Row 1
In August 1786, farmers in three western counties revolted. Bands of outraged citizens shut down courts in Western Massachusetts. Their logic was straightforward: with the courts closed, no one's property could be seized. In September, a poor farmer and Revolutionary War veteran led hundreds of men in a forced shutdown of the Supreme Court in Springfield, Massachusetts. What was the name of the man who spearheaded the revolt?
Daniel Shays
Who asserted that the only way to gain liberty was through the separation of powers?
Baron de Montesquieu
Congress decided to divide the Northwest Territory into smaller regions, each with a governor appointed by Congress. When a territory's population reaches a certain threshold, its citizens may draft their own constitution and apply to join the Union. What was the threshold?
60,000
The right to vote is known as what?
Suffrage
What is the name given to a time of low economic activity and rising unemployment?
Depression
The Massachusetts state government threatened the farmers with capture and death if they persisted in their revolt. These threats just fuelled followers' determination. What was the name of the farmers' uprising against high taxes and debt?
Shays’s Rebellion
In February 1787, who invited each state to send delegates to a convention in Philadelphia aimed at improving the Articles of Confederation?
Confederation Congress
What is the name of the Connecticut man who presented a compromise plan in which the legislative branch would be divided into two houses and each state, regardless of size, would have two representatives in the Senate, or upper house?
Roger Sherman
Which branch of government is responsible for administering laws and ensuring compliance?
Executive Branch
What were those who opposed the Constitution known as?
Antifederalists
The Federalist papers/essays supporting the Constitution were produced anonymously under what name?
Publius
What is the name of an area presently encompassing Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin?
Northwest Territory
In 1785, the tariff and trade situation prompted a British publication to name the new nation what?
Dis-United States
Which document said that no one could be forced to join a specific church or to pay for one with tax dollars?
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
Because of the low turnout in Maryland in 1786, the participants, notably James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, persuaded all 13 states to send representatives to the Constitutional Convention held in which location in May 1787?
Philadelphia
What legislation did Congress approve in order to establish a regional political system? The Northwest Territory was formed by this ordinance.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
What legislation passed in 1689 that established Parliament's supremacy? It also prevented the king or queen from amending legislation without Parliament's approval.
The English Bill of rights
After four days of the Constitutional Convention, which Virginian submitted the Virginia Plan?
Edmund Randolph
The legislative branch will consists of two houses. Each state, regardless of size, will have two representatives in the Senate (upper chamber), ensuring an equal voice for smaller states. The number of representatives in the lower chamber is determined by the state's population. What is this legislation referred to as?
Great Compromise
Which branch of government comprises all national courts and is in charge of interpreting laws, punishing offenders, and resolving interstate disputes?
Judicial Branch
Who believed the Constitution gave the central government too much power, leading him to become antifederalists?
George Mason
What year were the Federalist Papers compiled and released in book form?
1788
Congress would become the country's sole arm of government, with limited powers to preserve the people's liberties. Which document does this fall under?
Articles of Confederation
Taxes on imports or exports is known as what?
Tariffs
What happens when prices for products and services rise and the value of money falls?
Inflation
Prior to the Revolutionary War, colonial ships traded heavily with the British West Indies, stopping there on their way to other destinations. What year did this travel and trading end?
1783
Who could resolve state issues, issue coinage, borrow money, and negotiate treaties with foreign countries and Native Americans?
Congress
“The Revolution has robbed us of our trade with the West Indies . . . without opening any other channels to compensate it. In every point of view, indeed, the trade of this country is in a deplorable condition.”
Who stated this
James Madison
What is the name of a proposed new federal constitution that would grant the central government sovereignty, or absolute power?
Virginia Plan
Southern delegates proposed a compromise in which three-fifths of the slaves in each state would be counted as part of the state's population for determining how many representatives a state would have. After much debate, the delegates opted to adopt the idea; under this agreement, only three-fifths of a state's slave population would be considered when calculating representation. What is this known as?
Three-Fifths Compromise
What is the name of a system that prevents any one branch of government from becoming excessively powerful?
Checks and Balances
What were supporters of the Constitution known as?
Federalists
Which state was the first to ratify the Constitution?
Delaware
Which state legislature issued a large quantity of paper money worth relatively little? This made debtors (those who owe money) quite happy. They may settle their commitments using paper money worth less than the borrowed coins. However, creditors (those who lend money) were upset. Hundreds of creditors fled the state to avoid being repaid in worthless funds.
Rhode Island
What is the name given to a set of fundamental principles and laws that define the government's powers and duties?
Constitution
Following the Revolutionary War, most states struggled to meet military obligations and collect unpaid taxes. To help lessen the burden, some states began printing massive quantities of paper money. The outcome was inflation. This money had little to no real value because the states lacked the necessary reserves to back it up. What did they lack in reserves?
Gold or Silver
In 1215, King John signed a document that subjected him to the rule of law. What was the name of this document?
Magna Carta
What did Spanish officials close in 1784 to restrict US shipping, enraging Western farmers and merchants?
Mississippi River
Official approval is known as what?
Ratification
The smaller states devised a strategy to prevent larger states from gaining too much power, and a New Jersey delegate submitted the small-state or New Jersey Plan. What was the name of the man who submitted the New Jersey Plan?
William Paterson
What is a metaphor for the belief that political power rests with the people?
Popular Sovereignty
What is the term for the division of power between a central government and the states that comprise a country?
Federalism
Who wrote the pamphlet "Observations on the New Constitution", in which they attacked the constitution's lack of individual rights?
Mercy Otis Warren
Which state was the last to ratify the Constitution?
Rhode Island
Which philosopher felt that there was a social compact between political rulers and the people they governed?
John Locke
Early in 1786, the Virginia legislature convened a national convention. It sought to investigate economic concerns and make ideas to amend the Articles of Confederation. Which location hosted the gathering in September 1786?
Annapolis
What did Congress enact to establish a system for surveying and dividing western lands? The land was divided into 36 townships, each covering 36 square miles and consisting of 640 acres. One lot was designated for a public school, while four properties were allocated to veterans. The remainder of the lots were sold to the public.
Land Ordinance of 1785
Trade between two or more states is known as what?
Interstate Commerce
What is the name of a philosophical movement that emphasized the application of reason to old concepts and traditions?
Enlightenment
Which state refused to manufacture worthless paper money and attempted to repay its war debts by collecting land taxes?
Massachusetts
What is the name of a proposal that called for a unicameral legislature, giving each state an equal number of votes, and thus an equal voice in the federal government, giving the federal government the authority to tax citizens in all states, and allowing the government to regulate commerce?
New Jersey Plan
Which branch of government is responsible for proposing and adopting laws, has two houses, and members of the Senate and the House of Representatives are chosen using different processes, thereby balancing power among voters from various states?
Legislative Branch
What are constitutional revisions known as?
Amendments
One of the most important constitutional defenses was presented in a series of essays known as what?
Federalist Papers
What are the names of the ten proposed amendments designed to defend citizens' rights?
Bill of Rights