Chapter 7 Study Guide Flashcards
What is a bicameral legislature?
A two house legislature
What is a gov’t in which citizen rule through elected representatives?
A Republic
What was America’s 1st constitution?
Articles of Confederation (AoC)
When was that constitution adopted (Month and Year)?
November 1777
How many votes did each state get in Congress under the AoC?
One vote per state
Why was the AoC unsuccessful?
It was not strong enough to handle all of the problems of the country
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?
The spread of 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?
In 1796 and it was the 16th US state
What is a depression?
Low economic activity and high unemployment
What was Shays’ Rebellion?
Uprising by Massachusetts farmers to fight the gov’t taxes on poor farmers
What were the two plans presented at the Constitutional Convention?
The Virginia Plan and the 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?
Allowed only 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?
Delegates in the House of Representatives
What was a Federalist?
People that supported the Constitution
What was a book of essays that supported the Constitution?
The Federalist Papers
What is an amendment?
Changes to the Constitution
How many states approved the Constitution originally? ____ out of _____ States
9 and 13
What is the supreme law of the land?
The Constitution
What was James Madison considered to be the father of?
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?
Federalism
What is the final authority in a federal system?
The Constitution
What are the 3 branches of gov’t as stated in the Constitution?
Legislative Branch
Executive Branch
Judicial Branch
Which branch makes laws and consists of Congress?
Legislative Branch
Which branch carries out the laws?
Executive Branch
What did the Constitution have the AoC did not have? (Hint: Chief Executive)
A President
What power does the President have to check Congress?
The system of checks and balances in the Constitution
Who elects the President of the United States?
By the Electoral College
Which branch interprets laws and makes decisions based on the Constitution?
Judicial Branch
What is the most distinctive feature of our gov’t?
The separation of power
Why did the Constitution provide a system of Checks and Balances?
To keeps one branch from gaining too much power
