Chapter 7 Flashcards
What is a bicameral legislature?
2 houses
What is a gov’t in which citizen rule through elected representatives?
Republic
What was America’s 1st constitution?
Articles of Confederation
When was that constitution adopted (Month and Year)?
November 1777
How many votes did each state get in Congress under the AoC?
One
Why was the AoC unsuccessful?
The government was to weak to handle all the problems
What created one territory out of the lands north of the Ohio River and East of the Mississippi River?
The Northwest ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was a _______ of ________ for the new settlers.
Bill of rights
The Northwest Ordinance was the first attempt to stop the spread of what?
Slavery
What is the name of the state in modern Northeast Tennessee that tried to become the 14th state in America?
State of Franklin
What year did Tennessee become a state and what number state was it?
1796
16th
What is a depression
Slow economic activity and high unemployment
What was Shays’ Rebellion?
It was a uprising by Massachusetts farmers to fight the government’s taxes on poor farmers
What were the two plans presented at the Constitutional Convention?
Virginia and New Jersey plan
What combined those two plans and established the model for Congress that is used to this day?
The great compromise
What is the Three Fifths Compromise?
An agreement that allows southern states to count slaves as 3/5 of one free person for representation
Where would the southern states gain more delegates due to the Three Fifths Compromise?
The House of Representatives
What was a Federalist?
Supporters of the Constitution
What was a book of essays that supported the Constitution?
Federalist papers
What is an amendment
Changes to the constitution
How many states approved the Constitution originally? ____ out of _____ States
9/13
What is the supreme law of the land?
The constitution
What was James Madison considered to be the father of?
The constitution
Who was an influential writer from the Enlightenment who believed every person had natural rights?
John Locke
What type of system states that power should be shared between the national and state level gov’ts?
Federal system
What is the final authority in a federal system?
Constitution
What are the 3 branches of gov’t as stated in the Constitution?
Legislative
Executive
Judicial
Which branch makes laws and consists of Congress?
Legislative
Which branch carries out the laws?
Executive
What did the Constitution have the AoC did not have? (Hint: Chief Executive)
The president
What power does the President have to check Congress?
Veto power
Who elects the President of the United States?
Electoral College
Which branch interprets laws and makes decisions based on the Constitution?
Judicial
What is the most distinctive feature of our gov’t?
The constitution
Why did the Constitution provide a system of Checks and Balances?
To keep each branch from gaining too much power
