Federalism - Compromises of the Constitution
You can find this storyboard in the following articles and resources:
Federalism: The Evolution of a Democratic Republic
Lesson Plans by Richard Cleggett
The United States did not spring into being, fully formed. It took the valiant efforts of patriotic revolutionaries both on and off the battlefield. After many debates and compromises, the US federal government was formed through the development of the Articles of Confederation and the later Constitution. Engage students with premade activities and storyboards with Storyboard That.
Storyboard Description
What is Federalism - Three-fifths Compromise - Using a T-chart storyboard, students will be able to analyze the major issues at hand that were debated and discussed throughout the Constitutional Convention. Namely, issues should focus on states representation in government, individual rights, the slave population, and how power would be delegated among the branches of government. Furthermore, it will provide students with a synopsis on just how such critical issues were solved, and will give a better understanding to future historical events.
Storyboard Text
- REPRESENTATION
- ISSUE
- BIG STATES
- SMALL STATES
- THE GREAT COMPROMISE
- COMPROMISE
- BIG STATES
- THE GREAT COMPROMISE
- SMALL STATES
- With James Madison's Virginia Plan of legislative representation based on state population, smaller states feared they would be overpowered. They too presented a plan, the New Jersey Plan, to have one house with equal representation for each state. Once again, states were pitted against each other for fair powers in a federal government.
- SLAVE POPULATIONS
- A solution was finally proposed under what is known as the Great Compromise. In it, a bicameral legislature would be created which included the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate would have equal representation, whereas representation in the House would be based on state population. This satisfied both large and small states.
- THE 3/5ths COMPROMISE
- Soon, many began to question how the slave populations would factor into the counting of state populations. Southern populations would be much larger than free, Northern states. Should slave populations count towards the number of representatives in government? For many, the issue proved critical in coming to a solution.
- SEPARATION OF POWERS
- To resolve the issue of southern slave populations, delegates at the convention agreed to count three of every five slaves towards a state's population. This would allow southern states to incorporate their large slave populations, while also giving the North a peace of mind. Many founding fathers, however, believed the slave issue would resolve itself over time.
- CHECKS AND BALANCES
- It was in total agreement that the newly formed federal government would honor people's basic rights and freedoms, as well as prevent another tyrannical ruler. How this would be done, however, proved difficult to design. The balance of power between a strong, national government and the people was the centerpiece in avoiding one part of the government becoming too strong.
- INDIVIDUAL AND STATE RIGHTS
- To resolve the issue of the balance of power, delegates agreed that there should be three branches: the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Each branch would check and balance each others, to prevent one branch from becoming too powerful. For instance, the President could veto a law created by the legislative branch, but the legislature could override that veto. The courts could then rule on the constitutionality of any law.
- THE BILL OF RIGHTS
- GEORGIA STATE HOUSE
- Our natural rights should be PROTECTED!
- The Bill of Rights has been RATIFIED!
- One major issue stood in the way of ratifying the newly created Constitution: How would the government guarantee and protect individual liberties, and more so, states' rights? Many felt as though they should be incorporated into the new document. Others saw the Constitution as already a protector of natural rights. Two factions would then emerge: Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
- Eventually, it was agreed upon that the Constitution would have its first 10 amendments dedicated to citizens liberties. These first 10 amendments became known as the Bill of Rights. By compromising on their inclusion, delegates were able to finally ratify and put into practice the Constitution, a document that is still a functioning, living one today.
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