Chapter 6 Flashcards
In what years were the Articles of Confederation in effect?
1781-1787
In what ways were the colonists unable to follow through with the provisions of the Treaty of Paris?
They were unable to stop Britain from maintaining military outposts on the Western frontier and restricting trade
What caused economic weakness within the colonies?
Reduced foreign trade and limited credit because states had not fully repaid war debts
Were the states still engaging in interstate quarrels in this time period? If so, how?
Yes;
The states competed for economic advantage and placed restrictions (like tariffs) on the movement of goods across state lines
What was the importance of the Annapolis Convention (1786)?
It was in this convention that James Madison and Alexander Hamilton persuaded the others that another convention be held in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation;
It was a vital first step towards the making of the Constitution because it showed that the colonists were taking iniatives to bettering the state of their new nation
What demographic were the delegates who were selected to attend the Philadelphia convention?
They were rich, educated, white men;
A good number of them were practicing lawyers;
Limited democracy was still very much present in the colonies
Who was considered the Father of the Constitution?
James Madison
What ended up happening at the beginning of the convention?
The nationalists (people like Madison and Hamilton) wanted to create an entirely new document as opposed to simply rewriting the articles;
What did Roger Sherman of Connecticut propose?
A two-house Congress;
In the Senate, state would have equal representation, but in the House of Representatives, each state would be represented according to the size of its population
What was the compromise Sherman created?
The Connecticut Plan/Great Compromise
What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?
The delegates agreed that each enslaved individual would count as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of state taxation and representation
Did the delegates decide to keep the slave trade around?
Yes;
They wanted it around for at least 20 more years
What was the Commercial Compromise?
Congress was allowed to regulate interstate and foreign commerse, including placing tariffs on foreign exports, but it could not place taxes on exports
Why was an electoral college system instituted in the colonies?
Because the delegates feared that too much democracy may lead to mob rule
How many states of the 13 were needed for the Constitution to be ratified?
Nine
Who were the Federalists?
Supporters of the Constitution and its strong federal government
Who were the Anti-Federalists?
Opponents of the Constitution and its strong federal government
What were the Federalist Papers?
A series of 85 essays that presented cogent reasons for believing in the practicality of each major provision of the Constitution
Who wrote the Federalist Papers?
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
Why was it important for Virginia to ratify the Constitution?
Because it was by far the most populous of the original 13 states
How were the Federalists able to win over the Anti-Federalists in Virginia?
By promising a bill of rights
Did Virginia’s vote to ratify the Constitution influence New York to do the same?
Yes;
Also because of Hamilton’s efforts
Did the Constitution need to list the rights of individuals?
Anti-Federalists argued that it should, while Federalists argued that it was unnecesary
How did the Anti-Federalists defend their point that a Bill of Rights was necessary for the Constitution?
They argued that Americans had fought the Revolutionary War to escape a tyrannical government;
The Bill of Rights would offer the necessary protection to safeguard the possibility of such a government from arising in America
How did the Federalists defend their point that a Bill of Rights was unnecessary for the Constitution?
They argued that it was unnecessary because members of Congress would be elected by the people anyways;
Plus, it would be better for people to assume that all their rights are protected than create a limited list of rights that unscrupulous officials may use to their advantage
When did the Bill of Rights start to be formed? When was it adopted?
In 1789;
In 1790
Who wrote the Bill of Rights?
James Madison
What is the first amendment?
US citizens have the right to freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition
What is the second amendment?
US citizens have the right to keep and bear arms, or own guns
What is the third amendment?
The government cannot force US citizens to shelter soldiers in their homes
What is the fourth amendment?
US citizens are protected from unreasonable searches of a person’s property
What is the fifth amendment?
People have the right to a fair trial
What is the sixth amendment?
People accused of a crime have the right to a speedy, public trial by jury
What is the seventh amendment?
People who have a disagreement about something worth more than $20 have the right to a trial by jury
What is the eigth amendment?
In most cases, accused people can remain out of jail until their trail if they ppay bill
What is the ninth amendment?
People have other rights besides those stated in the constitution
What is the tenth amendment?
Any powers the Constitution does not give to the federal governmen t belond to the States or to the people
When did Washington take the oath of office as the first president of the United States?
On April 30, 1789
Who leads the legislative branch?
Congress
Who is the head of the executive branch?
The President
Who is the top federal court in the judicial branch?
The Supreme Court
Who were appointed the heads of the departments of the executive branch, and what departments were there?
-Secretary of Treasury: Alexander Hamilton
-Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson
-Secretary of War: Henry Knox
-Attorney General: Edmund Rudolf
What was the Judiciary Act of 1789?
Established a Supreme Court with one chief justice and five associate justices;
Also provided for a system of 13 district courts and three circuit courts of appeals
What was Hamilton’s solution to Congress’s financial difficulties under the Articles of Confederation?
(1) Have the federal government assume the war debts of the states
(2) Impose high tariffs on imported goods to collect adequate revenues and protect the country’s young industries
(3) Establish a national bank to stabilize currency
Who were the supporters of Hamilton’s plan?
Northern merchants
Who were against Hamilton’s plan?
Anti-Federalists, who feared that the states would lose power to the extent the central government would gain it
What did Hamilton do for Jefferson because Jefferson agreed to his plan, or at least the first aspect of it?
He agreed to Jefferson’s plan to establish the nation’s capital in the South along the Potomac River, now a modern-day area termed Washington, D.C.
What could the federal government do as a major shareholder of the privately owned Naitonal Bank?
Print paper currency and use federal deposits to stimulate businesses
What were the American reactions to the French Revolution (the public and Jefferson)?
-The general public: They sympathized with the French people’s want to establish a republic, but they were also horrified at the reports of mob hysteria and mass executions
-Jefferson and his supporters: They supported the new French Republic and the treaty established between France and the United States
What was the Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)?
It maintained that America was to not support any side in the French Revolution
What was the Jay Treaty (1794)?
A treaty negotiated by John Jay and the British;
In which Britain agreed to evacuate its posts on the US western frontier (still said nothing regarding British seizues of American merchant ships)
What was the Pinckney Treaty (1795)?
In which Spain agreed to open the lower Mississippi River and New Orleans to American trade
Why was the Pinckney Treaty made?
Because Spain saw the Jay Treaty as a sign that the United States might be drawing closer to Britain
What was the Treaty of Greenville?
In which American Indians surrendered claims to the Ohio Territory and promised to open it up to settlement
What was the Whiskey Rebellion (1794)?
In which a group of farmers rebelled against the federal excise tax on whiskey by attacking revenue collectors;
The matter was quelled when Washington federalized 15,000 state militiamen and placed whem under the command of Alexander Hamiilton, which ended the conflict in no bloodshed
How did Congress encourage rapid settlement of the new lands they attained during Washington’s presidency?
By passing the Public Land Act in 1796, which established orderly procedures for dividing and selling federal lands at reasonable prices
What made the Federalists vs Anti-Federalist quarral different from earlier ones of similar political nature?
It was organized across state lines and thus hinted at the emergence of national parties
What were the Anti-Federalists later called?
Democratic-Republicans
In the 1790s, which party dominated the political scene?
The Federalists, who supported Alexander Hamilton and his visions
What did the Federalists argue for?
The growth of federal power
What did the Anti-Federalists argue for?
For states’ rights
What did the 22nd Amendment do?
It made the presidential two-term limit a part of the Constitution
What did the 12th Amendment do?
Require that candidates for presidency and vice-presidenct have to run as a team
What happened in the XYZ Affair? (Part 1; Backstory)
Americas merchant ships were being seized by French warships, so John Adams sent delegates to France to make negotiations
What happened in the XYZ Affair? (Part 2; The Real Meat)
Newspaper reports of the demands made by X, Y, and Z angered the Americans, and some (the Federaliss) began rallying against France
What was the Naturalization Act?
Increased the requirement for immigrants to become US citizens from 5 years to 14 years
What was the Alien Acts?
Authorized the president to deport aliens (immigrants) considered dangerous
What was the Sedition Act?
Made it illegal for newspaper editors to criticize the president and the Congress
How did the Democratic-Republicans combat the Alien and Sedition Acts?
Jefferson and Madison created the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions respectively;
This made it so that if any act of the federal government broke the “compact” with the state government, the state could nullify the law
Why did the Federalists lose their popularity during Adams’s presidency?
Because of the Alien and Sedition Acts and the taxes being imposed upon them in the federal government’s attempt to build up the US Navy
What was the Revolution of 1800?
The peaceful change from Federalist to Democratic-Republican control
Kageyama Tobio?
Yes. Just yes. Yes all the way.
