CHAPTER 1 5 WHO NEEDS A PRESIDENT The American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776 At this time the colonies were not united Each colony wanted to be free from British rule But the colonies also wanted to run their own governments The idea of a central US government was not popular Americans tore down statues of King George III after the colonies declared their independence
6 By 1786 the American Revolutionary War 1775 1783 was over The United States was officially independent But the country was almost out of money The states realized the country needed a stronger government Some of the states called for a meeting The people at the meeting wanted to create a constitution This document would set the rules for a stronger central government The meeting resulted in heated debates People made many difficult compromises But finally in September 1787 the US Constitution was signed The document created three branches of government The legislative branch
7 Leaders met in Philadelphia Pennsylvania to write the US Constitution known as Congress would make laws The judicial branch would decide if laws failed to follow the Constitution And the executive branch put the laws into effect The president would be the leader of the executive branch
