Political Context
What treaty formally ended the American Revolutionary War in 1783?
Treaty of Paris (1783)
Under the Articles of Confederation, which level of government held most power?
The states held most power; national government was weak.
In what year did the Constitutional Convention meet in Philadelphia?
1787
Who were the Federalists and what did they support regarding the new Constitution?
Federalists supported ratifying the Constitution and a stronger national government.
What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?
Each enslaved person would be counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of representation and taxation.
Name one major problem the U.S. faced internationally or economically under the Articles that threatened stability between 1783 and 1787.
Inability to enforce trade agreements, British forts on frontier, lack of a unified foreign policy, postwar debt and economic depression.
Identify one clear strength of the Articles of Confederation.
Strength: kept states united during early republic; negotiated Treaty of Paris; managed western land ordinances (e.g., Northwest Ordinance).
Which large-vs-small states dispute was resolved by the Great Compromise, and what two-house legislature did it create?
The dispute was representation in Congress; Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) created a bicameral legislature: House by population, Senate with equal representation.
Name one main argument Anti-Federalists used against ratifying the Constitution
Anti-Federalists argued it gave too much central power, lacked explicit Bill of Rights, threatened liberties and state authority.
Define the Electoral College in one sentence.
The Electoral College is the system in which electors chosen by states formally elect the president, combining state-based selection with indirect national vote.
How did public reaction to Shays' Rebellion influence the push for a new national government?
Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787) highlighted weaknesses of state militias and the national government’s inability to maintain order, increasing support for a stronger central government.
Identify two weaknesses of the Articles that made coordinated national policy difficult.
Weaknesses: no power to tax directly, no national executive, no federal judiciary, difficulty passing laws (supermajority), interstate trade disputes.
What was the debate over how to elect the executive, and what solution did the Convention adopt?
Debate: direct election vs. indirect election of the executive; solution: single executive (president) elected by the Electoral College.
Explain how the promise of a Bill of Rights helped secure ratification in several states.
Federalists agreed to support amendments guaranteeing individual rights; several states ratified after a promise to add a Bill of Rights.
How did the Great Compromise balance representation in the new legislature? (Be specific about both houses.)
Great Compromise: House of Representatives with representation based on population; Senate with two senators per state (equal representation).
Explain how concerns about maintaining order and protecting property shaped debates over the new government’s powers.
Protecting property and preventing mob rule led leaders to favor stronger federal authority (e.g., ability to raise armies, tax, and regulate commerce).
Why was Congress under the Articles unable to raise revenue effectively? Give the institutional reason.
Congress lacked power to levy taxes; it could only request funds from states.
Explain how the Constitution designed checks and balances among branches to limit concentration of power; give one specific example.
Example: presidential veto checked by congressional override; Senate confirmation of appointments; judiciary lifetime tenure with impeachment; these limit unilateral power.
Give an example of a Federalist writer or publication and identify one key point it made in favor of the Constitution.
Example: The Federalist Papers (Publius) e.g., Federalist No. 10 (Madison) argued factions are controlled by republican government and large republic helps moderate factions.
Explain how the Constitution treated the slave trade at the federal level (what restriction or compromise appeared in the final document).
Congress could not ban the international slave trade before 1808; Constitution allowed importation until then and provided fugitive slave clause compromises to secure Southern support.
Describe two ways the experience of the Revolutionary War (or its aftermath) shaped leaders’ views about the need for a stronger federal government.
need for a standing policy toward Britain/Spain, war debts required national coordination, wartime experience showed weakness of state-only coordination.
How did the structure of representation under the Articles (for example, the treatment of states) contribute to problems in making collective decisions?
Each state had one vote regardless of size, which made proportional decision-making difficult and encouraged parochial interests.
Describe how delegates addressed the regulation of commerce and trade between states and with foreign nations in the Constitution (name at least one power granted to Congress).
Congress was given power to regulate commerce among states and with foreign nations, to levy taxes, to coin money, and to raise armies, centralizing trade and foreign-affairs authority.
Compare a core Federalist argument about national power with an Anti-Federalist concern about individual liberties or state sovereignty; give one quotation or paraphrase typical of each side.
Federalist argument: stronger national government necessary for stability and commerce; Anti-Federalist concern: centralized power could become tyrannical and infringe on natural rights compromise led to Bill of Rights limiting federal power.
Analyze how the combination of separation of powers, federalism, and enumerated powers in the Constitution was intended to preserve liberty while creating an effective national government.
Separation of powers divides responsibilities among legislative, executive, judicial; federalism reserves certain powers to states; enumerated powers limit Congress to listed authorities together they aimed to check tyranny while allowing effective governance.