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Georgia Constitution of 1777Georgia joined the other colonies in celebrating the decision to become independent of Great Britain. The former colonies were tired of being governed and living under laws made by Great Britain, which they believed was both out of touch and too far away to understand their needs. The new goal for each colony was statehood. Each new state was to develop its own method of governance and pass laws that met its needs.Work was begun on a state constitution to replace the earlier “Rules and Regulations,” which had been used to govern the state. Writing the new constitution was not easy. Some citizens wanted a government like the one already in place, with most of the power in the hands of a few wealthy landowners and merchants. The Whigs, a more extreme group, wanted to give all the people of Georgia a chance to govern themselves. The Whigs won, and Georgia decided on a government based on the separation of powers and the rights of citizens to agree with how they were governed. By May 1777, Georgia adopted its first state constitution at a constitutional convention held in Savannah. The parish system was done away with, and eight counties were formed. However well-meaning the lawmakers were in developing the 1777 constitution, there were problems. Rather than a bicameral legislature, the Constitution of 1777 provided for a unicameral, or one-house, legislature. This single legislative body had very broad powers, including the ability to make appointments for the judicial branch (the courts) and the executive branch (the governor).Stung by the loyalty off former governors to the king, the members of the constitutional convention wanted to limit severely the influence and power of the governor. They proposed a one-year term for the governor. The governor was to be selected by the legislature rather than voted on by the people. The actual power, therefore, was in the hands of twelve lawmakers from the legislature who served as an executive council. The executive council could accept or reject any proposals initiated by the governor. The constitutional convention selected John Treulten, a Salzburger.The Articles of ConfederationThe founding fathers wanted to make sure that their new government would be very different from the government of Great Britain. The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781, internationally established a weak national government. The new U.S. government consisted of a unicameral legislature—Congress—in which each state had one vote. There was not chief executive, and there was no national court system.The weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation caused major problems for the new country. Under the Articles, the Confederation Congress that could not pay the colonial soldiers during the Revolutionary War found that it also could not pay them after the war. The Confederation Congress asked the states for help, but many states rejected or ignored the request.The new government did not have the power to regulate trade between the states or between the United States and foreign countries. Each state had its own money system, which also created problems with trade. The British reoccupied some of the forts in the Northwest Territory (the area of the Ohio River), and the national government was powerless to do anything to stop them. As a result, foreign countries had little respect for the new country.George Washington and others were alarmed at what they saw happening to the states under the Articles of Confederation. A movement began to examine and revise the Articles of Confederation. An opportunity arose in 1786 when Virginia asked for a meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss the continuing trade problems among the states. Representatives from only five states attended, and nothing was accomplished. The delegates at Annapolis did ask that a second convention meet in Philadelphia the next year. They broadened the goals for the Philadelphia meeting and asked to discuss all the problems of the Articles of Confederation. It was hoped that some changes could be made that would make the national government stronger.Role of Georgia at the Constitutional ConventionIn the summer of 1787, the Georgia Assembly appointed William Pierce, William Few, Abraham Baldwin, and William Houston as its delegates to the Constitutional Convention to be held in Philadelphia. Only Few and Baldwin stayed until the end and signed the new U.S. Constitution.There were many debates and disagreements during the convention. Perhaps the most difficult was over representation in the national legislature. The larger states wanted representation based on population; the smaller states wanted equal representation. William Houston voted for the large state position. Abraham Baldwin’s vote for the small state position forced the convention to work on a compromise position. Baldwin served on the committee to work out that compromise, which has since become known as the Great Compromise.Reasons Why Georgia Ratified the New ConstitutionGeorgia supported the new U.S. Constitution. As more and more people moved into the state, they began to push westward into the land occupied by Indians. The Indians were determined to hold onto their lands. As the youngest state, Georgia needed a strong national government to help protect it from the Indian threat and to acquire land from the Indians in order to expand.A special convention was called to consider ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Delegates began gathering in December 1787. On January 2, 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, by a vote of 26-0.What was the main weakness of the Georgia Constitution of 1777?It placed too much importance on checks and balancesIt gave too much power to the legislative branchIt established two parts in the legislative branchIt created an independent executive branchUnder Georgia’s Constitution of 1777, governors were selected by…?The legislatureA vote of the citizensThe chairman of each parishThe executive council of GeorgiaThe writers of Georgia’s first constitution wanted to limit the power of the governor because…?They believed the legislature, which was closer to the people, should have more powerIn the past the governor showed too much loyalty to the kingThey feared the governor would become a dictatorThere were no good candidates for governorWho was elected Georgia’s first governor under the Constitution of 1777?Button GwinnettLyman HallJohn TreutlenGeorge WaltonThe first written plan for the government of the United States was called the…?American ConstitutionArticles of ConfederationColonial ConfederationConstitution of the United StatesUnder the Articles of Confederation, there was no…?Equality among the statesGovernorLaw-making bodyLegislature or court systemWhy did the authors of the Articles of Confederation want a federal government with little power?They did not favor a government that gave power to the southern statesThey considered themselves 13 separate states rather than 1 nationThey had just freed themselves from the domination of a strong, powerful, government in Great BritainThey wanted local governments to have the most power since that form of government was closest to the peopleThe purpose of the Constitutional Convention, which was held in Philadelphia in 1787, was to…?Sign the Treaty of ParisSelect the nation’s new presidentRevise the Articles of ConfederationDraft a Declaration of Independence The U.S. Constitution was actually signed by only two of Georgia’s four delegates. The two signers were William Few and…?Abraham BaldwinButton GwinnettThomas JeffersonGeorge WaltonAfter the U.S. Constitution was written and signed, it had to be ratified, or approved by the states. How did Georgia respond to ratification?Slow to approve the new ConstitutionRefused to ratify until the Bill of Rights was addedNever approved and later had to apply for admissionCalled a special convention and quickly approved the Constitution ................
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