AOC
Who had more power under the Articles of Confederation - the states or the national government?
states
What is a depression?
A poor economic time where many people are unemployed
What kinds of people were delegates at the Constitutional Convention?
educated, white men
Why didn't the small states like the Virginia Plan?
because the number of state representatives was based on population
What does the executive branch do?
enforce laws
What powers did Congress have under the Articles of Confederation?
Negotiate treaties and trade agreements, foreign affairs, maintain an army, print money
What caused Shay's Rebellion?
Farmers were jailed for being unable to pay taxes
Why was it important that Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were there?
to help keep the public's trust
Why didn't the large states like the New Jersey Plan?
Because state representation was the same for everyone, regardless of how many people there were
What does the judicial branch do?
interpret laws
What powers did Congress NOT have under the Articles of Confederation?
They could not tax, draft soldiers, regulate trade, etc
What problems did America have with the British?
There were still British soldiers stationed in America and British merchants prevented American merchants from selling their goods in the Caribbean
What two documents influenced the Constitution?
Bill of Rights and Magna Carta
What did the Great Compromise do?
It split the legislative branch into two houses, where the upper house had equal state representation and the lower house had population based state representation
What two bodies is the legislative branch made of?
house of representatives and senate
Why did the states want a government that favored state governments over federal governments?
They were afraid of the federal government gaining too much power
Why wouldn't the British remove their soldiers?
Because America hadn't kept its promise of returning land and money it had taken from the loyalists
What did John Locke write about that influenced the constitution?
He wrote that all people have natural rights and the government's job is to protect those rights
What did the 3/5ths Compromise do?
It said that slaves represented 3/5ths of a person for population counts that determined the number of representatives and amount of taxes
What did the Land Act of 1800 do?
It made it easier for people to buy land by paying for only small parts at a time
What led to people wanting a stronger government?
Shay's rebellion, the depression, etc
What problems did America have with Spain?
Spain prevented American merchants from using the Mississippi River to ship and sell goods
What did Montesquieu write about that influenced the constitution?
He wrote that government should be split into different branches with different powers to prevent any one person or group from having total control
What was added to the Constitution so that everyone would sign it?
Bill of Rights
What did the Northwest Ordinance do?
It divided the territory west of the Ohio River into states. Also, it made a bill of rights for settlers in the new territory