Influencing the Constitution

Jump Start w/ a Flashback

We learned yesterday that the 1st
attempt at US government, the
Articles of Confederation, failed
because it was too weak.

How might life be different today if
the Articles of Confederation were
never changed?

(Think about how the 13 states
operating more independently
could change our history.)

●

To address the
weaknesses of the
Articles of
Confederation, as
highlighted by Shay’s
Rebellion, the U.S.
Constitution was
created.

●

A Constitutional
Convention was held
in Philadelphia in 1787

Constitutional Convention Influences

When the delegates met to revise (change) the
Articles of Confederation, they came with ideas and
experiences that influenced their outlook on how
government should look. Let’s review some of the
influences we’ve covered so far:

●British historical documents like Magna Carta,
Petition of Rights, and English Bill of Rights establish
principles of limited government and rule of law.

●The arguments and events leading to the
American Revolution solidify that limited
government and rule of law should be followed.

●Hobbes & Locke’s ideas are used to justify
revolution: social contract and natural rights.

Other Influences: Rousseau

●We’ve already seen how Hobbes' ideas around
social contract were expanded upon by John
Locke.

●Jean Jacques Rousseau was another
philosopher who expanded upon the social
contract and whose ideas were used by the
Founders.

●Rousseau agreed that government’s job was to
protect the people’s rights, but he expanded
on this idea, and said that government should
also follow what the people want.

●We can see this idea of popular sovereignty
(following the people’s will) in the very first
words of the Constitution: “We the people…”

Other Influences: Baron de Montesquieu

●Charles Montesquieu’s ideas regarding
separation of powers and checks and
balances were also important in
influencing the Founders.

○separation of powers: government power is
divided into three separate branches

○Checks and balances: powers of each
branch should be limited by other branches
so that no one branch gets too powerful

Enlightenment
Philosophers

Review

GOV_ExCW_Enlightenment Thinkers Task_Due 08.25

Enlightenment Thinker Task

PPT

On the next slide you will find all 6
Enlightenment Philosophers we
have discussed in class. Use this to
help you with our Enlightenment
Thinkers Task Assignment.

If you are done with this assignment work on
your Unit 1 Study Guide: GOV_Reinf_Unit 1
Study Guide_Due 08.25

John Locke

●People are born free with the 3
natural rights of life, liberty, &
property

●If gov failed to protect these
rights, people had the right to
overthrow gov & create another
one

Jean Rousseau

●Social Contract: agreement
among free individuals to
create a society and a
government

●People give up some rights in
return for protection

Thomas Hobbes

●Social Contract: people hand
power & rights over to a
strong ruler is needed to
keep order in exchange for
law and order

●Strong government is needed
to keep order

Baron de Montesquieu

●Wrote about the importance
of separation of powers

●Provided our “checks &
balances)

Voltaire

●Freedom of speech

●Religious toleration

●Separation of church and state

Mary Wollstonecraft

●English advocate for women’s
rights

●Wrote A Vindication of the
Rights of Woman