Key Events & Legislation
This is the region that would later become several Midwestern states.
Northwest Territory
A meeting to discuss revising the Articles of Confederation, which ultimately led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
Annapolis Convention (1786)
Changes or additions to the Constitution. The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.
Amendments
The idea that government powers should be restricted to protect individual rights.
Limited Government
A planned military coup by the Continental Army due to frustration over lack of pay.
Newburgh Conspiracy
This established the framework for governing the Northwest Territory and outlined the process for admitting new states.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Proposed by William Paterson, it advocated for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state.
New Jersey Plan
A collection of writings and speeches by those who opposed the Constitution, highlighting the need for a Bill of Rights.
Anti-Federalist Papers
The introduction to the Constitution, stating its purposes and guiding principles.
Preamble
A legislative body with a single chamber or house.
Unicameral
This set up a standardized system for surveying land and selling it in the Northwest Territory.
Land Ordinance of 1785
Proposed by Roger Sherman, it combined elements of both plans, leading to a bicameral Congress with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate providing equal representation for each state.
The Great Compromise
The pseudonym used by George Clinton in his writings opposing the Constitution.
Cato
System that ensures no single branch of government becomes too powerful.
Checks and Balances
Refers to money backed by a physical commodity such as gold or silver.
Hard Money
The first constitution of the United States, ratified in 1781. It established a confederation of sovereign states and served as the governing document until the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1789.
The Articles of Confederation
Proposed by James Madison, it called for a bicameral legislature based on population.
Virginia Plan
Opposed the Constitution, fearing a too powerful central government. They advocated for a Bill of Rights. Key figures include Patrick Henry, George Mason, and Samuel Adams.
Anti-Federalists
Division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another.
Separation of Powers
An American statesman, diplomat, and the fourth President of the United States, serving from 1809 to 1817. He is often referred to as the "Father of the Constitution"
James Madison
This established a process for new territories to become states.
The Ordinance of 1784
Determined that three out of every five enslaved people would be counted for representation and taxation purposes.
Three-Fifths Compromise
The pseudonym used by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay when writing The Federalist Papers, a series of essays promoting the Constitution.
Publius
The principle that the authority of the government is created and sustained by the consent of its people.
Popular Sovereignty
This system is designed to provide checks and balances within the legislature, ensuring that laws are carefully considered and debated from multiple perspectives before being enacted.
Bicameral