AP Gov midterm review (The Constitution) Flashcards
What were the Articles of Confederation
the AOC was a written document created by 13 delegates to establish a national goverbment in the U.S. after they declared independance from great Britian
What was the structure of government through the AOC
The Articles created a national government centered on the legislative branch, which was comprised of a single house. There was no separate executive branch or judicial branch. The delegates in Congress voted by state—with each state receiving one vote, regardless of its population. most the power was in the states (they kindof governed themselves)
Why did the AOC fail
The Articles of Confederation failed because they left too much power with the states. The federal government had no power to levy or collect taxes, no power to regulate trade, and no power to enforce laws. There was also no executive branch under the Articles of Confederation, and no national court system.
What was the constitutional convention of 1787
The convention was called to revise the AOC. However, the convention soon abandoned the articles, drafting a new constitution with a much stronger national government
how long did the constitutional convention last for
about 5 months
what topics were covered at the constitutional convention
representation, state vs federal powers, executive power, slavery, and commerce (the exchange or buying & selling of goods, property, commodities, and service)
What is the Madisonian Model
The Madisonian model prevented major control, created a structure of government in which the powers of the government would be separated into three branches (executive, legislative, and judicial) it also created the checks and balances which made sure not one branch could take over. This model also created a federal system (A national Gov and state Govs)
who were the federalists
the federalists were the ones who wrote the constitution so they were also the ones who supported it. They believed in a stronger role of the federal government (A government with divided power)
who were the anti-federalists
they were against the constitution they didn’t trust having a big government and thought it would take their rights away, would rather of kept the AOC and maybe amended it
who ends up winning feds or anti feds
the federalists end up winning with 11 out of 13 states ratifying and they only needed 9 out of 13
when was the constitution ratified
the constitution was finally ratified by 1788
what are the bill of rights
the bill of rights are amendments that were added to the constitution shortly after it was ratified these were 10 amenments which gave the rights of the people ex: freedom of religion
what was the “Connecticut compromise”
During the constitutional convention Roger Sherman, proposed the Connecticut compromise which was a compromise between the Virginia plan (stated they needed a 2 house congress and both are based off pop - good for big states bad for little ones) and the NJ plan (each state gets 1 vote) his compromise was that they create a 2 house congress, the house of reps with legislators based of pop, and the senate with 2 legislators from each state
what were the fed 10 papers
this paper was written by Madison and the main topic of it is factions. He explains how a larger government is for the better and not for the worse as well as how the proposed government is not likely to be taken over by any faction, in fact, he believed a larger government would help prevent the tyranny of any faction.
what were the fed 51 papers
this paper was written by Madison and the main topic is the branches of the government and there check and balances system. He explains how the separate branches of government were created to control each other while also being able to control themselves aka the checks and balances system and these branches would help protect us from the tyranny of factions in the Government because the more factions there are the harder it is for one to take over.
