Foundational Documents
Document that eliminated divine right and restored the rights of the people
Magna Carta
Allowed Congress to ban the slave trade after 1808
Slave Trade Compromise
This ordinance divided land into six-mile square townships
Northwest Ordinance of 1785
Under the Articles, Congress lacked this power to raise money
the power to tax
What English document established constitutional government
English Bill of Rights
Allowed slaveholding states partial representation for their slave populations
3/5ths Compromise
Which ordinance provided for education, moral and religious
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
military uprising that exposed the Articles’ weakness
Shays' Rebellion
How did the Enlightenment impact the Constitution
Natural rights of man; self-government; answers vary
Explain the Virginia Plan
big-state plan called for representation based on population
Biblical defense for banning slavery in the Northwest Ordinance
humans are created in the image of God
One result of the Articles’ inability to raise funds.
unpaid war debts; unpaid veterans
The Constitution cannot be amended except by a rigorous process of...
Approval by 2/3 of the states and 2/3 of Congress
Explain the New Jersey Plan
small-state plan called for representation based on equality of states
Name three provisions of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
fair trade with Indians, no slavery, and education
Three ways the states agreed to cooperate in the new government
They would respect each other’s civil acts (marriage, etc.)
They would settle differences through arbitration.
They would return criminals or escaped slaves.
Which phrase in the Constitution reflects the Social Contract Theory?
"We the people"
Explain the Great Compromise
created a bicameral legislature, with one house based on population and the other on equal representation
Assess the impact of the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights on the Constitution.
Magna Carta – eliminated rule by divine right and restored the rights of the people;
English BOR – a Constitutional form of government; protection under English law.
Explain the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan, outlining each of the plans and why they were supported by the various states. Also explain the Great Compromise and what it accomplished.
VA = Big state plan -- legislative representation based on population vs.
NJ = Small state plan -- legislative representation based on equality
Great compromise called for a bicameral (2-house) legislature – one house (HR) based on population; one house (S) based on equal representation