Chapter 2 Outline Flashcards
How did the colonists’ problems with Britain begin?
Following the French and Indian War, Britain began to enforce taxes and restrictions on the colonies. Britain also replaced the colonies’ forms of government with its own.
Example: Stamp Act, Tea Tax, Intolerable Acts, etc.
How did the colonies try to resolve their differences with Britain? Were they successful?
- The colonists responded to Britain’s abuses by boycotting its goods (i.e. The Boston Tea Party).
- Colonist boycotts were successful because Parliament then repealed its former acts/taxes.
- The colonies then created the Declaration of Independence, claiming themselves free of Britain’s rule due to its trail of abuses.
How did the Articles of Confederation reflect the colonies’ relationship with Britain?
- denied the national government “the power of the purse” or the right to tax because of Britain’s unfair tax enforcement
- Confederation had no separate executive branch, no independent judicial branch, and no upper chamber in the legislature (unicameral) because of the abuses the colonies suffered under King and Parliament
- established the Articles of Confederation in hopes of preventing tyranny/another monarchy
Under the Articles of Confederation, were these new states successfully ruling themselves?
NO!!!
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation:
-One vote per state no matter the size
-Congress has no power to tax
-Congress powerless to regulate foreign and interstate commerce
-No executive branch
-No national court system
-Amendments passed only if all 13 states agree
-9/13 states needed to pass a law
-Articles established a “firm league of friendship”
Shays’ Rebellion emphasized the national government’s inability to control its people.
Representation (Virginia Plan v. New Jersey Plan)
Virginia Plan: bicameral legislature (representation in both houses based on population of each state); proposed strong central government composed of three branches
New Jersey Plan: unicameral legislature (all states would have equal representation)
Solution: The Great Compromise (Roger Sherman proposed bicameral legislature - Senate = equal representation; House of Representatives = representation based on each state’s population)
Slavery (North v. South)
North: wanted slaves to count for taxation, not representation
South: wanted slaves to count for representation, not taxation
Solution: Three-Fifths Compromise (a slave - for both representation and taxation - would count as ⅗ of a free person)
Executive Branch: One Head or Many?
Some wanted a single executive to head the government, yet others feared that giving power to a single leader might result in a monarchy or tyranny.
Solution: Single President
How to Choose a President (Congress or Popular Elections?)
Solution: Electoral College (body made up of electors from each state who cast votes to elect President and Vice President; # of electors = # of senators and representatives each state has)
Commerce (North v. South)
North: wanted to give Congress broad power over trade
South: did not want to give Congress broad power over trade for fear that Congress might outlaw the slave trade and place heavy taxes on its crop exports
Solution: Congress has power to regulate foreign and interstate Congress, but it can not tax exports or outlaw the slave trade (until 1808)
Ratification of Constitution: Federalists v. Antifederalists
Main Concerns with Constitution (Antifederalists):
contained no “Declaration of Rights” or Bill of Rights
national government is too powerful (laws of general government would be paramount to the laws and constitutions of the several states)
Solution: State delegates agreed to ratify the Constitution after receiving reassurance that a Bill of Rights would be added following the Constitution’s ratification.
Declaration of Independence
document written by Thomas Jefferson, declaring the 13 original colonies free from Great Britain
Shays’ Rebellion
first major rebellion, following the Revolutionary War; farmers in Massachusetts rebelled in response to high taxes/no debt relief
Articles of Confederation
established a “firm league of friendship” between the 13 original states; granted central government very little power
Virginia Plan
bicameral legislature (representation in both houses based on population of each state); proposed strong central government composed of three branches; favored by large states
New Jersey Plan
unicameral legislature (all states would have equal representation); favored by small states
Great Compromise
Roger Sherman proposed bicameral legislature (Senate = equal representation; House of Representatives = representation based on each state’s population)
Three-Fifths Compromise
slave - for both representation and taxation - would count as ⅗ of a free person
Commerce Compromise
Congress has power to regulate foreign and interstate Congress, but it can not tax exports or outlaw the slave trade (until 1808)
Slave Trade Compromise
Congress would have the power to ban the slave trade, but not until 1808. The South believed its agriculture-based economy would crash immediately without slaves.
Federalists
supported the Constitution; favored the creation of a strong federal government that shared powers with the states
Antifederalists
preferred loose association of states established under the Articles of Confederation; argued that the states, not the national government, should hold most of the power
Main Concerns With Constitution:
- contained no “Declaration of Rights” or Bill of Rights
- national government is too powerful (laws of general government would be paramount to the laws and constitutions of the several states)
The Federalist Papers
series of 85 essays in which the authors explained the key features of the Constitution and tried to undercut the claims of their opponents
Foundational Concepts of American Democracy
- Judaism (Justice)
- Athens, Greece (Direct Democracy)
- Roman Republic (Representative Democracy)
- Christianity (Equality in the Eyes of God)
The English Roots of American Democracy
- Magna Carta
- Rule of Law - everyone, including the King, is subject to the country’s laws - Petition of Rights
- Limited Government (affirmed that the King’s power was not absolute) - English Bill of Rights
- Individual Rights (established the power of Parliament over the monarchy)
