Ch. 5 and Ch. 6.1 Flashcards
Define constitution
A blue print for government and transfer of power/authority from people to government
Define Republic
Government where people elect representatives to represent them
Define Popular Sovereignty
A system in which government power comes from the people
Define Limited Government
Rule of law
- no ppl or government is above the law and the supreme law of the land is the constitution which limits the governments powers*
Text book definition- the government has only the powers given to it by the constitution
Define Confederation
alliance between states or nations for a common purpose ie. defence
How many houses were there in congress under the articles of confederation?
One- unicameral
How many votes did each state receive under the articles of confederation?
One vote
Equal representation
Under the articles of confederation, how many votes were needed to pass a law?
9/13 votes
Why were 9/13 votes needed to pass a law under the articles of confederation?
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Under the articles of confederation, how many votes were needed to amend the articles?
13/13
Did the articles of confederation grant a lot of power to the congress?
No it granted very few powers
Name some powers granted to congress under the articles.
Power to declare war
And not much else ….. Power to make a post office
Define ceded
To give up (power or territory)
What do countries do in a time of war?
Deficit spending
Define deficit spending
A government spending more money than they have and create debt
Why did small states refuse the ratify the articles without ceding of wester land claims by larger states?
They felt it was unfair that these larger states could claim western lands and then sell them off to collect revenue and pay off debt.
Ex- I could live in RI and pay $100 in taxes or I could live in VA and pay $100 and get land
What were the two main sources of revenue for states before the ratification of the articles?
Taxation and selling of land
What was the problem with the confederation congress deciding a state’s “fair share” based on population?
Well, they had to decide weather or not to count slaves as people
Treaty of Paris
U
Land Ordinance
1785-
a law which designed a system for managing and distributing lands in the northwest territory
- It divided the land up into squares
- Common man purchased land through the speculators
Northwest Ordinance
1787-
Law which provided a basis for governing the northwest territory
Under the articles, how did congress collect revenue?
It expected states to pay their “fair share”
What ways could the confederation congress decide on a state’s “fair share”
Land
Population
What way did the confederation congress decide on a state’s “fair share”
Population
Under the articles of confederation why were slaves counted a 3/5 of a person?
Slaves did not work for themselves and did not benefit from it. So, they were less motivated and worked less hard. So they did not contribute as much as free men to the profitability of the state, so they should not be counted as much.
Treaty of Alliance
H
Annapolis Convention
H
Philadelphia Convention
12/13/1787
In reaction to shays rebellion, a convention to amend the articles that ends up drafting the constitution
The NJ Plan
To give each state n equ amount of votes, equal representation
The VA Plan
To base the amount of votes on population
The Great Compromise
A compromise in the constitution between the VA plan and the NJ plan.
It created:
- Bicameral legislature
- House of Representatives - proportional rep
- Senate - Equal rep
The Constitution
1787
Blueprint for government
3 branches
Checks and balances
Bicameral
The Executive Branch
Enforces laws
- president and cabinet
The Judicial Branch
Interprets laws
- Supreme Court 6
- lower courts (Judiciary act of 1789)
The Legislative Branch
Creates laws
- congress
- bicameral
Separation of Powers
The governments power is separated into 3 separate branches
Checks and Balances
the 3 branches of government could ceck each other and make sure they were making the right decisions for the cmmon good of the ppl.
Ratification
Official approval of a document
Federalism
A system in which power is shared between state and national governments
Enumerated Powers
Powers given to the national government by the constitution
Reserved Powers
Powers reserved for the state governments by the constitution
Concurrent Powers
Powers given to the both national government and the state governments by the constitution
House of Representatives- Term length
2 years (100% reelected)
Senate-Term length
6 years (33% reelected per 2 year election)
Tea Cup
House
Saucer
Senate
What is the ambiguity in the fugitive slave clause?
What government was to “deliver up” slaves
Why did people in 1787 believe that slavery was a dying institution?
J
In 1787 where had slavery been abolished/prohibited?
Northwest territory
Many northern states ie NH
Why were special conventions used to ratify the constitution?
If state legislatures were used it would most likely utterly fail
How many states were needed to ratify the constitution?
9/13
Republican virtue
Put common good before self interest
Federalists
Believed in the constitution
Anti-federalists
Thought the constitution would give too much power to the government and wanted a bill of rights
Define Factions
A group of people untied by a common interest
What is the solution to the issue of a majority faction?
To have more land with more people who have different opinions and would create new, varying factions, none would be the majority
What type of faction is an issue?
A faction with the majority if people
Why are factions inevitable?
People have different opinions and will voice their opinions as well as join together to express their feelings
What did the Anti-federalists want in the constitution?
A bill of rights
Why did anti federalists feel a bill of rights was necessary?
To show the colonists what their rights were and give more rights to the people
Why did federalists feel a bill of rights was dangerous?
The people or even the government could amuse it by claiming different rights or denying certain rights
What does the 9th amendment say?
Powers not enumerated are reserved for the people
Washington was elected __________ in 1788
Unanimously
Explain the electoral collage of 1788?
100 senators, 435 representatives vote for the states… And some other stuff…
How was the VP selected?
The person who received the 2nd highest number if votes
Define Precedents
Traditions or actions passed down and continued through generations
Washington steps down after _________ terms.
2
Cabinet
O
Why does Madison agree to a bill of rights?
H
What did Madison fear would happen if congress didn’t propose amendments?
H
Article 5 of the constitution
G
Executive departments
Congress creates positions, President fills with the consent of the senate
Department of State
Jefferson
Department of War
Knox
Treasury
Hamilton
Justice
Randolph (Attorney General)
Judiciary act
1789-
Establishes lower courts of national court system and number of justices on Supreme Court
How many justices were on the Supreme Court?
6
Federal vs State courts
H
Chief Justice
John Jay (App. by GW)
