Unit 4- The Constitutional Convention Concepts: Citizenship, Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Rights, Compromise

History Strands The student will: and be able to: Relevant Details identify the era and events Delegates gathered in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787, tasked to revise the surrounding the creation of Articles of Confederation. the Constitution (8.1A) understand apply absolute and relative traditional historical chronology through the points of reference in n/a sequencing of significant U.S. history through individuals and events (8.1B) 1877 explain the significance of the Side note: not ratified until 1789, where Washington was quickly elected as the only date: 1787, writing of the U.S. “unanimous” President Constitution (8.1C) Issues at the forefront of the convention: - How to establish a government strong enough to do what it needed, but not more than it should! - How to reallocate power (big states vs. small states) - What to do with slaves Solutions: Compromise!!! analyze the issues of the - Great Compromise (sometimes referred to as the Compromise due Constitutional Convention of to Conn’s proposing it) established the two house (bicameral) 1787, including the Great system in the legislature, with one house based on size/population (House of Compromise and the Three- understand Rep.) and one house based on equal representation (Senate), with both shared Fifths Compromise (8.4D) significant political and distinct powers between them and economic issues - Three-Fifths Compromise dealt with slaves, although the word “slave” doesn’t of the actually appear in the Constitution, it cleverly slipped around this to allow era “non-whites” to be counted as 3/5ths of a person, therefore making slaves both people (wanted by the south to add to population #s) AND property (wanted by north for taxation) There’s way more to it, but that’s the short form! First of all, remember that the word ratify[ication] means to officially approve. Federalists were those who believed that the constitution was good as it was written, meaning that there were limitations on power written in to the document. They also analyze the arguments for and believed that the “people” would never allow for the government to get out of hand. against ratification (8.4E) Anti-federalists argued that there was too much power given to the federal government and insisted on a guarantee of rights that would protect the people (and states). Not enough room here to go into more detail than that (but see 17A below!). understand westward The Northwest Ordinance (of 1787, named for the Northwest Territory that was being explain how the Northwest expansion and its directly affected) was actually a set of new laws that established several precedents Ordinance established effects on the political, (examples for the future). It was also about the only good thing to come from our principles and procedures for economic, and social government prior to the Constitution (opinion statement). orderly expansion of the development of the First, the Ordinance created an official boundary (the Ohio River) of where slavery United States (8.6A) nation would, and would not, be permitted in newly settled lands. This established the Unit 4 – Constitutional Convention 2014-15 Page 1 of 3

Unit 4- The Constitutional Convention Concepts: Citizenship, Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Rights, Compromise

precedent of the government drawing lines of limiting slavery between N & S. Second, the Ordinance established guidelines for the creation of new states to be added, abandoning the previous notion that states would just stretch westward across the mountains along their previous parallels. Third, the Ordinance established guidelines for how new settlements would be broken up, including land appropriations (setting aside) for schools, government buildings, communal meeting areas, etc., as well as establishing how they would be governed and at what point those lands could become a state. Government & Citizenship Strands The student will: and be able to: - Magna Carta (1215): 1st time a ruler gave up some of his authority to the people (nobles, in this case) establishes the ideas of limited government, individual rights, due process, & rule of law - English Bill of Rights (1689): strengthens precedents & ideas established earlier by the Magna Carta identify the influence of ideas - Mayflower Compact (1620): establishes the ideas of self-government and rule of law, from historic documents, as the settlers were not in the lands (and authority) that they were intended to be in including the Magna Carta, - Federalist Papers (1787-88): series of letters and articles written by John Jay, the English Bill of Rights, the , and , which argued for the ratification of the Mayflower Compact, the Constitution drafted in 1787. They argued that there were plenty of safeguards in , and document against abusive by a future government due to the principles of separation selected Anti-Federalist of powers, checks and balances, federalism, republicanism, etc. writings, on the U.S. system of understand the - “selected Anti-Federalist writings”- pretty much any source that you could choose government (8.15A) American beliefs and here would contain concerns about the ability of the nation government to openly principles reflected in violate the rights of the people (states) and return to a tyrannical government like we the Declaration of had fought to escape. These writings led to James Madison’s eventual writing of Independence, the twelve amendments to the original constitution that would protect the individual U.S. Constitution, and rights of the people and states. Ten of them passed as the “Bill of Rights”. other important Strengths: historic documents Uhhhhhhhh, protected rights? Made sure the government couldn’t abuse it’s power because it was totally ineffective? summarize the strengths and Weaknesses: weaknesses of the Articles of - weak national government with no courts, power to tax, common currency (money), Confederation (8.15B) national army - required a super-majority (9 of the 13) to pass anything and a unanimous vote to pass an amendment identify colonial grievances Ugh. Where do we start? I’ll speak pretty generally because I’m pretty sure there’s listed in the Declaration of whole books on this: Independence and explain - the creation of the 3 branches was in response to abuses of power and collusion how those grievances were (secretly working together) by Parliament and King George III (as was the federal addressed in the U.S. system, the bicameral (two house) system in the legislature, and pretty much Unit 4 – Constitutional Convention 2014-15 Page 2 of 3

Unit 4- The Constitutional Convention Concepts: Citizenship, Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Rights, Compromise

Constitution and the Bill of anything else that separates powers) Rights (8.15C) - Amendments 4-8 protect due process, which had several complaints listed in the grievances - 3rd Amendment in response to the Quartering Acts (mentioned in a couple of grievances) Again, there could be pages on this, you get the point (plus we covered this last unit!) The purpose for amending the constitution is so that it could stand as a lasting (living) document that could be interpreted, and if necessary changed, to meet understand the unforeseen changes in the future. Good thing, or we’d have had to write a whole new process of changing summarize the purposes for constitution every time (remember that in Texas history?) the U.S. Constitution and process of amending the As for the process, the framers (guys who wrote it) wanted to make sure it wasn’t and the impact of U.S. Constitution (8.16A) overly done about silly things, so while it is difficult, it is by no means impossible. A amendments on proposed amendment must be passed by a 2/3 vote in both houses (or 2/3s of the American society state legislatures), and then be sent out to be ratified by ¾ of the states. This is all outlined in Article V of the Constitution. Again? Federalists: Alexander Hamilton & James Madison They argued that the Constitution protected rights sufficiently enough within the way understands the analyze the arguments of the the government was designed, and that no additional guarantees of freedoms were dynamic nature of the Federalists and Anti- necessary. powers of the national Federalists, including those of Anti- Federalists: Patrick Henry (remember him?) & government and state Alexander Hamilton, Patrick They disagreed and encouraged people and states not to ratify the Constitution governments in a Henry, James Madison, and without a guarantee of limitations (Bill of Rights). While Madison is the actual author federal system George Mason (8.17A) of the amendments that become the Bill of Rights, many of his ideas are based on documents George Mason had written for . (As a side note, all of these guys except Hamilton were from Virginia, so it’s not like a “north vs. south” thing understand the importance of the summarize a historical event expression of different in which compromise resulted See 8.4D! It took 70 years before our one little oversight (slavery!) turned out to not be points of view in a in a peaceful resolution so peaceful. constitutional (8.21C)

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