Chapter 2-3: The Constitution Flashcards
4 building blocks of the US government
- colonial experience - colonists would build on knowledge and experiences they had gained from colonization periods
- constitutionalism - the founding fathers and colonists were committed to a written plan of government
- 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
- enlightenment principles - the colonists and founding fathers have been heavily influenced by enlightenment. writings from thomas hobbes and john locke
what did the delegates of the second continental congress decide to do close to the end of revolutionary war
the delegates decided that the 13 independent states should form a league of friendship
what does the word “article” refer to
different parts of the document (13 articles)
describe the congress of confederation
each state was to send one representative to the congress and each state had only one vote
list some powers (6) of the congress according to the articles of confederation
- ask each of the states for money to help run the central government
- declare war, make peace, and raise an army and navy
- control the relations of the US with other nations
- arrange for mail service
- manage indian affairs
- borrow money to pay necessary government expenses
why did some states at first refuse to accept the articles of confederation
these states had no claims to land west of the Appalachian mountains and refused to join with the larger states
at what time were the articles of confederation finally accepted
1781
what was a reason why the articles of confederation did not work well (2 reasons)
- did not give central government enough power
- did not want a powerful national government that would interfere in local affairs and they would not give up their newly won independence
what level of government did not have enough power under the articles of confederation
federal/national government
why was the government losing the respect of other nations
the weak government was losing the respect of other nations because the confederation borrowed money from France and the Netherlands
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 _________
united, poor and hungry, trade, defied, discontent, respect, among themselves
that stronger union come with a new document:
the constitution
what was the first attempt of the colonies at organized government among all the colonies
articles of confederation
once the war was over and freedom had been won, what became difficult
it became difficult for people to give up their own individual freedoms for the sake of a national government
(central government or no central government) to declare war and negotiate peace
central government had power
(central government or no central government) to regulate trade and commerce
central government did not have power
(central government or no central government) to borrow money
central government had power
(central government or no central government) to raise an army and navy
central government had power
(central government or no central government) to levy taxes
central government had no power
(central government or no central government) to prohibit states from issuing their own money
central government had no power
(central government or no central government) to act directly against individuals or states
central government had no power
(central government or no central government) to establish post offices
central government had power
due to the federal government lacking some of the above powers, what happened
articles of confederation simply did not work
the articles of confederation was the ______ of the newly formed government
first constitution
what is a confederation
loose alliance
3 features of the articles of confederation
- created a unicameral (one house) legislature
- each state received one vote
- only power delegated to congress was law making
quarreling began over _______ (land beyond the appalachians) and ________
the new territory, tariffs between states
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)
owed huge debts to other nations, had not been paid, no executive branch
what did the economic depression do to the colonists
it left many farmers and merchants with great personal debts and no way of repaying them
weaknesses of the articles of confederation
- congress had no power to levy taxes
- congress had no power to regulate trade
- each printed its own currency
- in order to pass laws, 9/13 states had to approve the law
- amending the articles required unanimous approval of all 13 states
- federal government had no executive branch
- no federal court system
the _________ that established an organized system for settling western frontier lands (beyond the appalachian mountains)
land ordinance of 1785
the _______ that set up a 3 step system for adding new states to the union
northwest ordinance of 1787
to approve
ratified
single chambered congress
unicameral
needed to pass a law
approval of 9 of 13 states
needed to amend or change articles
consent of all 13 states
yield territory claims
cede