Articles of Confederation
What was part of why the first US currency was worth so little?
It was not backed by gold or silver
Define constitution
a document that sets up the laws and organization of the government
Define republic
Citizens elect representatives to work in the government and decide on laws and issues
What did Shay's Rebellion help show the people of the young United States?
Their new government needed to be revised/changed.
When were they written?
1777
Who wrote the State Constitutions?
The states themselves (Usually their own Constitutional Convention)
Who is sometimes called "The Father of the Constitution"?
James Madison
What 3 things specifically did we get from The Enlightenment?
-Natural rights
-The consent of the governed
-Separation of powers
What were the Roman civic virtues that the framers admired?
-Willingness to Serve
-Independence
-Devotion to the republic
After the Constitution was written, and then signed by the delegates, what was the last step for it to be ratified?
The states had to ratify it too.
What were the Articles of Confederation?
The first American Constitution
What influenced Virginia and New Jersey to come up with their plans?
Both plans were due to their state's population and reflected what they thought would give them more power.
What were the 3 influences from within America?
-Self Government
-The Government is answerable to the people
-The Enlightenment philosophers
What is the importance of the 3 branches of government?
Separation of powers makes it harder for one person or group of people to corrupt the government.
How many delegates refused to sign the Constitution? Why?
3 refused to sign because they thought too much power had been given to the federal government.
Why did Maryland refuse to ratify the Articles of Confederation?
Maryland wanted the larger states to give up their new territory in the west.
What is a Constitutional Convention?
A gathering of delegates to write a new Constitution or revise an old one
What 2 things did Roger Sherman do?
He helped write the Declaration of Independence and The Great Compromise
What were the influences from ancient Rome?
- the admirable virtues of the Roman people
- the 3 branches of government
- the idea of a successful republic
What right did we learn about from the English Bill of Rights? What did it guarantee?
Habeas corpus: a person could not be imprisoned without a specific crime being cited
What are the 2 houses in the Legislature? and which is based on population and which is not?
House of Representatives is based on population. The Senate is not.
What were the 3 major weaknesses?
- The federal government couldn't tax
- 1 state could hold the rest hostage
- The currency was nearly worthless
What was the 3/5 compromise?
The convention disagreed on whether slaves should be counted in population counts. They decided that a slave should be 3/5 of a citizen.
Some states wanted to count the slaves as population, some states did not want to count the slaves as population.
Which group of states wanted each thing, and why?
The South had more slaves, so they wanted to count them as population for more representative power.
The North had fewer slaves, so they did not want to count them as population as it would tip power away from them.
What were the influences from Britain's past?
- The Magna Carta
- The English Bill of Rights
What did the Magna Carta from 1215 do?
- It limited the power of the monarchs
- It guaranteed the right to private property
- It said the King could not raise taxes without Consulting the
What was the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance?
Land Ordinance of 1785 set up boundaries for the Northwest Territory.
Northwest Ordinance set up the government for the Northwest Territory.
What were the 2 plans for the Legislative branch?
- The Virginia Plan: 2 houses in the Legislature with the number of representatives based on state population
- The New Jersey Plan: 1 house in the Legislature with every state having 1 representative
What was The Great Compromise?
It mixed the two plans: 2 houses in the Legislature, 1 based on population and the other 2 representatives per state regardless of population.
Who were the 2 Enlightenment philosophers that we learned about?
John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu
Explain the causes of Shay's Rebellion?
It was an uprising of angry farmers.
1. During the Revolutionary war, demand for food increased.
2. Farmer's went into debt trying to fill that demand.
3. The war ended, demand lowered, and they did not have the income to pay their debts.