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    Daniel Provost - Chapter 5 Notes .Kami

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    Daniel Provost - Chapter 5 Notes .Kami

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    5 views1 page

    Daniel Provost - Chapter 5 Notes .Kami

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 1

    Ch.

    5 Notes - New Nation


    The 13 colonies each had their own way of living. People favored having a republic. This is where citizens rule through elected
    representatives. Each of the colonies became states. Each state created a state constitution that focused on liberty. Under most
    state constitutions, only white males could vote. Although each state formed a constitution, it still needed to be done for the entire
    nation. People were concerned about the size and population of each state. They were not sure how to determine the number of
    representatives from each state. The Continental Congress formed the Articles of Confederation. This was our first idea for a
    national government. Under the Articles of Confederation, the state and national government shared power. The Articles of
    Confederation would prove to be weak. One good thing was it allowed people to move west under the Northwest Land Ordinance
    of 1787. This allowed for territories to apply to apply for statehood once their population reached 60,000. There were many
    problems with the Articles of Confederation. There was no national unity between the states. Also, states had equal
    representation regardless of population. There was a huge national debt from the Revolutionary War. A tax could not be imposed
    without the approval of every state. The national government was too weak under the Articles of Confederation. A change was
    needed. In May of 1787, 55 delegates from 12 states met in Philadelphia. Among them was Benjamin Franklin, Alexander
    Hamilton, and George Washington. Washington was elected to lead the convention. They needed to fix the Articles of
    Confederation. The biggest issue was the amount of representation each state would have in the national government. The big
    states proposed the Virginia Plan. This included a bicameral legislature based on population. The smaller states rejected the idea.
    The small states proposed the New Jersey Plan. This was a single-house legislature where each state had equal representation.
    After much debate, the men came to an agreement known as the Great Compromise. This was a two-house Congress to satisfy
    both sides. The upper house would be called the Senate. This would have equal state representation. The lower house would be
    called the House of Representatives. This would be based on population. The next debate was how to count slaves. Southern
    states wanted to count slaves as the state population. This would give them more representatives in the House. The Northern
    states disagreed. In the end, they settled on the Three-Fifths Compromise. #/5 of the state slave population would count. Now a
    government needed to be formed. The system of government created is known as federalism. This is when the states and
    national government share power. They also created the 3 branches of the national government. They include the following
    powers the state-level government and the national-level government; the Legislative branch- they make the laws, the executive
    branch- they carry out the laws, and the Judicial branch- they interpret the law. The 3 branches created the checks and balances
    system. Each branch of government had no more power than each of the other branches. They balanced one another. The next
    issue was how to elect the president. They came up with the electoral college system. Each state would choose a group to be part
    of the electoral college. The number of electoral college votes a state gets based on the number of senators and representatives
    that state has. The last issue discussed was how to make an amendment (change) to the Constitution. 75% of the states must
    approve a change to the Constitution. Finally, on September 17, 1787, the Constitutional Convention adjourned. Now the
    Constitution needed to be approved by the states. The new Consitution was printed in papers all over the country. Each state set
    up a convention to ratify- or approve- the new Constitution. 9 of the 13 states were required to ratify for the Constitution to
    become official. People who supported the Constitution were called Federalists. People who opposed the Constitution were called
    Antifederalists. They feared too much control by the federal government. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay were
    Federalists. They wrote the Federalist Papers. These influenced people to ratify the Constitution. Before approving the
    Constitution, people demanded a Bill of Rights be added. By 1789, enough states approved the new Constitution. The Bill of Rights
    became the 1st 10 amendments to the Constitution. These protect the rights and freedoms of all Americans. At the time, Native
    Americans and slaves were excluded. This would change over time.

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