3. Colonial Origins & Foundational Politics Flashcards
Give a Recap of how the US was created
- In 1607 the first colony was established in Jamestown Massachusetts
- The British ruled for roughly 170 years
- Then the Revolutionary War happened which lasted 8 years
- Then the Declaration of Independence was made
- Then the Articles of Confederation
- Finally the Constitution
What were the political factions in colonial America?
The rich consisted of New England merchants, Southern plantation owners and royalists(those that held government positions
The poor consisted of Laborers and small share farmers
What motivated the colonists to resist british rule?
The Elites were angry about the burdensome tax policies specifically the Stamp Act (since it affected the rich more because they were merchants)
The Masses wanted a greater economic reform
Also it’s important to note that originally the Elites did not want independence. They just wanted protection of their economic interests
What are the Articles of Confederation?
A federation of autonomous states, each with their own individual sovereignty that pooled certain powers together to better represent themselves externally
What are some of the powers the Federal Government had? (in the Articles of Confederation)
The main one is foreign policy powers but additional powers include supplying the common defense(army and navy) power to declare War, establish Post offices, and borrow money from other nations
What was the Constitutional Convention and what was its significance?
It occurred in Philadelphia where the legislatures of each state sent representatives. George Washington was President of the Convention. It is significant because it was the creation of the modern American government.
When did the US declare its independence?
1776
Why did the founders view democracy with a great deal of skepticism?
Because for them democracy meant mob rule
What type of government did the founders want?
They wanted a form of delegated democracy which meant a republican system of representation
What is a republic?
a system of government in which citizen’s representatives are responsible for making decisions instead of the citizens making decisions themselves
What is popular sovereignty?
The principle that government authority is derived from consent of the governed (the people)
What is bicameralism?
Two houses of Congress, a lower house based on population and an upper house in which all states have equal representation (2 Senators)
In a bicameralism system, how were the houses chosen?
The lower house is based on popular elections, & the upper house was initially chosen by state legislatures
Were voter qualifications included in the Constitution?
No, so the founding fathers primarily left it up to the states to decide the qualifications for office and to vote
What was the controversy over slavery?
Southern slave owner states wanted their slaves to count towards the representation mechanism whereas northern states were opposed to this. So they made a 3 Fifths compromise where 3/5ths of the state’s slave population would count towards representation and taxation
