Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution

Chapter Outline

• The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts
  • British Taxes and Colonial Interests
  • Political Strife and the Radicalizing of the Colonists
  • The Declaration of Independence
  • The Articles of Confederation
• The Second Founding: From Compromise to Constitution
  • International Standing and Balance of Power
  • The Annapolis Convention
  • Shays's Rebellion
  • The Constitutional Convention
• The Constitution
  • The Legislative Branch
  • The Executive Branch
  • The Judicial Branch
  • National Unity and Power
  • Amending the Constitution
  • Ratifying the Constitution
  • Constitutional Limits on the National Government's Power
• The Fight for Ratification
  • Federalists versus Antifederalists
  • Reflections on the Founding
• The Citizen's Role and the Changing Constitution
  • Amendments: Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen
  • The Case of the Equal Rights Amendment
  • Which Were Chosen? An Analysis of the Twenty-Seven
  • The Supreme Court and Constitutional Amendment
• Thinking Critically about Liberty, Equality, and Democracy

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