1	"The Constitution" The Constitution
2	Shays’ Rebellion (1786) Economic problems of farmers after War Taxes / debts led to foreclosure Massachusetts farmers took up arms to stop courts from taking their land Farmers / Captain Daniel Shays fought militia Soldiers from Boston easily defeated rebels
3	After Shays’ Rebellion Shay's Rebellion increased fears of ineffective state governments Call went out to meet in Philadelphia Delegates to Philadelphia (Convention only to revise the Articles)
4	Practices of Revolutionary Era Conflicts over meaning of democracy / liberty Revolution to preserve existing way of life Traditional rights of life, liberty, and property threatened by British Revolution inspired by concern for liberty / love for popular sovereignty
5	Revolutionary Era Liberty — preservation of traditional rights from government intrusions Final authority - belongs to the people Political equality — each person carries the same weight
6	Prelude to Declaration 2^nd Continental Congress (5/1775) not originally about independence Spring, 1776 - independence had become prime objective Declaration of Independence unanimously adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776
7	Jefferson’s Contributions Declaration of Independence primarily the work of Jefferson Jefferson’s ideas are so familiar today / revolutionary at the time / importance overlooked today
8	Keys to Declaration Legitimate government: Established by the people Governs with consent of the people Humans have “natural” rights: Cannot be given / taken away by govt. People create government to protect these rights People can withdraw from government and create a new one if government fails to protect rights or threatens them
9	Omissions in the Declaration Did not end slavery Said nothing about: Status of women Native Americans Free Blacks
10	Early State Constitutions 1783 – At end of War for Independence, 11 colonies already had governments Each state had written constitutions State Constitutions had: Bills of rights Limits on Executive powers Restrictions on right to vote / holding office
11	Articles of Confederation Provisions A loose confederation of independent states Weak central government Problems National defense Inability to defend national interests in foreign affairs Commercial warfare among the states
12	Toward Constitutional Convention Concern about democratizing and egalitarian tendencies (King George) Republican beliefs of the Founders Framers more concerned with representation than democracy (republicanism)
13	Why Founders Worried Revolution became more democratic as more common people involved Mid-1780s – restrictions established to limit actions of state legislatures Pennsylvania replaced property ownership as a requirement to vote with a poll tax (more people could vote)
14	Threat to Property Rights Right to own property in danger in the 1770s and 1780s Popular opinion favored property rights (sympathized with the farmers) Shays’ Rebellion a wake-up call for American leaders
15	Constitutional Convention By 1787 - leaders realized that the new nation was failing Delegates to the Constitutional Convention Wealthy / male / educated / young politically experienced Familiar with Western philosophy / political science
16	Framers Intentions Framers - a complex mixture of motives (religious / commercial / nationalistic Historian Charles Beard - framers conspired to protect their own economic interests.
17	Consensus Among Delegates Concerned that strong national government is potentially tyrannical Believed that government should be protected from special interests Belief in a republican (representative) form of government
18	Framers Concerns Representation of the states in the legislature Status of slavery Selection of the president
19	Compromises Representation — conflict about power of large v small states Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)
20	Slave References Several references (not mentioned by name) Three-fifths Compromise No importation of slaves after 20 years (1808) Return of runaway slaves
21	What Framers Created Present-day government defined by document written in 1787 Only 27 formal amendments have been added in more than 200 years Republican Government Popular consent / popular participation, barriers on majoritarian democracy (too much popular democracy) Limits powers of government in order to prevent tyranny
22	Federalism (Division of Powers) Strong central government Supremacy clause (Article VI, Section 2) Important powers assigned to the national government Elastic clause (Article I) States remain part of the federal system
23	Limited Government Specific powers given to national government (Article I, Section 8) Specific powers denied to states (Article I, Section 9) Bill of Rights restrains national government by protecting fundamental rights of states
24	Checks on Majority Rule People rule indirectly Bicameral legislature Varying terms of office Indirect election of the president and Senate (changed by 17th Amendment) Presidential appointment of judges / confirmation by Senate Cumbersome amendment process
25	Separation of Powers Checks and Balances During American Revolution - leaders worried about misrule by executives and judges Framers afraid of legislative tyranny
26	Separation of Powers Executive, legislative, and judicial powers, placed into different branches Branches have powers to check one another / delegated / shared powers
27	Free Enterprise Economy Framers concerned that too much “democratic order” would threaten private ownership of property Added Constitutional protections for property rights Framers encouraged a free enterprise economy
28	Ratification of Constitution Ratification of new Constitution was difficult (Delegates supposed to only modify Articles) Federalists — favored ratification Anti-Federalists — opposed ratification (Federalist’s Papers and Promise of a Bill of Rights required to ratify)
29	Changing Constitution and American Politics Constitution - the rule book to govern Constitutional rules Apportion power among branches Defines relationships between institutions Specifies how individuals selected for office Defines how the rules may be changed
30	Changing Constitution A Living Constitution - can change with the times