Forming a New Government

Constitutional Convention

• Delegates meet in Philadelphia in May 1787

• Want to improve the Articles of Confederation

• 12 states (no R.I.) send 55 delegates

• Best minds there –Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Washington, etc. Madison:”Father of Constitution”

• Jefferson, Adams, Henry not present

• No women, African-Americans, Native-Americans

Great Compromise

• Big states want representation based on population

• Little states want equal representation

• Roger Sherman proposes “Great Compromise”

• Bicameral- two houses make up Congress

• Senate- each state has two senators (2x50=100)

• House of Representatives- based on population, total of 435, reps now reapportioned after census

Legislative Branch• Legislative branch also called Congress

• Made up of Senate and House of Representatives

• These are the lawmakers• Requirements:

Senate House

-30 years old -25 years old

-U.S. citizen 9 yrs. -U.S. citizen 7 yrs.

-Live in state elected -live in state elected -term: 6 yrs -term: 2 yrs

Legislative Branch = Congress

• House of Representatives

• total of 435

• Senate• 2 sen. X 50 states=100

Executive Branch

• Executive branch is headed by the president

• He is responsible for enforcing the nation’s laws

• Requirements for president/VP:

-35 years old

-natural born citizen

-live in U.S. 14 years

-term is 4 years

Judicial Branch• The Judicial Branch is headed by the Supreme Court

• They are judges that interpret the law and actions based on the Constitution

• There are no formal requirements for the court

• The term is for “life” and they are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate

Power Conservation• Framers are paranoid about 1 person/group’s power

• Separation of powers-Gov’t power is split between 3 branches/prevents 1 branch from being too powerful

• Checks & balances- one branch can “block” another prevents 1 branch from being too powerful

Three Branch Government

Electoral College• President is not elected by the popular vote• Winner of each state’s popular vote gets all the

state’s electoral votes• Each state has as many electoral votes as they have

members of Congress• AZ has 8 congressmen and 2 senators for 10 votes (*AZ now has 9 as a result of the 2010 census)

• If Bush won by even one popular vote, he gets all 10• Bush beat Gore in 2000 even though he lost the

popular vote!• 26th amendment lowers voting age to 18

2008 Electoral Results

Presidential Line of Succession

• If the president dies, becomes incapacitated, resigns, or is removed from office, he/she will be replaced

• There is an order for replacement:

Vice President

Speaker of the House

President Pro Tem of the Senate

Secretary of State, etc.

• The Gov’t tries to ensure that all people on the list aren’t in the same place at the same time (designated survivor)

Order of SuccessionAccording to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, if the President of the United States is incapacitated, dies, resigns, is for any reason unable to hold his office, or is removed from office (impeached and convicted), people in the following offices, in this order, will assume the office of the President, provided they are qualified as stated by the Constitution to assume the office of the President, which means they have to be must be at least 35 years old, must be a natural-born U.S. citizen, and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.

• Vice President • Speaker of the House • President Pro Tempore of the Senate • Secretary of State • Secretary of the Treasury • Secretary of Defense • Attorney General • Secretary of the Interior • Secretary of Agriculture • Secretary of Commerce • Secretary of Labor • Secretary of Health and Human Services • Secretary of Housing and Urban Development • Secretary of Transportation • Secretary of Energy • Secretary of Education • Secretary of Veterans Affairs • Secretary of Homeland Security

The President’s Cabinet• George Washington had a group of advisors that

became known as his “cabinet”

• Presidents have continued this tradition

• There are 15 cabinet positions in the executive branch(ex: Sec’y of State, Sec’y of Defense, Attorney General, Sec’y of Transportation, etc.)

• Pick One Branch - One Pager (Pgs. 267, 276, 280)

• A One-Pager is a way of responding to a information on a single sheet of paper. It represents your own written and graphic interpretation of what you have learned. It may be very literal (just based on the facts or information in the piece) or it may be a symbolic representation of the piece. It helps you as a learner to visualize what you have learned.

Directions:• Must be on standard sized, unlined paper• Must fill the entire page, using pictures and words• Writing must be in pencil, ink, or typed = QUALITY WORK! • Include a title and your name and class period• Required Elements: (may be arranged on the page in any way you Choose)

• 1. Must have 8 or more informational blurbs (facts) from the PowerPoint or textbook. (information about the branch that you like or think is most important).

• 2. Must have a graphic representation: drawing, magazine picture, or computer graphic that ties to the piece you read and the quotes you chose

Pick One Branch – One Song (Pgs. 267, 276, 280)

Write a song about one of the Branches of the Government. Be sure to use as many facts about the branch as possible.

Minimum of four Stanzas (2 lines each)Create/Include a title for your song

Use a modern song you like (pop, rock, rap etc.) as long as you change the lyrics to include facts about the branch.

As a last resort: use a simple nursery rhyme for the music/rhythm. • Mary had a little lamb.• Row, row, row your boat.• Twinkle, twinkle little star

Pick One Branch – One Acrostic Poem (Pgs. 267, 276, 280)

• Write a flowing acrostic poem (uses a phrase for each letter, not just a single word) to show your knowledge of one of the Branches of the Government.

• Should be on white copy paper, neatly written in pencil, ink or typed

• You may include pictures too