Unicameral Legislatures

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Legislatures took Governors’ powers—appointed judges, veto power, governors subject to impeachment. Also made legislature more responsive to the people—governors don’t pick council, some allowed voters to pick assembly AND council, Penn/Georgia made a unicameral legislature. Back then, Democracy was considered as mob rule—concentration of power in hands of uneducated, general public. In Mass., an elite-dominated convention made property qualifications for voting/running for office more stiff. This trend spread south—Georgia/Penn. created unicameral legislatures. Other states raised property qualifications. Republicans believed that deep-seated social class divisions could jeopardize liberty; Virginia abolished Entails. Made it easier for…show more content…
Conduct diplomacy 4. States couldn’t make currency, interfere with contracts/debts, or tax interstate commerce 5. All states had to uphold the Constitution 6. Established separation of powers between executive, judicial, legislative 7. Established checks and balances, which prevented one branch having more power than the others 8. Members of one branch couldn’t pick members of another, besides judges 9. Established Federalism to place limits on central authority—Constitution amended by votes of ¾ states 10. National government in charge of foreign affairs, defense, interstate commerce, and currency. States had all other powers. Major argument in convention was whether or not slaves counted as people while determining a state’s representation. The south would obviously have more votes, and threatened to secede if slaves weren’t counted. They agreed to the three-fifths clause, allowed 3/5 slaves to count as people. Constitution also forbade all citizens from returning escaped slaves to a different state. Also, didn’t allow the banning of slave importation before 1808. The constitution was ratified by elected delegates from each state. Nine states had to agree before it was…show more content…
Antifederalists thought that increasing the national government’s power would doom the states, and that state governments were more responsive to popular will. This showed British-American’s fears of concentrated power. The federalists had popular figures like Washington and Franklin on their side. The constitution was ratified June 21, 1788. The last state to vote was New Hampshire. However, the government would be weak, because New York and Virginia didn’t vote for it. The federalists got support from Virginia, who wanted the government to protect them from Indian raids. They ratified it June 25. Federalists spread rumors in New York, saying that if the convention rejected the constitution, federalist New York City would secede, leaving the rest of Northern New York alone and unconnected to prosperous New York City. With that, New York ratified on the

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