problems with commerce and trade
Congress was allowed to regulate interstate and foreign trade.
Congress could tax imports, but not exports
Congress was forbidden to restrict the importation of slaves for 20 years, but could levy a tax, for every imported slave as much as $10.
Slaves were not considered free if they ran away to a free state, but rather had to be returned if caught.
Three-Fifths Compromise Counted every 5 slaves as 3 free persons for taxation and representation purposes in Congress.
How do will we elect our president? Elected by Congress?? Elected by the people??
Compromise: The Electoral College
What problems did the “framers” of the Constitution face AFTER the Constitutional Convention? Anti-Federalists disapproved
Federalists fought against Anti-Federalists