Shays' Rebellion
Where and when did Shays' rebellion take place?
Massachusetts 1786-1787
Where and when did the Constitutional Convention take place?
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1787
The name of each plan for representation?
The Virginia and New Jersey Plan
Which states were generally considered "free states" and which were generally "slave states"? (Hint: Think direction)
Free states were generally in the north and slave states were generally in the south.
What did anti-federalists want? Why? (bonus 100 points for saying who they wanted to have most of the power).
This is worth 300 points plus a bonus 100 points for a total of 400 possible points.
Anti-federalists wanted a weaker national/central/federal government where states kept most power because they thought states better understood and could handle people's needs/rights/.
or
because they thought a central government that was too strong would not protect people's individual rights.
Who was rebelling with Shay?
Farmers from the area.
Choose which to answer (200 points for 1 or 300 points for both)
What is the name of the group of men that wrote the Constitution (and founded the United States)
Which two groups not included in the Constitutional Convention?
1. The Founding Fathers
2. Women and minorities (and poor people)
Describe the main difference between the plans in “Representation”
Virginia Plan: Population based population
New Jersey Plan: Equal representation for all states
What did "free" states want and why? (extra 100 points for both reasons why)
Free states did not want slaves to count toward population at all because they felt it gave the slave states more undeserved power (in the House of Representatives) and because slaves were not citizens and couldn't vote, they were considered property.
What did federalists support/want? Why?
This is worth 300 points.
Federalists supported a strong federal/central/national government because it was necessary to maintain order and unity in the country.
Why did Shays and the men rebel? What was their problem? (Name at least 2).
1. They weren't paid for fighting in the Revolutionary war
2. They could not pay off their debts and taxes were high
3. They were being thrown in jail because of debts/taxes
4. Their farms were being taken away
What were the roles of James Madison and George Washington at the Constitutional Convention (why were they important)?
George Washington: was the president of the constitution (he was the leader).
James Madison: The "Father of the Constitution": he was the main author.
Describe the main difference between the plans in “Powers of Government”.
Virginia Plan: A lot more power to the government
New Jersey Plan: More power than the A.o.C but less than the Virginia Plan
What did slave states want and why?
Slave states wanted slaves to count as people toward population because it would give them more power in government (in the House of Representatives).
What event/thing influenced anti-federalist beliefs? Explain. (what did they fear?)
This is worth 400 points.
These people feared a king-like government like when they were a colony of England and they had to fight the revolutionary war.
What was the main goal of the men rebellion with Daniel Shays?
1. To take control of the guns nearby
or
2. to stop the courts from meeting so farms could not be taken.
(50 points extra for answer #2. 100 points extra for having both)
Describe the process of writing the Constitution.
Intense debates and lots of compromises (need both).
How was this debate settled? What was the name?
The debate was settled by compromising and including both both forms of representation in congress (Senate and House of Representatives). The name was "the Great Compromise" or "the Connecticut Plan".
How was this debate settled and what was the name?
The name is the "Three-fifths Compromise". Each slave would count as 3/5 of a person towards population.
What event/thing influenced federalist beliefs? Explain. (what did they fear?)
Federalists feared that with a weak central government they would face the same problems as the Articles of Confederation: states might not work together effectively, and the country could become weak and divided.
What is the main lesson learned / point of learning about Shays' Rebellion? (Why did the rebellion take place?)
Because the Articles of Confederation were too weak militarily (army) and economically ($).
What was the plan after the Convention? How would the Constitution become official law?
They would send the finished constitution to the 13 states and have them vote. 9 states needed to agree to ratify (make official) it.
Which plan did “large” states support? Which plan did “small” states support? Why?
Large states supported the Virginia Plan because it gave them more power due to population based representation.
Small states supported the New Jersey plan because it included equal representation for all states and thus would not give bigger states more power.
Slave states did not want slaves to count toward state population for what process?
Taxes. More people = more taxes that had to be paid.
What were the Federalist Papers and who wrote them?
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison wrote the Federalist Papers to persuade people to support the new Constitution.