Based upon your reading of Locke,Montesquieu, and Rousseau…
1.How do you interpret their idea of the socialcontract?
2.How did their ideas influence the framers ofthe United States?
Do Now
Against the contention that people were born innatural subjection to their kings, John Lockeargued:
1.The power of the king (or any government) isderived from the people, who contract to obeytheir rulers in exchange for law and security.
2.Individuals have a natural right to holdproperty, and this can never be taken fromthem without their own consent.
3.If a ruler infringes the terms of the contractthat empowers him or seizes property withoutconsent, the people can resist and depose him.
Interpreting Locke
According to Montesquieu, there were threetypes of government:
1.a monarchy (ruled by a king or queen),
2.a republic (ruled by an elected leader),
3.and despotism (ruled by a dictator).
Montesquieu believed that a government thatwas elected by the people was the best formof government. He argued that the bestgovernment would be one in which power wasbalanced among three groups of officials-andidea he called “separation of powers.”
Interpreting Montesquieu
1.Only when people work for the commoninterest can they achieve real freedom fromautocracy.
2.For those who do not want to submit to thegeneral will or common interest of the people,they will be “forced to be free.”
3.The government that represents the generalwill cannot be questioned, because thegeneral will cannot be wrong.
Interpreting Rousseau
WHO GOVERNS?
1. What is the difference between a democracy and arepublic?
2. What branch of government has the greatestpower?
TO WHAT ENDS?
1. Does the Constitution tell us what goals thegovernment should serve?
2. Whose freedom does the Constitution protect?
Big Ideas for Ch. 2
1.Read pages 20-27 in the textbook
Identify reasons for revolution.
What hardships or problems were faced by the earlygovernment?
Identify the strengths and weaknesses of earlygovernment.
2.Current events analysis-See syllabus for format anddirections
I will link an article on my webpage for you to use.
I will also place limited copies of article in a folder onmy door by the end of today.
Homework for 8/19
Even before the Revolutionary War, many felt some form of union wouldbe necessary if the rebellious colonies were to survive. In 1774, theMassachusetts Spy portrayed the colonies as segments of a snake thatmust “Join or Die.” p. 20Even before the Revolutionary War, many felt some form of union wouldbe necessary if the rebellious colonies were to survive. In 1774, theMassachusetts Spy portrayed the colonies as segments of a snake thatmust “Join or Die.” p. 20
LC-DIG-ppmsca-02949/Library of Congress
The Problem of Liberty
The Colonial Mind
Men will seek power because they are ambitious,greedy and easily corrupted
The Real Revolution
Weaknesses of the Confederation
Articles of Confederation 1781
The American colonists’ desire to assert their liberties led intime to a deep hostility toward British government, as whenthese New Yorkers toppled a statue of King George III, meltedit down, and used the metal to make bullets. p. 21The American colonists’ desire to assert their liberties led intime to a deep hostility toward British government, as whenthese New Yorkers toppled a statue of King George III, meltedit down, and used the metal to make bullets. p. 21
Lafayette College Art Collection
NorthAmericain 1787,p. 22
p. 23
Congress/JK130 1777 B7
The Articles of Confederation
1.Continued the structure and operation ofthe government established by the SecondContinental Congress and established a“league of friendship” among the 13independent states.
2.Structure was unicameral (single-chamber).
3.Each state had one vote in Congress, nomatter size or population.
The Articles of Confederation
Strengths
1.To declare war and makepeace.
2.To coin and borrowmoney
3.To detail with foreigncountries and signtreaties
4.To operate post offices
Weaknesses
1.The national government couldnot force the states to obey itslaws.
2.It did not have the power totax.
3.Super majority needed to passmajor laws.
4.Congress lacked strong andsteady leadership
5.There was no national army ornavy
6.There was no system of nationalcourts
7.Each state could issue its ownpaper money
8.Interstate trade could not beregulated.
John Hancock was proud to have signed the Declaration of Independence butthought so little of the presidency under the Articles of Confederation that henever bothered to accept the job. p. 24
Library of Congress
The presiding officer at the Constitutional Convention was George Washington(1732–1799). He participated just once in the debates, but the effect of hispresence was great. He was a national military hero, and it was generallyexpected that he would be the nation’s first president. p. 25The presiding officer at the Constitutional Convention was George Washington(1732–1799). He participated just once in the debates, but the effect of hispresence was great. He was a national military hero, and it was generallyexpected that he would be the nation’s first president. p. 25
The Free Library of Philadelphia
A Need For Change
Debt from the Revolution
1.Shay’s Rebellion: Led by Daniel Shays, armedfarmers forced state courts to close to preventforeclosures on their land. When pleas wereignored, 1200 advanced on the federal arsenal.They were suppressed by the Massachusettsmilitia but alarmed American leaders.
Annapolis Convention
2.Called together to discuss commerce, specificallythose barriers that limited trade between thelargely independent states under the Articles, butended with planning another convention inPhiladelphia for the sole purpose of revising theArticles of Confederation.
Shays’s Rebellion in western Massachusetts in 1786–1787 stirred deep fears ofanarchy in America. The ruckus was put down by a hastily assembled militia,and the rebels were eventually pardoned. p. 26
Bettmann/Corbis
The Constitutional Convention
The Lessons of Experience
State Constitutions
Shay’s Rebellion
The Framers
55 delegates, RI did not senda delegate
Mural by Barry Faulkner ofdelegates attending theConstitutional Convention, p. 28
Courtesy of the National Archives and RecordsAdministration, Washington, D.C.
The Challenge
The Virginia Plan–proposal to create a strongnational government
The New Jersey Plan–proposal to create aweak national government
The Compromise
popularly elected house based on statepopulation
state elected Senate, with two members for eachstate
The Constitution and Democracy
Republican Form of Government
Key Principles
○Federalism
○Enumerated powers
○Reserved powers
○Concurrent powers
Government of Human Nature
Separation of powers
Checks and balances
p. 31
The Constitution and Liberty
The Antifederalist View
Need for a Bill of Rights
The Constitution and
Slavery
Ratification of the FederalConstitution by StateConventions, 1787-1790, p. 32
p. 35
American Antiquarian Society
p. 37
The Constitution was silent about slavery, and so buying and sellingslaves continued for many years, p. 38
Chicago Historical Society
The Motives of the Framers
Economic Interests
The Constitution and Equality
This late-eighteenth-century cartoon showsthe enthusiasm manypeople had for theirnew Constitution, p.39This late-eighteenth-century cartoon showsthe enthusiasm manypeople had for theirnew Constitution, p.39
The Granger Collection
Elbridge Gerry (left, 1744–1814) was a wealthy Massachusetts merchant and politician whoparticipated in the convention but refused to sign the Constitution. James Wilson (right, 1742–1798)of Pennsylvania, a brilliant lawyer and terrible businessman, was the principal champion of thepopular election of the House. Near the end of his life, he was jailed repeatedly for debts incurred asa result of his business speculations. p. 40
Copyright © 2011 Cengage
Bettmann/CORBIS
Hulton Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Constitutional Reform: Modern Views
Reducing the Separation of PowersReducing the Separation of Powers
Making the System Less DemocraticMaking the System Less Democratic
Line-item vetoLine-item veto
WHO IS RIGHT?WHO IS RIGHT?
p. 44
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
MEMORANDUM
To: Elizabeth Anthony, Arkansas state senate majority leader
From: George Morris, chief of staff
Subject: Proposal for a New Constitutional Convention
In the 1990s, Arkansas and several other states approved term limits for theirmembers of Congress, but the Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that states do nothave this authority. Now term-limit advocates are pursuing a broader strategy,calling for states to approve legislation that would require Congress to considerseveral amendment proposals, including term limits and abolishing the electoralCollege to permit the direct popular election of the president. The ArkansasGeneral Assembly passed such a bill last week, and several senators in yourparty have declared their support.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Arguments for:
1. Since the Twenty-second Amendment restrictspresidents to two terms, that members ofCongress should face similar limits.
2. Term limits will ensure that national leaders donot become career politicians.
3. The public favors the direct popular election ofthe president; this constitutional conventionwould make possible abolishing the electoralCollege.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Arguments against:
1. Limiting members of Congress to two terms wouldincrease the power of lobbyists, congressional staffers,and administrative officials.
2. The Electoral College encourages a two-party system; adirect popular vote for the president would requirerunoff elections if no candidate won a majority.
3. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was held insecret and involved only a few dozen people; today itwould be heavily covered by the press and involvehundreds, perhaps thousands of people. No one knowswhat changes it might make.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Your decision:
Favor legislation?
Oppose legislation?