The Constitutional Convention
What was the Constitutional Convention?
A meeting in 1787 where delegates gathered to revise the Articles but instead created a new system of government.
What is a unitary system?
A system where power was said to come from God, with Parliament writing laws and colonists excluded.
Who were the Federalists?
This group, including Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, argued for central power through ratification of the Constitution.
What was representation?
Delegates worried about how to divide lawmaking power between different areas of government.
What is divine authority?
Power in this system was said to come from God, with rulers and Parliament deciding laws.
What was representation?
One major issue at the Convention dealt with how states would share lawmaking authority.
What is a confederal system?
A system where power was given to the states, which caused infighting and lack of funding.
Who were the Anti-Federalists?
This group, including Patrick Henry and George Mason, favored local governments and opposed ratification.
What was the balance between order and liberty?
Delegates had to find a way to distribute power between safety and individual freedoms.
What are the people?
In a confederal system, power came directly from this source.
What was the order vs liberty debate?
Delegates debated how much freedom citizens should give up in exchange for protection.
What is a federal system?
A system where power comes from the people and is shared between national and state governments.
What is ratification of the Constitution?
Federalists believed strong government would only exist if this occurred.
What is mob rule?
The problem of too much direct citizen power was addressed through this concept.
What are national and state governments?
In the federal system, power was limited but shared between these two levels.
What was delegating elective powers?
Delegates disagreed over who should choose leaders, leading to decisions about filtering elections.
What is a confederal system?
This system failed because different governments and classes fought against one another.
What is local government?
Anti-Federalists argued for this level of government instead of a strong central power.
What is elitist democracy?
The system of elections in the Constitution reflected this democratic model.
What is mob rule?
This concern about citizens having too much influence led to filtering elections.
What was taxation?
Along with representation, this financial issue was a major point of contention at the Convention.
What is a federal system?
This system was adopted in the Constitution as a solution to problems with the other two.
What are regional and economic interests?
The debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists represented differences between these types of interests.
What is pluralist democracy?
To avoid domination by one group, the new system reflected this model.
What is the social contract?
The debate between order and liberty reflects this idea that people give up some freedoms in exchange for protection.