Origins of American Political Thought
The name of the group of people that signed the Declaration of Independence and created the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.
The Founding Fathers.
This was the name of America's first Constitution.
The Articles of Confederation
These were the two major debates during the Constitutional Convention.
Representation of big and small states.
Slavery
Name the three branches of the American government.
Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.
The Bill of Rights makes up the first how many amendments?
Ten
Each American Colony had its own government but ultimately was under this person's power.
The King of England (through the Royal Governors).
Overall, were there more weaknesses or strengths of the Articles of Confederation?
Weaknesses
Which states would have benefited from the Virginia Plan?
The Big States.
This is the idea that each branch of government has different functions so no one branch gets too powerful.
Separation of Powers
How many states had to ratify the Constitution before it took effect?
9 out of 13.
The Founding Fathers were influenced by the colonial experience with self-governance, the impact of the American Revolution on political ideology, and this.
European enlightenment philosophers.
Under the Articles of Confederation, which government was weakest? The State or The Federal?
Federal
Neither
The idea that the different branches can prevent actions of other branches. This makes it so they have to share power.
Checks and Balances
Speech, Religion, Press, Peaceable Assembly, Petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
What was an example of self-governance that we talked about in this class?
Mayflower Compact, Virginia House of Burgesses, or any of the other colonial governments under the Royal Governors.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the States were combined as a confederation. What is a confederation?
A group of states that gets together and agrees to share a national government. The states retain a lot of power.
What was the compromise that the Constitutional Convention came up with in regards to slavery?
The Three Fifths Compromise
According to the Constitution, how many members of the House of Representatives does each state have today?
It depends on their population.
This group was against the ratification of the Constitution because there was a lack of any basic civil rights in the Constitution.
The Anti-Federalists.
Name one of the two European Enlightenment philosophers that we talked about in class.
John Locke or Montesquieu
This was the name of the conflict that exposed the flaws of the Articles of Confederation.
Shays' Rebellion
This was the name of the group who supported the ratification of the Constitution.
Federalists.
The sharing of power between state and national governments.
Federalism.
Who does the Bill of Rights protect the citizens of the United States from?
The Government of the United States