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Origins of the US constiution - Coggle Diagram
Origins of the US constiution
Settllement of America
Europeans arrived in the 1600s
Wanted gold and a better life
Puritans sought relief from religious persecution
England- Virginia
French- Canada and the North-West
Dutch- East coast
Russia- Alaska
Spanish- Florida and the South-West
First permanent English settlement (Jamestown, Virginia) in 1607
By 1633, England had 13 colonies along the East Coast.
Beginnings of revolution.
1774, the 13 colonies sent delegates to the Continental Congress
The colonies were tired of rule and taxes by King George III
Sugar Act (1764)- Tax on sugar.
Currency Act (1764)- Colonies could not print money.
Quartering Act (1765)- Citizens were required to feed and house British soldiers.
Stamp Act (1765)- Tax on all printed paper.
The Tonwsend Acts (1767)
Tax on lead
Tax on glass
Tax on paper
Tax on paint
Tax on tea
The Tea Act (1773)
Removed the tax on tea entering Britain
Retained the tax on tea entering the colonies
Lead to the "Boston Tea Party" by the Sons of Liberty
"No taxation without representation"
Independence
Declaration of Independence- July 4th, 1776
"All men are created equal"
"Unaliable rights"
"Life"
"Liberty"
"The Pursuit of Happiness"
American Revolutionary War- 1775-1783
Britain defeated
Paperwork time!
Articles of Confederation (1781)
First US consitution
Recognised the Continental Congress as having certain powers.
Leading war
Conducting diplomacy
Manage territorial issues
Problems :(
No real power to regulate trade between countries, or the states
This led to conflicting trade policies and tariffs
No uniform national currency
No power to collect taxes
Only provided a legislative branch- no leadership or judicial powers
Laws could not be enforced
The country as a whole could not be represented
Legislative issues
Each state had only one vote
So Virginia (population 500,000 had an equal vote to
Delaware
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
Georgia
New Jersey
Combined population = 400,000
Excessive power to smaller states
9 votes (9 states) were required to pass a law
13 votes needed to amend the constitution
The Philadelphia Convention (1787)
55 delegates met to create a new US constitution
It was codified- collected on a single document (with 27 later amendments)
Article 1: The Legislative Branch (Congress)
Article 2: The Executive Branch (The President)
Article 3: The Judicial Branch (The Supreme Court)
Article 4: The relationship between the states and federal governments
Article 5: How the Constitution can be amended
Article 6: Confirms the Constitution as supreme
Article 7: Explains how the constitution should be ratified by the states
Federalists (strong government)
Anti-Federalists (weaker government)
The New Jersey Plan
Keep the Articles of Confederacy, but strengthen Congress
Backed by smaller states
The Virginia Plan
Backed by larger states
Representation based on population size
The Connecticut Compromise
Bicameral Legislature (Two houses)
House of Representatives
Representation based on population size
435 seats
The Senate
States represented equally
100 seats (2 per state)
Congress would have much more power
Impose and collect taxes
Coin money
Regulate interstate commerce