The Articles of Confederation
What was the Articles of Confederation?
The first governing document of the United States
A meeting of delegates from the states in Philadelphia in 1787 to draw up a new governing document to replace the Articles of Confederation
The Constitutional Convention
A form of government wherein people vote for representatives to make decisions on their behalf
republicanism
What is the Bill of Rights?
The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution
This person authored much of the Virginia Plan that was proposed to be adopted into the Constitution.
James Madison
What was the main issue with the Articles of Confederation?
The document did not grant enough power to the central (federal) government.
What was one of the main issues the Founders discussed at the Constitutional Convention?
How many representatives each state would have in the federal government, whether to include slaves in the states' populations for taxation and representation purposes, or what to do about the slave trade
Which constitutional principle states that each of the three branches of government can and should hold the others accountable?
checks and balances
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution because the Framers determined that the original document did not do enough to protect this.
individual rights
Name a famous battle from the American Revolutionary War.
Bunker Hill, the New York Campaign, the Battles of Princeton and Trenton, the Battle of Saratoga, or the Siege of Yorktown
What was the historical event that highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
Shays' Rebellion
An agreement to have a bicameral legislature, with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate
The Great Compromise
The federal (national) government and the state governments share power
federalism
Describe one of the amendments in the Bill of Rights.
Open-ended
Powers granted exclusively to the states under the Constitution
How many representatives did each state have in the national government under the Articles of Confederation?
one vote per state, regardless of population
An agreement that a slave would count as only part of a person toward a state's population for representation in Congress and taxation purposes
The Three-Fifths Compromise
What are the three branches of our government based on the separation of powers?
legislative branch, executive branch, and judicial branch
Which amendment in the Bill of Rights guarantees citizens freedom of speech and religion?
The First Amendment
What are concurrent powers?
Powers that are shared by both the state and federal governments
What does bicameral mean?
having two chambers (or houses)
What was one of the two things the Constitution stated about slavery?
Slaves escaping to a free state would be returned to their owners or the slave trade would be legal until 1808 or later
Which constitutional principle is the belief that the government's power should come from the people?
popular sovereignty
How many amendments are there to the United States Constitution today?
27
What are enumerated powers?
Powers granted exclusively to the federal government under the Constitution