Lesson 7
The first constitution of the United States, created to form a perpetual union and a firm league of friendship among the states
Articles of Confederation
The men who organized and created our United States Constitution are known as:
Framers because they build or framed our government
What was the first problem the Framers faced after beginning the Philadelphia Convention and starting to draft the new Constitution that would replace the Articles of Confederation?
The problem of representation: the small states wanted equal representation, the large states argued for representation based on the population of the state.
This word means "to put an end to something". Usually used when referring to slavery
abolish
This word means: A person chosen to act or represent a group of people
Delegate
An armed revolt by farmers who sought relief from debts and mortgage foreclosures; fueled support for amending the unsuccessful Articles of Confederation
Shays' Rebellion
Which state did NOT send any delegates to the Philadelphia Convention? Why not?
Rhode Island refused to send delegates because they did not want to change/revise the Articles of Confederation
What are the two houses of Congress? How are they different?
Senate: 2 representatives x state
House of Representatives: # of representatives x state is based on the state's population. Larger population = more representatives
This clause in the U.S. Constitution that provided that each slave should be counted as ___ of a person in determining a state's number of representatives in the House of Representatives
3/5 Three-fifths clause
True or False: Only the Southern states allowed slavery?
False
Why was the national government given so little power under the Articles of Confederation?
The people feared a strong national government
Name 3 Framers who were present at the Philadelphia Convention.
George Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin
The four states with the largest populations that wanted population-based representation in Congress (listed by population: greatest to least)
Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Massachusetts
According to the 1790 census, which state had the least amount of enslaved people?
Massachusetts (MA) had 0
This important Framer was often called the "Father of the Constitution", he took notes during meetings, and helped put together compromises that solved disagreements among the Framers.
James Madison
True/False: Under the Articles of Confederation, the Confederation Congress had the power to collect taxes from the states and from the people directly.
False
What was the original purpose of the Philadelphia Convention? What were the delegates supposed to do?
Fix/revise the Articles of Confederation
The four states with the smallest populations that wanted equal representation in Congress (listed by population: least to greatest)
Delaware Rhode Island, Georgia, New Hampshire
This finally brought an end to slavery in the United States.
The Civil War or 13th Amendment
Both of these important Framers attended the Philadelphia Convention because they believed that the nation needed a stronger national government than the Articles of Confederation provided.
George Washington and Benjamin Franklin
Number of votes per state in the Articles of Confederation
One (1). Equal representation for each state
At the start of the Philadelphia Convention, what were the important decisions the Framers made? (Hint: 4)
1. George Washington would lead the convention as president
2. Each state, large or small, would have 1 vote on matters
3. They were going to write a new Constitution instead of revising the Articles
4. The discussions would be kept private for 30 years
The plan of government adopted by the Constitutional Convention that called for a Congress of two houses, with a lower house (the House of Representatives) having representation apportioned according to the population of each state, and an upper house (the Senate) having representation of two senators per state
The Great Compromise
This part of the Constitution explains Congress, it's powers, and details about representation
Article 1
What were the 2 main disagreements the delegates had to solve during the Philadelphia Convention?
The problem of representation (equal rep or rep by population)
This issue of slavery: should it continue, for how long, did enslaved people count for population (rep)