ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

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ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

• AMERICAS 1ST WRITTEN CONSTITUTION

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ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

• WEAKNESSES
• Weak national govt
• State govt too strong
• Uni-cameral legislature (Congress)
• States only had 1 representative and 1 vote in
  Congress (law makers)
• No executive branch or president
• No national court system
• Could not tax the states to raise money
• Could not regulate (control) trade
• Could not enforce laws
• Each state had its own currency and militia
• Too difficult to amend (change) the Articles

• STRENGTHS
• 1st constitution of the new nation
• Central government
• Federalism power divided between central
  (national) govt and individual state govt
• Congress could
• Declare war
• Sign treaties
• Deliver mail
• Create money

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Georgia Constitution of 1777
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GEORGIA CONSTITUTION OF 1777

• STRENGTHS
• Separation of govt Powers
• 8 Counties (local government) each county had its
  own government, court, school, and militia
• Citizens were guaranteed freedom of religion,
  press, and trial by jury

• WEAKNESSES
• Uni-cameral legislature (one house) had too much
  power appoint (choose) the Governor and judges
• Governor served only a 1 year term
• Only white men 21 and over with property could
  vote
• Amending (changing) the constitution was
  difficult

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Appointed by executive council
Appointed by legislature
1 year term
GOVERNOR
STATE JUDGES
Very little power
GA Constitution of 1777
EXECUTIVE
JUDICIARY
LEGISLATIVE
Uni-cameral (1 house) called the
House of Assembly
Power to appoint Governor and judges
LEGISLATORS (lawmakers)
Have most of the power
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Constitution of the United States
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Constitutional Convention of 1787

• Why did our Founding Fathers need to
  revise/change the Articles of Confederation?
• What happened to the Articles of Confederation?
• Who is called the Father of the Constitution
  because he wrote most of it?

To create a stronger Federal (national / central)
government that would UNITE the young country.
The Founding Fathers wrote a new constitution
James Madison. The others who wrote the US
Constitution are called founding fathers/framers
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ABRAHAM BALDWIN
WILLIAM FEW
BOTH MEN WERE REPRESENTATIVES FROM GEORGIA WHO
HELPED CREATE AND SIGN THE UNITED STATES
CONSTITUTION.
ABRAHAM BALDWIN PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN THE GREAT
COMPROMISE THAT HELPED CREATE A BI-CAMERAL
LEGISLATURE
WILLIAM FEW HELPED WRITE THE CONSTITUTION
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CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION of 1787
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CAUSE
EFFECT
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
Constitutional Convention of 1787

• Federal government
• becomes more powerful
• Separation of Powers
• - Legislative branch
• makes laws
• - Executive branch
• enforce laws
• - Judicial branch
• interpret laws
• Bi-cameral legislature
• House of Representatives
• based on state population
• Senate 2 Senators
• from each state

• State governments had too much power
• National government could not levy taxes,
  enforce laws, or control trade
• No executive branch (President)
• No judicial branch (no federal courts to
  settle disputes between the states)

• Great Compromise Created a bi-cameral
  legislature
• 3/5ths Compromise
• 3 out of 5 slaves counted toward population and
  were also taxed
• Bill of Rights 1st ten amendments to the
  Constitution guaranteeing rights for citizens

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MAKES LAWS
ENFORCES/ CARRIES OUT LAWS
INTERPRETS LAWS
Term 4 yrs Max 2 terms
BI-CAMERAL (2 houses/groups)
Barack Obama
Joe Biden
9 Justices (8 plus the CHIEF JUSTICE)
2 Senators from EACH STATE (Total 100)
Term 6 yrs
Term 2 yrs
For Georgia Saxby Chambliss Johnny Isakson
Chief Justice John Roberts
Representatives from EACH STATE based on
POPULATION(total 435)
Term Life
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From the Constitution
No person except a natural born Citizen, or a
Citizen of the United States, at the time of the
Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible
to the Office of President neither shall any
Person be eligible to that Office who shall not
have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years,
and been fourteen Years a Resident within the
United States.

• So, the president must be
• A natural born citizen.
• 35 years old or older
• A resident of the US for a minimum of 14 years.

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MAIN PRINCIPLES OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
1. Separation of Powers3 branches of govt.,
each with different duties and powers
Legislative, Executive, Judicial (in both U.S.
Georgia government) 2. Checks and balanceseach
branch given some power to control or prevent
some actions of other branches 3.
FederalismNational and state governments share
authority
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RATIFYING/APPROVING/SIGNING THE US CONSTITUTION

• Why did Georgia ratify the new U.S.
  Constitution?
• Wanted federal govt to have power to unite the
  country

• Needed federal govt to help fight Native
  Americans in order for

• Georgians to move westward onto new lands

• 4th state to ratify on January 2nd, 1788

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Was the Constitution perfect?

• NO

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AMENDMENTS

• There are only a total of 27
• The first 10 amendments are called the Bill of
  Rights and are what Americans consider our basic
  rights.
• Were added to the U.S. Constitution so that the
  states would ratify the US Constitution because
  some people felt if they were not written down,
  these rights could be taken away.

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