Articles of Confederations
What was the first plan of government created for the United States after it became independent from Britian?
The Articles of Confederation
What was one important action Congress could NOT do under the Articles of Confederation?
Collect taxes
In what year did the Constitutional Convention take place?
1787
What was the name of James Madison's plan for a new government and how would it work?
The Virginia Plan- citizens would elect their own leader
Who was the leader and president of the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington
What is a delegate?
What year did the states accept the Articles of Confederations?
What did the states do differently that made it difficult for them to work together?
They printed their own money and made their own trade rules.
In what city, state AND at what location did the delegates meet for the Constitutional Convention?
Independence Hall- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Under the Virginia Plan, how many branches would the government have?
3 branches
Who suggested dividing Congress into the Senate and the House of Representatives?
Roger Sherman
What type of government allows citizens to elect leaders to represent them?
Republic
Which group created the Articles of Confederation?
The Second Continental Congress
Why could Congress not pay back its debts from the Revolutionary War?
Congress could not collect taxes to raise money.
How many delegates attended the Constitutional Convention?
55 delegates
What was the New Jersey Plan's idea for how states should vote in Congress?
Each state would receive 1 vote
Who was known as the "Father of the Constitution?"
James Madison
What are the three branches of government, and what is the job of each one?
Legislative- Makes laws
Executive- Carries out laws
Judicial- Settles legal arguments
What does self-government mean?
When people make laws for themselves.
Who was Daniel Shays, and what did he lead in 1786?
He was a farmer who led a rebellion against high state taxes called Shay's Rebellion.
Which state refused to send the delegates to the Constitutional Convention and why?
Rhode Island- they feared change and did not want more tension to build up
What compromise divided Congress into two parts, the Senate and the House of Representative?
The Great Compromise
What were the people who supported the Constitution called?
What does it mean to ratify the Constitution?
To officially accept or approve it
Why did the states want a weak central government when the Articles of Confederation were created?
They wanted each state to have its own power and make its own decisions without a strong national government controlling them.
What did Shay's Rebellion show the country about its national government?
It showed that the national government was too weak to keep order and protect the country.
What was the original purpose of the Constitutional Convention, and what did the delegates end up doing instead?
They originally planned to fix the Articles of Confederation, but instead they created an entirely new plan of government called the Constitution.
What was the Three-Fifths Rule?
Every five enslaved people would be counted as three people when determining a state's population.
What were the people who opposed the Constitution called and what were they worried about?
Antifederalists. They were worried that a strong central government would take away people's freedoms and were concerned that the Constitution did not include the Bill of Rights.
What was the name of the collection of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay to explain why the Constitution was important?
The Federalist Papers