Articles 1
First gov't created by the U.S. after the American Revolution. It was highly unsuccessful and set up a weak federal government.
Articles of Confederation
George Washington was the _______________ of the Constitutional Convention.
President
How many Branches are listed in our Constitution and what are their functions?
3;
Legislative-Makes Laws
Executive-Enforce Laws
Judicial-Interpret Laws
When a Constitution is changed/something is added to it.
Amendment
The Preamble of the Constitution states...
That the purpose of government is to keep peace and order at home and prevent anarchy.
Under the Articles, the U.S. gov't lacked the ability to....
-Collect taxes from states
-Enforce laws since they had no Executive Branch (military or president)
-Trade between states because they lacked common currency
What is/was significant about James Madison?
He is known as "the father of the Constitution"
How many houses are in the Legislative Branch?
2; Senate (upper house) and House of Representatives (lower house)
The Bill of Rights is/are...
The first 10 Amendments of the Constitution, made to settle the dispute between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
What is Federalism?
-Separating power in the government between the federal government and the states. This creates a government which is much stronger (central!) gov't than under the Articles.
Supporters were called Federalists, Opponents were called Anti-Federalists
Constitutional Convention
What is the Land Ordinance of 1785?
Positive law passed under the Articles allowing for the Northwest Territory to be divided up into sections (6x6) of towns.
It also allowed Congress to sell western land to help repay debt.
What is is called when we have 2 houses in our Legislative Branch?
Bicameral
This person was a delegate in the Constitutional Convention who came up with the Great Compromise.
Roger Sherman
Essays written by Federalists such as Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison to convince people that the Constitution (strong central gov.) needed to be ratified (passed).
Federalist Papers
This event was a rebellion led by former Continental Army soldiers who were not being paid by the gov't of Massachusetts. The state was taxing and taking land, leading to the rebellion. This showed that the Articles of Confederation needed to be reformed.
What was Shay's Rebellion?
How did the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 contributed to the future development of the United States?
By establishing a pattern (3-step process) for areas of land to become states.
Note: Slavery was outlawed in these new Northern states.
When the supporters of the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan agreed to have a bicameral legislature in the U.S. gov't.
The Great Compromise
What was the compromise reached between Federalists and Anti-Federalists when writing the Constitution.
The addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution.
What is it called when each of the 3 branches keep the other branches from becoming too powerful?
Checks & Balances
Which 2 events showed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
-Shay's Rebellion
-Lost State of Franklin
What happened with the lost State of Franklin ?
1. The government asked states to cede land, which they could later sell.
2. North Carolina ceded an area west of the state because they were constantly fighting with the Native Americans. People in this area created a new state and called it Franklin.
3. N.C. asked for the land back and the state was lost.
Note: This showed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
According to the Great Compromise, the function of the 2 houses are:
-Senate (upper house): Representation is equal
-House of Representatives (lower house): Representation is based on population.
What was the 3/5 Compromise?
At the Constitutional Convention, Southern states wanted their slaves to count towards representation; a Compromise was reached stating that 3/5 of Southern states slave population would be counted as part of the population.
I am a key principle of the Constitution that means that the powers of government are divided between different branches. What am I?
Separation of Powers