The American Revolution
This document announced that the 13 colonies were independent from Britain.
👉 What is the Declaration of Independence?
This was the first plan of government for the United States.
👉 What are the Articles of Confederation?
This meeting in 1787 was held to fix the Articles of Confederation.
👉 What is the Constitutional Convention?
This plan favored large states and based representation on population.
👉 What is the Virginia Plan?
This document is the supreme law of the land in the United States.
👉 What is the Constitution?
This tax on paper goods led to colonial protests like “no taxation without representation.”
👉 What is the Stamp Act?
Under the Articles, this branch of government was missing.
👉 What is the Executive Branch (no president)?
This city hosted the Constitutional Convention.
👉 What is Philadelphia?
This plan favored small states and gave equal representation.
👉 What is the New Jersey Plan?
This principle divides power among three branches of government.
👉 What is separation of powers?
This event involved colonists dumping tea into Boston Harbor to protest British taxes.
👉 What is the Boston Tea Party?
This was a major weakness: Congress could not do this, making it hard to pay debts.
👉 What is collect taxes?
Instead of fixing the Articles, delegates decided to do this.
👉 What is create a new Constitution?
This compromise created a two-house legislature with different representation systems.
👉 What is the Connecticut Compromise?
This principle limits the power of government.
👉 What is limited government?
This idea states that government gets its power from the people.
👉 What is popular sovereignty?
This revolt by farmers showed the weaknesses of the Articles.
👉 What is Shays' Rebellion?
This leader presided over the Convention and later became the first president.
👉 Who is George Washington?
This agreement counted enslaved people as this fraction of a person for representation.
👉 What is three-fifths (3/5)?
This addition to the Constitution protects individual rights and freedoms.
👉 What is the Bill of Rights?
In the Declaration of Independence, this Founding Father argued that people have natural rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
👉 Who is Thomas Jefferson?
After Shays’ Rebellion, many leaders believed the national government needed this.
👉 What is more power (a stronger central government)?
Delegates met in secret for this reason.
👉 What is to allow open debate and compromise without outside pressure?
These two groups debated whether the Constitution should be ratified.
👉 Who are the Federalists and Anti-Federalists?
This process is used to change the Constitution.
👉 What is the amendment process?