SUMMARY
1. When independence was about decided on, Congress appointed a committee to draft a general plan of federal government.
2. This plan, called Articles of Confederation, Maryland absolutely refused to ratify till the states claiming land west of the Alleghany Mountains ceded their claims to Congress.
3. New York and Virginia having ceded their claims, Maryland ratified in March, 1781.
4. These cessions were followed by others from Massachusetts and Connecticut; and from them all, Congress formed the public domain to be sold to pay the debt.
5. The sale of this land led to the land ordinance of 1785 and the ordinance of 1787, for the government of the domain and the new political organism called the territory.
6. The defects of the Articles made revision necessary, and produced such distress that two conventions were called to consider the state of the country. That at Annapolis attempted nothing. That at Philadelphia framed the Constitution of the United States.
7. The Constitution was then passed to the Continental Congress, which sent it to the legislatures of the states to be by them referred to conventions elected by the people for acceptance or rejection.
8. Eleven having ratified, Congress in 1788 fixed a day in 1789 (which happened to be March 4), when the First Congress under the Constitution was to assemble.
9. The date of the first presidential election was also fixed, and George Washington was made our first President.
/1776. New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode
The Colonies adopt | Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Constitutions and —| Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North
become States. | Carolina, South Carolina.
|1777. New York, Georgia.
\1780. Massachusetts.
/Framed by Congress 1776-1777.
|Adopted by the states 1777-1781.
Articles of |In force March 1, 1781.
Confederation —|Kind of government.
|Defects. Result of the defects.
|Trade convention at Annapolis.
\Constitutional convention called.
/Proceedings of the convention.
|The three compromises.
Constitution of |Sources of the Constitution.
the United States.-|Original features.
|Derived features.
| Ratification by the states.
\The Constitution in force.
/Land claims of seven states.
|Demands for the surrender of \
|the western territory. |
The Territories. —|The cessions by the states. |—The Public
|Ordinance of 1785. | Domain.
|Ordinance of 1787. |
\Territorial government created./
The President. /Manner of electing.
\Inauguration of Washington.
The Congress. /Organization of the First
\under the Constitution.
/The Supreme Court
The Judiciary. —|The Circuit Court
\The District Court
/Secretary of State
The Secretaries. —|Secretary of Treasury
|Secretary of War
|The Attorney-general.
\Origin of the "Cabinet."