The+Constitution

The Articles of Confederation America's first government was known as the Articles of Confederation. Ratified (know what this word means), March 1, 1781, the Articles were America's first constitution.



The Articles created a confederation of the states and a weak national government. We will discuss why the founding fathers intended the national government to be weak and ultimately why the Articles themselves failed. The video below demonstrates one important incident which showed our founding fathers that we would need a new constitution and government for our young country.

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Consider how the picture below demonstrates the failure of the Articles of Confederation.



Western Settlement Two important laws dictated the settlement of western lands.

It is important to know the context of this time period- when we say "western lands" we mean the part of America we now more commonly refer to as the "midwest."

The Land Ordinance of 1785
The ordinance decreed that the federal government would survey the lands into individual townships that would each be six miles square. Then the townships would be subdivided into 36 lots of 640 acres (one square mile) each. These lots would then be further subdivided into rectangular units for a minimum price of $1 an acre.



The Northwest Ordinance- America's "Blueprint"


Congress also passed the Northwest Ordinance July 13, 1787 which allowed for the orderly growth of the United States, As America's Blueprint, the Ordinance established a plan for how new states would enter America- with a republican form of government and without any form of slavery.

The Constitution The failure of the Articles of Confederation led to the calling of a Constitutional Convention in 1787. This History Channel video quickly summarizes the reasons why America needed a new government. This website is also a fantastic resource on the writing and history of the Constitutional Convention. These two videos offer additional explanation to why America wrote a new Constitution and what this new Constitution was intended to do as the new government of our nation. media type="custom" key="24291070"

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At the Constitutional Convention, two great debates- the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan divided the delegates. Eventually the Great Compromise was proposed and passed and we have the formation of a new government.

Two factions of delegates debated whether or not to ratify the Constitution. They became known as the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.

The Federalists supported the Constitution and believed that the Constitution would balance the powers of the government to prevent tyranny.

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers in defense of the Constitution. =VS.=

On the other side we have the Anti-Federalists who believed the Constitution did not protect against the growing power within the national government nor give enough individual rights against tyranny. The Anti-Federalists also wrote their own papers in opposition to the proposed Constitution.

Eventually the Constitution was approved and signed September 17, 1787- a day we celebrate as Constitution Day. This famous painting shows the delegates inside Independence Hall in Philadelphia during the signing of the Constitution. Do you recognize any of the founding fathers in this picture?

The Bill of Rights media type="youtube" key="yYEfLm5dLMQ" width="560" height="315"

The French Revolution There are many similarities and differences between the American and French Revolutions.

This song from the famous play turned movie //Les Miserables//, although not specific to the French Revolution, captures the spirit and emotions of the French toward what they view as an oppressive government.

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Government in Action
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the judicial branch. It has the power to declare laws unconstitutional. This link takes you to the audio from a supreme court oral argument.



These two videos give you an idea of the difference between debate styles of the United States Congress and the British House of Commons.

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Voting Rights
Voting day according to the United States Constitution is held on the first Tuesday in November.

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