Ch. 2-3

Confederation and the Constitution

Confederation and the Constitution

• Republic-a government in which citizens rule through their elected officials.

• The Articles of Confederation (AOC)- a plan that established a form of government called a confederation, or alliance, among the 13 colonies/states.

• The AOC created a weak central government because there was no money to help enforce the laws.

• Lack of unity among the states.

Shay’s Rebellion

• 1786-Massachusetts raises taxes• 1787- Daniel Shay led 1,200 farmers in

protest to Springfield where state officials killed 4 farmers/rebels.

• News spread of the rebellion and it persuaded 12 states to send delegates to a convention in Philadelphia.

Small States vs. Big States

• Virginia Plan-States with larger populations would receive more representation/votes.

• New Jersey Plan-Each state would receive an equal vote.

• Great Compromise-each state had equal representations in the Senate (upper house), but in the House of representatives (lower house) representation was based on population.

• How would the slaves be counted?• 3/5 Compromise-they were counted as 3/5 of a

person.

Separation of Powers• 3 branches of Government

– Executive carry out the laws– Judicial interpret laws and settle disputes– Legislative made laws

• Checks and balances- prevented any one house from having too much power.

• Changing the Constitution- the amendment process allows the Constitution to be a working document that can be altered with time.

Federalists and Antifederalists

• Federalists supported the Constitution• Antifederalist opposed it because they

believed there would be a strong central government. – They believed their was no guarantee that the

government would not protect the rights of the people.

– The Bill of Rights were later made