What document announced the colonies’ separation from Britain in 1776?
Declaration of Independence
What was America’s first national constitution?
Article of Confederation
In what year did the Constitutional Convention meet?
1787
What compromise settled the issue of representation between large and small states?
Connecticut (Great) Compromise
What group supported the new Constitution?
The Federalists
Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
Under the Articles, how many votes did each state have in Congress?
One
|Where was the Constitutional Convention held?
Phildelphia
The Three-Fifths Compromise dealt with counting whom for representation and taxation? Explain the compromise.
Enslaved persons; Southern states were able to count slaves as part of their population; Northern states got tax money based on the population.
What group opposed the Constitution, fearing a strong central government?
The anti-federalists
What was the power structure of the first government formed after the Revolutionary War?
A Confederacy
List three major weaknesses of the Articles?
The power to tax or enforce laws, no military, one vote each, unanimous to change, can't regulate trade.
Who was chosen to preside over the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington
What compromise allowed Congress to regulate trade but forbade taxing exports?
Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise
Which state was the 9th to ratify the Constitution?
New Hampshire
Which event in 1774 was the colonies’ first major meeting to oppose British policies and what was written to complain about the colonial policies?
Which event called for a stronger national government and led to the Second Continental Congress? Which weakness was highlighted by this event?
Shay's rebellion. No national military to put down a rebellion.
What plan called for representation in Congress based on population?
The Virginia Plan
How did the Great Compromise structure Congress?
Bicameral legislature with Senate and House of Representatives
What compromise was made to win Anti-Federalist support for ratification?
The addition to the Bill of Rights
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence and how were 'inalienable' rights defined?
Thomas Jefferson
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
What was one major weakness of the Articles that led to economic troubles?
No national currency or the ability to regulate trade between states or foreign countries.
What plan favored equal representation for each state in Congress?
The New Jersey Plan
What issue did the Framers decide to revisit after 20 years, rather than settle completely?
The slave trade
Which two states had to ratify the Constitution in order for it to have legitimacy?