What is a constitution?

- A constitution presents the fundamental principles of a gov and establishes the basic structures
and procedures by which the gov operates to fulfill those principles
- Constitutions may be written or unwritten
- Foundational structures
o The US constitution describes 3 foundational gov bodies- legislative, excetive, judicial
branches- and articulates the responsibilities of each body as well as the relationships
among these bodies
- Essential processes
o Incl those used to select national gov
Colonization and Governance of America
- In 1600s waves of Europeans colonized North America
- Diversity of ppl and mix of economic classes migrated to colonies incl slaves
- 2-tier system of governance
British Policy Incites a Rebellion
- 7 yr war- the French and Indian war (1756-1763)
- The British Parliament turned to coloines for inc revenues
o Sugar act (1764)
o Stamp Act 1765
o Quartering Act 1765
o Declaratory Act 1766
o Townshend Duties 1767
Boston Massacre
- 1770- British soldiers living in American homes and looking after jobs that Americans wanted
- British soldiers who shot into the crowd: 5 dead and 6 wounded
- Samuel Adams condemned the event as the Boston Massacre (March 5)
A Massacre And A Tea Party
- The tea act 17773
- The boston tea party event- Dec 16, 1773
- Parliament responded with The Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts), which closed the port of Boston
- Martial law, suspension of state Assembly, bar on town meetings
The Continental Congresss Demands for Political Rights
- First Continental Congress, Spet 1774
- Congress adopted and sent to the king the Declaration of Rights and Gruevances
Common Sense
- 2 central principles- that all men are equal and have rights that are unalienable and that all gov
must be based on consent of the governed
The State Constitutions
- In may 1776, the continental congress encouraged the legislative assembly of each colony to
write a state constitution establishing independence from great Britain
- By 1843 all the states had enacted state constitutions
- They were each a single written doc that established the principles, structures and operating
procedures of the gov established by consent of ppl
The Articles of Confederation 1781-1789
- Ppl and the delegates to Second Continental Congress distrusted strong, distant central gov
- They nevertheless recog need for a united authority to engage in international trade, foreign
affairs, and defense
- The Articles of Confederation established a confederation a union of independent states in
which each state retains its sovereignty rights and power, which is not by their agreement
expressly delegated to a central governing body
Structure and Authority of Confederation
- The articles created only 1 governing body, a congress
- The congress was a unicameral legislative
- Each state had from 2-7 delegates in congress, but only 1 vote
- Approving policies and ratifying treaties required 9 affirmative votes
- There was no judicial branch, executive branch, or chief executive order
Weakness of confederation
- All power to State for commerce
- State taxed goods from other countries and states
- State issued own money
- Policies caused eco hardship
- Need for stronger central gov
Crafting the constitution: comprimse, ratification, and quick amendement
- Convention called to addres the defects in the articles of confederation was held in PA from may
25- spet 17, 1787
- All states went except rhode island
- Most ppl were lawyers, business ppl
Consensus
- Dual Sovereignty
o Sovereignty shared btw a central gov an regional gov
- National supremacy
o Article IV of constitution that states that constitution ant treaties and laws made by nat
gov in compliance with const are supreme law