Vocabulary
Define dictatorship
A government in which one person or a small group holds complete authority.
Constitutional Convention
It opened on May 25, 1887, with its goals to revise the Articles of Confederation.
Founding Fathers
Today, we often refer to Madison, Jefferson, and other leaders who laid the groundwork for the United States as the Founding Fathers.
What were the two types of parties involving the constitution, and their opinions about it?
The federalists, were supporters of the Constitution, and called themselves federalists because they favored a strong federal, or national, government; and the antifederalists, were people who opposed the Constitution.
In what way did the delegates to the 1787 Convention represent a new generation of American leaders?
The delegates to the 1787 Convention represent a new generation of American leaders because nearly half the young men in their thirties.
Define constitution
A document that sets out the laws, principles, organization, and process of a government.
The Articles of Confederation
Created a very loose government in which all the 13 independent states were aligned under.
George Mason
One of the strongest supporters of a bill of rights was George Mason of Virginia. In 1776, Mason had written the bill of rights for Virginia's constitution.
What are the six goals of the Constitution?
The six goals of the Constitution were to form a more perfect union, to establish justice, to insure domestic tranquillity, to provide for the common defense, to promote the general welfare, and to secure the blessings of liberty.
How did Americans react to Shay’s Rebellion?
Many Americans saw Shay’s Rebellion as a sign that the Articles of Confederation did not work, and some even warned George Washington to be ready for a battle.
What are the Bill of Rights?
A list of freedoms that the government promises to protect.
The Magna Carta
King John of England signed the Magna Carta in 1215. The Magna Carta contained two basic ideas that helped to shape both British and American governments.
Baron de Montesquieu
The French Enlightenment thinker Baron de Montesquieu influenced American ideas of how a government should be constructed.
What are the seven basic principles behind the Constitution?
The seven basic principles of the Constitution were popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, republicanism, and individual rights.
Describe two weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
One weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that the government could tax the states, and since the states were in debt there was no way to pay it because the government had no money. A second weakness of the articles was that they could not create a national army, and when Britain after the war refused to pull their troops, they had no one to defend themselves.
What is habeas corpus?
The idea that no person could be held in prison without first being charged with a specific crime.
The Federalist Papers
Federalists James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote a series of essays, known today as The Federalist Papers, Their purpose was to explain and defend the Constitution.
John Locke
The English writer John Locke published Two treatises of Government in 1690. In it, he stated two important ideas. First, Locke declared that all people had natural rights to life, liberty, and property. Second, he suggested that government is an agreement between the ruler and the ruled.
The English Bill of Rights, went further in protecting the rights of citizens. The document said that parliamentary elections should be held regularly. It upheld the right to a trial by jury and allowed citizens to bear arms.
Explain the process by which a territory became a state?
The Ordinance law of 1785 set up a system for settling the Northwest Territory. The law called for the territory to be surveyed and divided into townships. Each township would then be further divided into 36 sections of 1 square mile each. Congress planned to sell sections to settlers for $640 apiece.
What are the three branches of government and there jobs?
The legislative branch, would pass the laws, the executive branch, would would carry out the laws, and the judicial branch, would decide if laws were carried out fairly.
Three-Fifths Compromise
They agreed that three fifths of the slaves in any state would be counted. In other words, if a state had 5,000 slaves, 3,000 of them would be included in the state's population count. This agreement became known as the Three-Fifths Compromise.
Roger Sherman
Sherman's compromise called for the creation of a two-house legislature. Members of the lower house, known as the House of Representatives, would be elected by popular vote. As the larger states wished, seats in the lower house would be awarded to each state according to its population. Members of the upper house, called the Senate, would be chosen by state legislatures. Each state, no matter what its size, would have two senators. This part of Sherman's compromise appealed to the smaller states.
What were the two state constitutions that helped form the U.S. Constitution, and what were the parts of them that were implemented in into the U.S. Constitution.
The Virginia Plan and the Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan called for a strong national government with three branches. The legislative branch would pass the laws. The executive branch would carry out the laws. The judicial branch, or system of courts, would decide if laws were carried out fairly. The legislature would consist of two houses. Seats would be awarded on the basis of population. Thus, in both houses, larger states would have more representatives than smaller ones. The Jersey Plan called for three branches of government. However, it provided for a legislature that had only one house. Each state, regardless of its population, would have one vote in the legislature.
What were two ways the constitution addressed grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence?
Two ways the constitution addressed grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence was preventing a king and setting up a court system independent of the President and legislature.