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The U.S. Constitution
Review the following presentation to
help clarify your understanding of the
Constitution
The Critical Period
– 1789
 The Articles of Confederation had established a
loose relationship between the states
 There was no strong central authority to settle
disputes
 States were reluctant to surrender power to a
strong national government
 1781
The Articles of Confederation
Adopted in 1781
 Which branch is
responsible for enforcing
laws and judging law
breakers?
 How would trade between
states be conducted?
 What if a state decided to
act independently of the
others?
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Shay’s Rebellion
1786
The Massachusetts
legislature voted the
heaviest direct tax in its’
history
They insisted in payment
by gold or silver which
were very scarce
Daniel Shay led a
rebellion against these
taxes.
The National government
was unable to help
Massachusetts.
The Nationalist’s used
Shay’s rebellion as an
example of civil unrest
 They argued that a strong
national government was
needed to settle such
disputes

The Second Continental Congress
 Convened
in May of 1787 to correct the problems
of the Articles of Confederation
 Shay’s rebellion demonstrated the need for major
change
 A debate ensued
 Liberty or Order, How could we keep both?
Who was Right?
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Federalists called for a strong
Central Government
They claimed that liberty
unchecked meant chaos
Organization and the Common
good were paramount
They included lawyers and
businessmen
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Anti-Federalists feared a
strong Central Government
They claimed that a strong
Central Government would
take away their liberties
Individual rights were
paramount, and should be
protected from a powerful
government
They included farmers,
laborers, and some politicians
The Three Main Compromises
The
Great Compromise
The 3/5 Compromise
The Slavery Compromise
The Great Compromise
 Answered
the question of Representation
 Set up a Bicameral Legislature
 In The House of Representatives send
representatives proportionate to their population
 In The Senate each state sends two representatives
 As you can see, the House favors the states with
the larger population, the Senate favors those with
a smaller population
The 3/5 Compromise
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Southerners wanted to count
slaves towards representation
in Congress
Northerners realized that this
would allow the south to
dominate Congress
Northerners argued that slaves
were not free and therefore
could not be counted
A compromise was reached:
every 5 slaves would be
counted as the equivalent of
three white men for the
purpose of representation
The Slavery Compromise
 The
South could control Congress simply by
importing more slaves
 A limit on the importation of Slaves was agreed
upon
 Slaves could be imported until 1808
 Each imported slave would have a $10.00 tax
levied upon the transaction
The Father of the Constitution
James Madison came to be
known as the Father of
The Constitution
 A wealthy Virginian, he
was among 55 delegates
present at Convention
 Well educated, articulate,
and 36 - he was the most
active member of the
Convention

The Basic Principles of the
Constitution
Separation of Powers
 Powers
are divided between 3 branches of
government
 A Legislative
Branch makes laws
 An Executive Branch enacts the laws
 A Judicial Branch interprets the laws
Checks and Balances
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No one branch is allowed to become too powerful
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Each Branch can check the power of another branch
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This helps to prevent and unequal distribution of power
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Study the next slide to see how the branches interact
So What is Federalism?
National or Federal Government
shares power with each of the levels below.
In questions on Federal Law or disputes between states, it has the final say
State Government
shares power with the other
levels and deals primarily with state matters
State Government
State Government
County Government
County Government
County Government
Town Government
Town Government
Town Government
The Electoral college
Each state receives a number of
Electoral votes equal to its’ total
number of representatives.
Amending the Constitution
Article V
Proposing Amendments
2/3 of each house of
Congress
 Convention called by 2/3
of the state legislatures

Ratifying Amendments
¾ of the state legislatures
¾ of special conventions
held in each state
What do we know?
 Exactly
what is Federalism?
 Why was the Great Compromise necessary?
 What are the specific duties of the 3 branches?
 What is the fewest number of electors any state can
have?
 Why do you think there are so few amendments?
 How many amendments are there?