Chapter 7 Flashcards
A formal plan of government
Constitution
A government in which citizens rule through elected representatives
Republic
A formal request
Petition
Agreement between two or more sides in which each side gives up some of what it wants
Compromise
The sharing of power between federal and state governments
Federalism
A part of a document, such as the Constitution, that deals with a single subject
Article
The system in which each branch of government has a check on the other two branches
Checks and balances
To give official approval to
Ratify
Supporters of the Constitution
Federalist
People against the Constitution
Anti-federalist
A special group of voters selected by their state legislatures to vote for the president
Electoral college
Problems with the Articles of Confederation
- No president, 9 out of 13 states needed to approve a new law for it to be passed, Congress didn’t have power to tax citizens, only request tax money from the states, Congress couldn’t draft an army, only request the states to send men, No national court system, any change to the Constitution must be approved by all 13 states, Congress didn’t have the power to to collect states debts owed to the Central Government, Congress didn’t have the power to settle disputes among states, Each state had its own currency
What was the original purpose of the Constitutional Convention?
The original purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation
What city did the Convention take place in?
Philadelphia
What building did the convention take place in? What other document was adopted there?
Independence Hall, The Declaration of Independence
How many delegates were there? Who are some
55 delegates, James Madison, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin
Who was the oldest delegate there? How old was he?
Benjamin Franklin, 81 years old
How long was the Convention? When did it start and end?
May to September 1787
What did the delegates do with the Articles of Confederation?
They discarded it and came up with a whole new plan
Who was the chosen President of the Convention?
George Washington
Who was the “Father of the Constitution?”, Why was he given this name
James Madison because of his role in the documents drafting.
Why was the convention kept a secret?
The original purpose of the convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation
What was the final result of the Convention?
The United States Constitution was adopted
Questions arose during the Constitutional Convention about how to represent the states in the (……..) branch
Legislative
(…..) could not decide which plan to adopt
The delegates
The Virginia Plan
The number of representatives sent to Congress depended on the states population (States with larger populations favored this plan)
The New Jersey plan
The number of representatives sent to Congress would be equal for each state (smaller states favored this plan)
Roger Sherman, a delegate from (……) came up with a compromise
Connecticut
The Great Compromise
Have a 2 house Congress
House of Representatives
Number of seats for each state depends on the states population
Senate (100 seats)
Each state would have equal number of representatives. (Each state has 2 U.S senators)
The House of Representatives and senate make up the …..
Legislative Branch
The Legislative branch makes
Our laws
