Warm-Up Compromise and the Constitution - Edgenuity Inc.

[Pages:17]Warm-Up Compromise and the Constitution

A New Nation

The war for American independence ended in 1783. ? Many predicted the new nation would collapse .

US leaders sought to create a new system of government .

The Articles of Confederation

The Articles were the country's first

constitution . But they were

flawed .

Under the Articles, Congress lacked the power to:

? raise money .

? regulate trade .

? conduct foreign affairs.

Changing the Articles required the approval of all thirteen states.

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Warm-Up Compromise and the Constitution

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

? Identify the leaders of the Constitutional Convention and

the initial ideas they proposed.

? Describe the government structures proposed by the

and the New Jersey Plan .

Virginia Plan

? Identify the reasons for dissent and disagreement

among the delegates as the Constitution was written.

? Explain the importance of Constitution.

compromise

when drafting the

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Warm-Up Compromise and the Constitution

W2K

Words to Know

Fill in this table as you work through the lesson. You may also use the glossary to help you.

bicameral

a word meaning made up of two houses

executive branch

the branch of government that carries out or enforces the laws

judicial branch

the branch of government that decides if laws have been

broken and if laws abide by the Constitution

legislative branch the branch of government that makes the laws

unicameral

a word meaning made up of one house

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Instruction Compromise and the Constitution

?

Lesson How did differing viewpoints and compromises lead to

Question a new plan of government for the nation?

Slide

Challenges in the Early Days

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Economic issues

Shays' Rebellion

Limitations of the Articles

The economy struggled due to :

? high

taxes .

? unpaid

. debts .

Revolutionary War veteran

Daniel Shays

led a rebellion in protest.

Congress was unable to :

? regulate

theeconomy .

? fund

troops .

A Grand Convention

in May of 1787.

to revise the

articles

was called for

Setting the Scene

The Constitutional Convention: ? was held in Independence Hall in Philadelphia . ? began on May 25, 1787 . ? included delegates from twelve states. ? included fifty-five delegates, all white males .

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Instruction Compromise and the Constitution

Slide

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Main Players

George Washington gave the meeting legitimacy.

James Madison earned the name "Father of the Constitution."

Benjamin Franklin helped keep tempers under control.

Underrepresentation

Some Americans went entirely unrepresented at the convention including:

? African Americans . ? women . ? American Indians .

Rules of the Meeting

The delegates agreed that:

? each state would have one vote.

?

George Washington would lead the convention.

? what was discussed during the meeting would be kept secret .

? the Articles of Confederation would be abandoned .

? an entirely new government would be created.

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Instruction Compromise and the Constitution

Slide

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The Basics

The delegates agreed that the new government should have three

branches:

? The legislative branch would make the laws.

? The executive branch would carry out the laws.

? The judicial branch decides if laws have been broken and if laws

abide by the Constitution.

The delegates agreed that Congress would be the legislative branch, but

they disagreed about many other issues.

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Big Decisions in Philadelphia

The delegates had decisions to make.

? Should Congress be made up of one house or two ?

? Should every state have the same number of

representatives ? ? Should representation be based on a state's population ?

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Instruction Compromise and the Constitution

Slide

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The Virginia Plan

The delegates proposed two plans for a Congress.

The first was the Virginia Plan.

? Proposed representation based on population

? Proposed a bicameral (two-house) Congress

? Supported by large and growing states

Two Plans

The second plan was the New Jersey Plan. ? Proposed a unicameral (one-house) Congress ? Proposed that every state have the same number of

representatives

? Supported by small states

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Instruction Compromise and the Constitution

Slide

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A Look at the Numbers

LOOK AHEAD

Virginia's Population = 692,000 New Jersey's Population = 184,000 Virginia Plan

? Virginia would have eight representatives in each house.

? New Jersey would have two in each house.

New Jersey Plan

? Virginia would have five members of Congress.

? New Jersey would have five members of Congress.

What's in a Number?

How should enslaved people be counted? ? Southern states pushed for:

1 enslaved person = 1 person

? Northern states pushed for:

1 enslaved person = 0 persons

If enslaved persons were counted, this would give Southern states larger

populations.

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