Articles of Confederation
What is republicanism?
Republicanism is the idea that government should be based on the consent of the people, which was reflected through citizens voting for elected representatives.
It was a violent protest by farmers in western Massachusetts, who faced overwhelming economic hardship and debt burden from the state. The rebellion demonstrated the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and led to the Constitutional Convention to revise the Articles.
Which group consisted of supporters of the Constitution?
Federalists
What branch of government is discussed in Article 1 of the Constitution
Legislature
Ratification refers to official legal approval and adoption of a document or agreement.
Which branches of government existed in the Articles of Confederation?
Only the legislative branch.
What is federalism?
Federalism is the division of government power between levels of government. In the U.S. Constitution this refers to the division of power between the national and state governments. This system intended to preserve the rights of individual states to govern themselves on many issues, while ensuring the national government would have enough power to handle issues the states could not.
Why did the antifederalists not support the Constitution?
They argued that the Constitution weakened states' power, and lacked a national bill of rights that would protect individual citizens from tyranny of the national government.
What is the duration of the elected term, and what term limits exist, for members of the U.S. Senate?
Six year terms, no term limits
What is the position of the chief executive of the State of Maine?
Governor
What was the purpose of the Land Ordinance of 1785?
The Ordinance established a plan to survey and develop the public lands west of the Appalachian mountains and north of the Ohio River, or Northwest Territory. This established the "grid" system which governed much of the expansion into the midwest in this era.
Describe two concerns of the founding fathers on the nature of presidential elections, and the solution to these problems.
-- Because there were no national parties and travel and communication were limited, the framers feared that the presidential vote would be divided across many candidates with regional but not national popularity.
-- The framers, who were almost entirely educated elites, feared that common people could not be informed enough to vote wisely and might vote the elites out of power.
-- The electoral college was designed as a way to manage these challenges, as the electors, and not the people directly, would choose the president.
Identify one major concession of the federalists, which addressed antifederalist concerns during the ratification debate.
Addition of a national Bill of Rights, passed shortly after ratification as the first ten amendments to the Constitution, resolved concerns over citizens' freedom.
Prior to the 22nd amendment formally establishing presidential term limits, why did all American presidents prior to FDR choose not to run for a third term?
Washington's precedent was very influential.
Describe the three-fifths compromise.
The compromise resolved debate over whether to count southern slaves in the population of the southern states, when determining state population for proportional representation in the House of Representatives.
Describe the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and Britain in the years following independence.
The relationship was very poor, due to U.S. inability to repay debts to British merchants and compensate Loyalists for property losses. The British refused to evacuate military forts on the Great Lakes in exchange.
Describe the Great Compromise.
The Great Compromise resolved the debate between the VA plan (bicameral legislature based on state population) and the NJ plan (unicameral legislature with equal representation for all states. Roger Sherman's plan proposed an upper house (Senate) with equal state representation, and a lower house (House of Representatives) with proportional representation.
What were the Federalist Papers and how did they influence the ratification process?
The Federalist Papers were a serious of essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, arguing in support of the Constitution. They emphasized the importance of a strong national government, with appropriate protections to prevent any one part of the government from becoming tyrannical. The ideas of federalism and separation of powers were elaborated upon here.
What is the process to amend the Constitution?
Two-thirds of both houses of Congress, or two-thirds of state legislatures, propose the amendment, and three-quarters of state legislatures ratify it.
Identify one "check" of the executive branch on the legislative branch.
-- Can veto bills of Congress
-- Can call special sessions of Congress
-- Can influence public opinion
-- Can propose legislation
Identify two key weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
-- Congress could not enact and collect taxes
-- Congress could not regulate interstate or foreign trade
-- Regardless of population, each state had equal representation in the legislature
-- Two-thirds majority vote needed to pass any legislation
-- Unanimous vote needed to amend the Articles
-- No executive branch to enforce the laws
-- No national judicial branch
Identify one "check" of the legislative branch on another branch.
-- Legislative checks on judicial: establishes lower federal courts; Senate confirms or rejects appointment of federal judges; impeach and remove federal judges
Identify three amendments of the Bill of Rights.
First -- freedom of religion, speech, the press, and assembly
Second -- right to bear arms
Third -- prevent housing of military troops in private quarters
Fourth-Eighth -- guarantee of fair treatment for individuals suspected of crimes
Ninth -- guarantee that citizen rights are not limited to those mentioned in the Constitution
Tenth -- guarantee that the people and states have all powers not specifically given to the national government by the Constitution
Identify one amendment to the Constitution following the Bill of Rights.
Many options!
Identify one "check" of the judicial branch on the executive branch.
-- Courts can declare presidential actions unconstitutional (judicial review)
-- Federal judges are appointed for life and free of presidential control after appointment