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U.S. Government > Chapter 2-3: The Constitution > Flashcards

Chapter 2-3: The Constitution Flashcards

1
Q

4 building blocks of the US government

A
  1. colonial experience - colonists would build on knowledge and experiences they had gained from colonization periods
  2. constitutionalism - the founding fathers and colonists were committed to a written plan of government
  3. republicanism - the colonists and founding fathers wanted government that was of by and for the people. the people would elect delegates to represent them in their law making body (legislature) and this representative government
  4. enlightenment principles - the colonists and founding fathers have been heavily influenced by enlightenment. writings from thomas hobbes and john locke
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2
Q

what did the delegates of the second continental congress decide to do close to the end of revolutionary war

A

the delegates decided that the 13 independent states should form a league of friendship

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3
Q

what does the word “article” refer to

A

different parts of the document (13 articles)

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4
Q

describe the congress of confederation

A

each state was to send one representative to the congress and each state had only one vote

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5
Q

list some powers (6) of the congress according to the articles of confederation

A
  1. ask each of the states for money to help run the central government
  2. declare war, make peace, and raise an army and navy
  3. control the relations of the US with other nations
  4. arrange for mail service
  5. manage indian affairs
  6. borrow money to pay necessary government expenses
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6
Q

why did some states at first refuse to accept the articles of confederation

A

these states had no claims to land west of the Appalachian mountains and refused to join with the larger states

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7
Q

at what time were the articles of confederation finally accepted

A

1781

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8
Q

what was a reason why the articles of confederation did not work well (2 reasons)

A
  1. did not give central government enough power
  2. did not want a powerful national government that would interfere in local affairs and they would not give up their newly won independence
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9
Q

what level of government did not have enough power under the articles of confederation

A

federal/national government

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10
Q

why was the government losing the respect of other nations

A

the weak government was losing the respect of other nations because the confederation borrowed money from France and the Netherlands

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11
Q

by 1785, the situation was critical…the 13 states were far from ______, people were _______, _________ was suffering, men openly _________ their government, ________ was growing everywhere, the national government had no ________ abroad and the states were constantly _________

A

united, poor and hungry, trade, defied, discontent, respect, among themselves

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12
Q

that stronger union come with a new document:

A

the constitution

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13
Q

what was the first attempt of the colonies at organized government among all the colonies

A

articles of confederation

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14
Q

once the war was over and freedom had been won, what became difficult

A

it became difficult for people to give up their own individual freedoms for the sake of a national government

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15
Q

(central government or no central government) to declare war and negotiate peace

A

central government had power

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16
Q

(central government or no central government) to regulate trade and commerce

A

central government did not have power

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17
Q

(central government or no central government) to borrow money

A

central government had power

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18
Q

(central government or no central government) to raise an army and navy

A

central government had power

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19
Q

(central government or no central government) to levy taxes

A

central government had no power

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20
Q

(central government or no central government) to prohibit states from issuing their own money

A

central government had no power

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21
Q

(central government or no central government) to act directly against individuals or states

A

central government had no power

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22
Q

(central government or no central government) to establish post offices

A

central government had power

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23
Q

due to the federal government lacking some of the above powers, what happened

A

articles of confederation simply did not work

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24
Q

the articles of confederation was the ______ of the newly formed government

A

first constitution

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25
Q

what is a confederation

A

loose alliance

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26
Q

3 features of the articles of confederation

A
  1. created a unicameral (one house) legislature
  2. each state received one vote
  3. only power delegated to congress was law making
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27
Q

quarreling began over _______ (land beyond the appalachians) and ________

A

the new territory, tariffs between states

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28
Q

the new government __________ and soldiers who fought _________, yet they had no power to raise money or force the states to pay the taxes owed to the federal government. (there was _______ to enforce laws)

A

owed huge debts to other nations, had not been paid, no executive branch

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29
Q

what did the economic depression do to the colonists

A

it left many farmers and merchants with great personal debts and no way of repaying them

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30
Q

weaknesses of the articles of confederation

A
  1. congress had no power to levy taxes
  2. congress had no power to regulate trade
  3. each printed its own currency
  4. in order to pass laws, 9/13 states had to approve the law
  5. amending the articles required unanimous approval of all 13 states
  6. federal government had no executive branch
  7. no federal court system
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31
Q

the _________ that established an organized system for settling western frontier lands (beyond the appalachian mountains)

A

land ordinance of 1785

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32
Q

the _______ that set up a 3 step system for adding new states to the union

A

northwest ordinance of 1787

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33
Q

to approve

A

ratified

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34
Q

single chambered congress

A

unicameral

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35
Q

needed to pass a law

A

approval of 9 of 13 states

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36
Q

needed to amend or change articles

A

consent of all 13 states

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37
Q

yield territory claims

A

cede

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38
Q

under the articles of confederation, the plan for the central government did NOT include

A

an executive branch

39
Q

according to the articles of confederation, this was the main purpose of congress

40
Q

shays’s rebellion was caused by this problem

A

economic depression

41
Q

this caused many americans to agree to a strong national government

A

shays’s rebellion

42
Q

what level of government had the most power under the articles of confederation

A

states government

43
Q

what will the congress do to the articles of confederation in 1785

A

revise/update the articles of confederation

44
Q

what word means representative democracy

45
Q

a written plan of government is called a

A

constitution

46
Q

how many votes were needed to pass a law under the articles of confederation

A

9/13 states

47
Q

what right was congress not given under the articles of confederation

A

the right to officially tax

48
Q

what type of principles was the articles of confederation based upon

A

enlightenment

49
Q

after the american revolution, each state printed its own _______

50
Q

what level of government had the least amount of power under the articles of confederation

A

federal government

51
Q

what is the word for a person that has administrative authority

52
Q

know the old northwest map

A

6 states, 5 great lakes, ohio and mississippi rivers

53
Q

the northwest ordinance of 1787 set aside land as the

A

Northwest territory

54
Q

a ________ is a group of people who make laws

A

legislature

55
Q

__________ was the capital of the northwest territory

A

cincinnati

56
Q

the northwest territory included land that is now the states of

A

ohio, michigan, indiana, illinois, wisconsin, and part of minnesota

57
Q

land ordinance of 1785

A
  1. divided land into squares called townships (36 townships)
  2. land was set aside for schools
  3. prohibited slavery
58
Q

northwest ordinance of 1787

A

3 step system for admitting states

  1. congress appointed governor and 3 judges
  2. when territory got to 5000 votes, they can send delegate to congress (some representation)
  3. 60,000 people = apply for statehood
59
Q

one section of a township

A

640 acres for one township

1/2 = 320 acres
1/4 = 160 acres
1/8 = 80 acres
1/16 = 40 acres
60
Q

how much does land cost in the township

A

$1 an acre

61
Q

the northwest ordinance of 1787 and land ordinance of 1785 were considered successes of the ________ government

A

articles of confederation

62
Q

what section of a township was for the purpose of education

63
Q

each township was divided into _____ sections

A

36 sections

64
Q

a township was _______ mile(s) long and ______ mile(s) wide

65
Q

what was prohibited in the northwest territory

66
Q

why were schools built close to the center of the township

A

easy access

67
Q

how many square miles are in 1 township

68
Q

a section of a township is a square of land ______ mile(s) long and _____ mile(s) wide

A

1 mile by 1 mile

69
Q

after a territory’s constitution was approved, it could become a ______

70
Q

describe the structure of the government set up by the articles of confederation

A

league of friendship, unicameral congress, and only one branch (law making, legislative). each state had one vote in congress

71
Q

3 congressional powers granted to congress under the articles of confederation

A
  1. make war and peace
  2. make treaties
  3. set up money system
  4. establish post offices
72
Q

what obligations did states have to one another

A

treat each other fairly, surrender fugitives to one another

73
Q

why obligations did states have to citizens

A

protect property and promote welfare

74
Q

what powers did congress not have

A

regulate trade (citizens wanted to do this)

75
Q

what government action took place in response to shays’ rebellion

A

the Massachusetts legislature eventually passed laws to ease the burden of debtors

76
Q

what was the goal of the constitutional convention

A

revise the articles of confederation

77
Q

(true/false) every one of the 13 states had to ratify the articles of confederation

78
Q

(true/false) economic issues first motivated americans to get together to discuss the effectiveness of the articles of confederation

79
Q

describe the geographical description of the old northwest

A
  1. north of the ohio river
  2. east of the mississippi river
  3. west of the appalachians
  4. south of the great lakes
80
Q

(true/false) as far as congress was concerned, the main purpose for the 1787 convention in Philadelphia was to revise the articles of confederation

81
Q

the main reason that no amendments were ever added to the articles of confederation was that

A

amendments needed the consent of all 13 state legislatures

82
Q

which of the following was NOT a reason for changing the articles

A

the articles allowed slavery to continue

83
Q

the main concern of the rebels who carried out shays’ rebellion was to protest

A

the loss of their properties to tax collectors

84
Q

(true/false) the articles of confederation formed a strong central government

85
Q

(true/false) every state had one vote in congress no matter what number of delegates represented it

86
Q

(true/false) when congress asked the states for money to pay national debts, the states did what the congress asked

87
Q

(true/false) every state did what they wanted

88
Q

(true/false) the articles of confederation was america’s first constitution

89
Q

(true/false) the continental congress wrote the articles during the revolutionary war

90
Q

a synonym for law

91
Q

why was the northwest ordinance one of the most important laws ever passed by any government

A

the ordinance of 1787 not only guided the states which were formed from the northwest territory, but it was also the model which was followed by all other states which subsequently came into the union

92
Q

what rights were guaranteed the people living in a territory

A

the right to worship as they wished, the right of freedom of speech, the right to a jury trial, and protection from cruel and unusual punishment

93
Q

what influence did this ordinance have on the government of later territories

A

the laws passed in the ordinance became a model that was followed by other states who came into the union

U.S. Government (12 decks)

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