Who Attended the Philadelphia Convention?
What is a Framer?
55 delegates who attended the Philadelphia Convention in order to write the Constitution
Proportional representation
Type of representation based on population
What two big areas were different between the Northern and Southern states?
Their economy, representation, and views on slavery
What is the difference between enumerated and general powers?
General powers are vague
What are limits on the executive branch?
-Senate can approve or reject treaties
-Senate can approve or reject appointments
-Only Congress can declare war
-Congress can override vetoes
Who was not at the Convention?
Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, women, African-Americans and Native Americans
Equal represenation
Type of representation where each state is given the same number of votes
What is the Three-fifths compromise?
Clause that states that each enslaved person should be accounted as 3/5 as a free person when determining representation
What is the general welfare clause?
Is this a general power or a enumerated power?
Clause that says that Congress has the power to "provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States"
General power
What are the powers of the Executive branch?
-Veto laws passed by Congress
-Make treaties with foreign nations
-Act as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces
-Pardon people of crimes
How was the convention representative of America?
Framers were a variety of ages, backgrounds and home states. Some were rich, some were not, no one was poor.
Plan where each state got one vote, which favored small states. Proposed by William Paterson
New Jersey Plan
What is the fugitive slave clause?
States that people that runaway from slavery to a free state should be returned to where they were from originally
What are examples of Congress's enumerated powers? (at least three)
-Impose taxes
-Borrow money
-Establish post offices
-Declare war
-Raise and support an army and navy
How are Supreme Court judges selected? Why?
The president appoints a judge. With advice and consent of the Senate, they would approve the candidate.
This is to ensure they use their best judgment and not worry about influence
What were the rules of the Convention?
1. Do not improve the Articles of Confederation
2. Keep the meeting records a secret for 30 years
3. Give each state one vote, no matter the size
Plan for representation which favored large states and was based on population. This plan was proposed by James Madison and included three branches of government
Virginia Plan
What branch is described in Article I?
Legislative branch
What are three limits on Congress?
-Cannot grant titles of nobility
-Banning the slave trade before 1808
-Passing bills of attainder
-Passing ex post facto laws
-Suspending habeas corpus
How is a president selected?
Electoral college- electors from each state (based on the number of senators and representatives) vote for the president. The candidate with the most electoral votes wins.
If there is no majority, the Senate would select a president.
State that did not show up to the Convention
Rhode Island
Which house of Congress today is modeled after the Virginia Plan?
Which house is modeled after the New Jersey Plan?
The House of Representatives is modeled after the VA Plan
The Senate is modeled after the NJ plan
What branch is described in Article III?
Judicial branch
What is the necessary and proper clause? Why did James Madison include it?
Says that Congress can make all laws that is sees necessary and proper for the carrying out the Constitution.
It is included because the Framers knew the world would change and they couldn't predict everything that would happen.
Why did the Framers design the executive and legislative branches to share power?
To prevent endangering the people's rights and abusing power.
To ensure cooperation between the branches