Lesson 1
What was the Articles of Confederation?
The first constitution in the United States
Who did the delegates choose to lead the convention?
George Washington
What does “form a more perfect Union” mean?
to unite the states so they can act as a single nation, for the good of all
What is the idea that power lies with the people?
Popular Sovereignty
What was the Northwest Ordinance?
1787 law that set up a government for the Northwest Territory and served as a model for other new territories and as a plan for admitting new states to the Union
How many people attended the convention?
55 men attended
What is the Preamble?
the opening section of the Constitution
What is Limited government?
the principal that a ruler or a government is not all-powerful. A government that can do only what the people allow it to do
What made people change their mind about the Articles of confederation ?
Shays rebelion
It had a president, courts, and a congress with two houses. State population would decide how many representatives were in each house. Larger states would have more votes than smaller states. Which plan was this?
The Virginia Plan
What is Article IV?
"explains the relationship between the states and the national government."
Whose idea was the separation of powers?
Baron de Montesquieu
What was a main weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
In order to attempt to amend, or change, the Articles required all 13 states to agree
It was based on the Articles of Confederation, with some changes. The plan kept the Confederation’s one-house congress. Each state would have one vote. But Congress could set taxes and regulate, or control, trade.Which plan was this?
The New Jersey Plan
What is a formal amendment?
Proposal = two-thirds congress or two-thirds of the states to propose an amendment
Ratification = You need 3/4 of the states to approve or ratify the proposal
A system in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of the others was called...
Checks and balances
An uprising of Massachusetts farmers who did not want to lose their farms because of debt caused by heavy state taxes after the American Revolution was...
Shays rebellion
The committee decided that Congress would have two houses—a Senate and a House of Representatives. In the Senate, each state would have two members. In the House, the number of seats for each state would reflect the state’s population, What was this called?
The great Compromise
Definition of a strict interpretation of the constitution
Someone that follows the constitution word for word
Who Wrote the constitution?
Thomas Jefferson