Chapter 2: US Constitution Flashcards
- How did the position (perspective, opinion, judgment, etc) of the colonists evolve from the conclusion of the
French and Indian War through the American Revolution? What were the significant “milestones” in the evolution?
At first everything was pretty much the same but Britain needed to protect its newly acquired land but need money for it. So they imposed taxes on the colonists. At first they were upset but revolution was brought up, so boycotts and push back was common. But as Britain taxed more and more while also extending their power eventually led to revolution.
Milestones were sugar act 1764, stamp act 1765. quartering act 1765, Colonist started to unite against British power, tea act and Boston tea party 1773, and the coercive act 1774-75, anger continued that eventually lead to revolution.
- Why is the Declaration of Independence still a revered document today? How did Jefferson reconceptualize the
definition of political power at the time it was written?
Because it expressed idea of Philosophers that came before Jefferson including John Locke. And these ideas were pretty radical considering the time period that all of this takes place in. And Jefferson reconceptualize the definition of political power by basically destroying the idea that monarch and kings were meant to rule due to god giving them the divine right.
- How was political power structured under the Articles of Confederation? Identify three examples of success and
failures of the Articles of Confederation. Why were these failures important to the later development of the US
Constitution?
The national government was weak, but state governments were strong. 3 successes, States subcultures blossomed, state constitutions helped form the US constitution, and Congress dealt with foreign affairs. 3 of the many failures: Congress had no way to collect taxes, no national army could be formed, and it was difficult for the national government to protect individual rights and property. It showed how ineffective the articles of confederation were.
- What was the basis for Shays’ Rebellion? Why was this event important for the development of the US Constitution?
A bunch of farmers revolted and attempted to overthrow the Massachusetts government to prevent their farms from going into foreclosure. And this highlighted how ineffective the Articles of Confederation were. Mostly because it showed how the country was unable to act in a time of crisis - Washington.
- Identify Madison’s Dilemma and describe the six solutions [and their purpose] to the dilemma.
The dilemma was basically how can we make a government that is both strong and weak? First solution was Federalism, which distributed power vertically, from local to national. Second solution was separation of power, essentially spread the power out between different departments so not one branch has all the power. Third is checks and balances, this essentially gave each branch the power to limit and keep the other branches in check. Fourth is different constituencies, basically each seat is in congress, as well as the presidency, is elected by a different group of people and are responsible to and for those people. The fifth idea was to set different terms for the different seats of offices, this was to prevent a group of people from securing a supermajority in the government and imposing radical, and potentially dangerous, changes. The sixth and finale idea was different modes of election, and the idea here was that not many Americans have the time or education to make the right vote, so we should let the pros make the decision.
- What are the Federalist Papers? What was the main purpose of these articles? What are the Antifederalist Papers?
What was the main purpose of these? Identify three key elements of each. Who “won” the debate (and what’s the
evidence for this victory)?
Basically a huge collection of essays and rationalities for a stronger government, and this essentially was there to dispel any fears that people had. Antifederalist Papers were the rationale for why we should have a limited government. Federalists supported a strong government, the constitution, and its constraints, they also wanted to keep the rights people had vague. While the Antifederalists supported small state ran governments, the weak federal government, and a bill of rights, In the end, the Federalists won out, getting most of what they wanted, but Antifederalists did get their bill of rights in.
- Describe at least three ways that the new Constitution helped to overcome problems associated with the Articles of
Confederation.
One issue was national defense, under the Articles of Confederation we couldn’t fund a national army since we could only rely on state militias, so we couldn’t properly defend ourselves. Another issue was funding, under the Articles the national government was unable to collect taxes, so not much could be done, the Constitution fixed this. The third issue was commerce, under the Articles states were competing against each other and put them at odds and in general just complicated things, the Consitution fixed this since it basically treated the states as on organism.
- Which institutions do Articles I, II, and III of the US Constitution structure? Describe three key elements of each
Article.
Article 1 touched on Congress, touched on election and legislative requirements and the powers of Congress.
Article 2 Presidency, qualifications requirements, election requirements, and details the electoral college.
Articles 3 the Courts, appointments are lifetime, organization of lower courts, provides definition of treason.
- How can the US Constitution be amended? Why did the framers allow for the Constitution to be amended? Most
importantly, what is the implication (the effect) of the Amendment once it is passed? How does it change the
governmental process, especially for the Supreme Court?
There are four primary methods, first is 2/3 thru congress, and 3/4 of states must ratify it, or 3/4 of states at a convention. The other two ways are by getting 2/3 of all to vote for it at a national convention called by the states congress or the states and finally ratified. Hard to amend because these could change a lot of people’s lives so we don’t want to make the decisions willy nilly. Once it’s passed it is a part of the constitution, so it can’t be dismantled. And the Supreme Court can’t take cases regarding it since the constitution has answered it, they also aren’t able to question constitutionality of the amendment.
- What is the purpose behind the Bill of Rights? Identify and discuss three examples of amendments that support
this purpose.
To protect us from the government. The 2nd Amendment protects me by preventing the government from taking weapons away from the people, so if they become tyrannical we can overturn it. The 5th gives us due process, so the government can’t just punish us or take property away without a fair trial. And the 9th makes sure that anything left out isn’t immediately off the table, and if need be can be expanded on later. So just because I don’t have the right to something listed doesn’t mean they can just take that away.
