Week 8 Discussion
The Constitution
School House Rock
• http://youtu.be/yHp7sMqPL0g
• The Preamble to the United States Constitution is a brief introductory statement of the fundamental purposes and guiding principles which the Constitution is meant to serve.
Drafting a new form of government
• The idea to draft a new form of government originates with wealthy, power leaders, especially merchants and creditors.
• They move to do this to address numerous trading, revenue raising and law making problems. – Many states had many laws.
Drafting a new Constitution
• Two main figures in the push to draft the constitution: – Alexander Hamilton—
• Ex-aid to Washington during war
• Believed in strong federal government and national control of economy
– James Madison • Representative from Virginia • Also believed in a strong federal
government • Pushed for separation of power
Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804)
James Madison (1751-1836)
Drafting a new Constitution • Hamilton and Madison (with
the support of Washington) petition Confederation Congress to allow a meeting to propose revisions to the current government.
• They have a preliminary meeting in Annapolis, Maryland in 1785. – Few states send delegates (only
5). – After unrest in New England
area (Shays’s Rebellion), more states become interested in the process.
Drafting a new Constitution • Annapolis Convention only
resolves that they will need another meeting: – It is scheduled for 1787 in
Philadelphia • The Philadelphia Convention
(later known as the Constitutional Convention) was met in private, had no public discussion and no official record was kept.
• It was a meeting of “Like-Minded Men”: – All were white, male, and well
educated elites. – 34 lawyers, 30 public creditors, and
20 of the 55 were members of the Society of the Cincinnati.
Drafting a new Constitution
• These men believed that the idea of liberty had extended too far.
• They specifically opposed measures passed by states that limited the collection of taxes, postponed debt payment, and printed money.
• The men looked to limit the power states had, and replace the confederation with a national government that could control finances and create fiscal policies that benefited them.
• They debated many points and compromised with each other to ensure they would produce a document that would get voter approval.
Drafting a new Constitution • New ideas in the new
constitution: – Replace unicameral system (single-house) of the Confederation Congress with a bicameral system (two- houses) that would reflect views of different classes. • This limited direct democracy
– Separation of power by creating independent branches of government: • Legislative (Congress and Senate)
• Judicial (Supreme Court) • Executive (President)
Drafting a new Constitution
• New ideas in the new constitution: – Electoral College for the election of President.
– Representation: • Congress would be proportional to population – Establishes need for census every 10 years
• Senate would be equal for all states, 2 representatives.
Current Electoral Map
Drafting a new Constitution
• Would slaves be considered part of the population? – Southern slave owner delegates wanted them to be counted.
– Abolitionists didn’t. – Compromise was that they would count as “three-fifths” of a free person.
Drafting a new Constitution
• Slavery issue – Southern planter delegates from Georgia and South Carolina opposed any language that regulated the slave trade or limited slavery.
– They argued that if these provisions were added, the South would never vote for it. • It was a bluff. Many voters in the South were against or indifferent to maintaining slavery.
Drafting a new Constitution
• Slavery issue – Eager to adjourn, abolitionist delegates did not challenge the bluff.
– To compromise, Southern delegates dropped their protest to giving Congress the power to regulate international shipping.
– In exchange, clauses were added to the document that: • Protected slave trade for 20 years. • Provided for the return of fugitive slaves– “any person held to serve or labor”.
• No mention of slavery or slaves in document.
Ratification of the new constitution
• The constitution is finalized in September 1787.
• Of 55 delegates, 39 agreed to sign it. Rhode Island was not represented.
• For it to take effect, 9 of the 13 states had to ratify it.
• Immediately after signing, the delegates moved quickly to convince voters to approve the new constitution.
Ratification of the new constitution
• The media spin: – To convince voters to approve the
constitution, delegates of the convention portrayed themselves as a cross-section of American society. • They added the words “We The People”
to emphasize this.
– They also began writing essays and presenting arguments through newspapers in favor of the constitution.
– They called themselves “Federalist” and their opponents “Anti- Federalists”.
Ratification of the new constitution
• Madison and Hamilton began writing essays in favor of the constitution under the pen name Publius.
• The documents are known as the Federalist Papers.
• Through newspaper connections, the Federalist were able to divide the Anti- Federalist and portray them as misguided.
Ratification of the new constitution
• By 1788, most states had passed the constitution. In 1790, Rhode Island approved it.
• Numerous states accepted the document, but through narrow margins. – To ensure victories in several
states, Madison had to promise to write amendments to the constitution to protect certain individual rights.
• Out of a population of almost 3 million, about 100,000 voted for delegates to approve the constitution. Only about 4%.
Bill of Rights
• Madison kept his promise and wrote 12 amendments to the constitution. 10 of them were ratified by three- fourths of the states.
• http://www.law.cornell.edu/ constitution/ constitution.billofrights.html
Left out
• Slaves: Document specified how to count un-free people, but really doesn’t do much more.
• Women: Not addressed at all (until the 19th Amendment in 1920).
• Native Americans: Only referenced to be excluded from the document.
The Constitution today
• Listen to the two NPR stories below. What argument persuades you more?
• Justice Antonin Scalia and the “Dead Constitution” (2007) – http://www.npr.org/templates/story/ story.php?storyId=90011526
– “The Constitution does not change…It means today what it meant when it first was written. … It does not morph.”
• Justice Stephen Breyer on “Active Liberty” (2005) • Argument against “originalist” http://www.npr.org/templates/ story/story.php?storyId=4930456
supremecourt.gov
Using the Constitution in popular culture
• Nina Simone “Revolution (part 1 &2)” (1969)
• https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=16a3BX-uV4k
• Captain Kirk
• http://youtu.be/CsRo- m9muFE
• Esperanza Spalding “We Are America” (2013)
• http://youtu.be/ c68gcu30MnA
• What other examples can you find of contemporary uses of the U.S. Constitution?
?