2305+-+The+US+Constitution

Power Points

I'll have a condensed version up soon - these are the originals

Here is the above info in text form:



Description: The last section concluded by noting that the Declaration of Independence did not establish a governing system. It was not a constitution. This section looks at the factors that led to the drafting of the US Constitution and to the document's outline. This is meant to be a beginning to our look at the document since we will be looking at various aspects of it in future slides. It is important to note that while many different groups in American society united for the purpose of gaining independence, they broke apart when it came to designing a system of government. This is to be expected because different designs of government benefit different interests.

This section defines what a constitution is meant to do for a society and how, though as we will see there can be some ambiguity due to the language in the document. As with the previous section, history plays a major part in the story told here. The US Constitution is based on previous models, in fact that is part of its strength. Building on history allows for a pragmatic determination of what works and does not work. As we look through the language of the document, we will note that it does not make grand statements. It is full of practical lessons learned from history dating back to Magna Carta. These will be elaborated on further in later sections.

Since constitutions are written during specific historical moments, they are affected by the nature of those moments. This helps explain why the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution are so different. We will walk through the outline and some of the text of each document here in order to understand the basic structure of each and how each conditions the flow of power in society. This will introduce us to the forces that wanted a stronger national government and those that wanted to retain state power - an ongoing conflict throughout American history.

As we look through the Constitution you will note references to the Constitutional Convention and to the Federalist Papers. We will spend time in future lectures digging into each. It cannot be emphasized enough that the Constitution as written is the product of compromise, we will analyze the nature of that compromise and look at an outline of the document. We will also run through the amendments and discuss the ongoing conflict regarding how the document ought to be interpreted.

As mentioned above, this gives us an overview of the document. In future sections we will dig more fully into different sections and clauses within it.

Goals: After reading through the material above, you should be able to address the following questions:

- What is a constitution? What does a constitution do? Are the beneficial or harmful to a community? - Be able to describe the structure of both the Articles of Confederation and the US Constitution. Why does each look the way it does? What are the basic similarities and difference in each document? - Be familiar with the content of each of the articles of the Constitution. - What was the purpose of the Annapolis Convention? What did it - and did it not - accomplish? - Be familiar with basic facts of the Constitutional Convention. - What compromises were necessary in order to get the Constitution signed and ratified? - What are the basic principles embodied in the Constitution? How have these changed over time? - What were the deficiencies of the Articles of Confederation? At least according to the Federalists. - Be able to describe the Virginia, New Jersey and Hamilton Plan. - Be familiar with the amendments and how they impacted the Constitution. - What controversies exist in interpreting the Constitution? - What were the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers? What did each attempt to accomplish? How?

Key Terms:

- constitutions - confederacy - states - We the People - republicanism - separated powers - federalism - liberty - indirect democracy - necessary and proper clause - commerce clause - general welfare clause - full faith and credit - privileges and immunities - the supreme law of the land - the Great Compromise - bicameralism - the Federalists - the Anti-Federalists - Publius - the Bill of Rights - amendments - loose construction - strict construction - textualism - originalism - the living constitution