Articles of Confederation
This was America's first national plan of government.
What were The Articles of Confederation?
Farmers in Massachusetts faced this financial problem when they could not pay what they owed.
What is debt?
This plan supported representation in Congress based on a state's population.
What was the Virginia or Large States Plan?
This branch of government makes laws.
What is the legislative branch?
These critics of the Constitution worried that the new federal government would be too powerful.
Who were the Anti-Federalists?
Under the Articles, this level of government kept most of the power.
What were the state governments?
This 1786-1787 protest by Massachusetts farmers showed that many people were unhappy with debt, taxes, and the loss of their farms.
What was Shays' Rebellion?
This plan called for equal representation for every state.
What was the New Jersey or Small States Plan?
This branch carries out and enforces laws.
What is the executive branch?
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are known by this name.
What is the Bill of Rights?
Congress could ask states for money but could not do this directly.
What is tax people?
This problem occurred because the national government could not effectively control commerce among the states.
What are interstate trade disputes?
This compromise created a Congress with a House and Senate.
What was the Great Compromise?
This branch interprets laws and decides cases.
What is the judicial branch?
This amendment protects freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
What is the First Amendment?
This requirement made changing the Articles extremely difficult.
What is approval from all 13 states?
The Articles made it hard for Congress to make states follow national decisions because Congress lacked this power.
What is the power to enforce laws?
Under the Great Compromise, this chamber gives every state two members.
What is the Senate?
Dividing power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches is called this.
What is separation of powers?
This amendment protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures.
What is the Fourth Amendment?
This article stated that each state retained its "sovereignty, freedom, and independence."
What is Article II?
The 1787 meeting was officially called to revise the Articles but instead produced a new Constitution.
What was the Constitutional Convention?
This constitutional clause counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation, increasing slaveholding states' political power while denying enslaved people rights.
What was the Three-Fifths Clause?
The Constitution's system was designed to avoid both a government that was too weak and this feared danger.
What is tyranny?
This amendment includes due process, protection against double jeopardy and self-incrimination, and just compensation when property is taken for public use.
What is the Fifth Amendment?