Articles of Confederation
When was the Articles of Confederation written?
during the American Revolutionary war
Who was the President of the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington
What is the term for it?
This is known as federalism.
What did it do?
The Great Compromise
It split Congress into two houses (bicameral).
Who was president when the Louisiana Purchase was made for $15 million dollars?
What did it do to the size of the country?
Thomas Jefferson
It doubled the size of the country.
Under the Articles of Confederation, which level had more power: national or states?
What could that level do that the other couldn't?
states
State governments could tax. Congress could not tax.
Why did the Constitutional Convention meet? Did everyone agree on how to solve that purpose?
It met to fix the problems that were created under the Articles of Confederation.
No, not everyone thought that the Articles of Confederation needed to be revised or thrown out, or that a new constitution was necessary.
How many branches do we have?
What are their names?
Legislative
Executive
Judicial
What are the two houses of Congress?
US Senate
Who was president when the two-party system emerged?
Where was he from?
John Adams
Massachusetts
(the other four presidents were from Virginia)
Why was it a problem that there was no common currency?
States each had their own version of a dollar. That made it made it difficult to travel and buy and sell goods and services.
There were two questions that needed to be answered. What was the question about power?
Why was it asked?
How much power should the new national government have?
It was asked because the central government was too weak under the Articles of Confederation.
What are the main purposes of the three branches?
Legislative: make laws
Executive: enforce/carry out laws
Judicial: interpret laws
How many people are in the US Senate?
What is that number based on?
100
2 senators per state, regardless of state size
Who was the president that warned European nations not to interfere in the Western Hemisphere?
What was the name of that warning?
James Monroe
Monroe Doctrine
How many branches of government were there under the Articles of Confederation? What were their names?
just one: Legislative Branch
There were two questions that needed to be answered. What was the question about representation?
Why was it asked?
How should large and small states be represented in the new government?
or
How should large and small states vote?
It was asked because large states were mad that all states had one vote, regardless of size. Large states believed that it should be based on population.
Not everyone was happy with the Constitution. Rather than rewrite it, what did they do to ensure individual freedoms?
What was in the solution?
They added the Bill of Rights.
The Bill of Rights includes the first ten amendments to the US Constitution
How many people are in the House of Representatives?
What is that number based on?
435
population
Who was president during the War of 1812?
What was an effect of the war?
James Madison
European nations had more respect for the US
What does "regulate commerce" mean, and how did it relate to Congress's power under the Articles of Confederation?
Regulate commerce means to make rules about business.
It meant that Congress couldn't make laws about business between states, which contributed to how weak Congress was.
Was the Constitution the new law of the land at the end of the Constitutional Convention?
Why or why not?
No
It was signed by the delegates, but it had to be ratified by 9 of the 13 states.
What two documents inspired the Bill of Rights?
VA Declaration of Rights (George Mason)
VA Statute for Religious Freedom (Thomas Jefferson)
How many Congressmen represent Virginia?
(think House of Representatives + Senate)
13
(11 + 2)
What were three accomplishments during George Washington's presidency?
Who helped with one of the accomplishments? How?
1. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution
2. The federal court system was established.
3. Plans were created for the new capital city of Washington, DC. Benjamin Banneker was an African-American astronomer and surveyor that helped with the plans.