Chapter 8 Flashcards
What did James Madison do?
Founding father
Fourth president
Serious patriot
Served in Congress during the war and tried to get the states to work together
After declaring independence what did Congress do? Why did it fail?
-Tried to unite states under one national gov.
-People feared a strong central government would take away their rights
What did the Articles do?
“Created a firm league of friendship” between the states
States cooperated for common purposes
Who ran the Articles & how many votes did each state have in it?
Congress
1
What could the Articles not do?
Could not create a national army
No chief executive
Amendments required all 13 states to agree
New laws needed 9/13 states to approve
Couldn’t force states to pay owed debts
No national court system
Could not settle disputes between states
No power to tax- could only ask
Difference between amendments and laws?
Amendments are refinements to something that is already in place
A new law is a completely new piece of legislation
What was the (non-existent) national court system?
There was no judiciary to interpret or enforce laws at the national level
What did Congress pass to settle disputes between who owned what land?
The Land Ordinance of 1785
What was the Land Ordinance of 1785
- western lands divided into 6 mile squares (townships)
-each township divided into 36 sections of 640 acres
-1 section of each township was set aside for public schools
Where were the townships laid out?
In Ohio Valley, then known as Northwest Territory
What was the Northwest Territory?
Bounded by Ohio & Mi rivers and the Great Lakes
Who gave the US the Northwest Territory
The Treaty of Paris in 1783
Northwest Ordinance
-law passed by Congress that specified how Western lands be governed
-divided the Northwest Territory into smaller territories, each governed by a territorial governor.
-When territory had 5,000 free adult males, it could elect its own legislature, or lawmaking body
-When population reached 60,000 it could apply to Congress to become a state
What else did the NW Ordinance include?
A list of rights that gave settlers the same privileges as other citizens except for slavery, which was banned
What happened before the debate developed on how land should be acquired?
The 13 states ceded claims to land between APPALACHIAN AND MISSISSIPPI RIVER to the federal gov
What document did the Northwest Ordinance follow?
The principles outline by Thomas Jefferson in the Ordinance of 1784
Who were the authors of the Ordinance?
Nathan Dane
Rufus King
Where was the Ordinance used?
As the country expanded to the Pacific
What was the first principal in the document?
The Northwest Territory would be divided into less than 5 but more than 3 states
What happened in the first stage of admitting a new state to the Union?
Congressionally appointed governor
Secretary
Three judges to rule
Second phase of Northwest Ordinance?
+elected assembly & one non voting delegate elected in the 2nd phase when the population reached 5000 free males of full age
What happened when the population reached 60,000?
A state constitution would be drafted and membership to the Union would be requested
What did the bill of rights say In the Northwest Ordinance?
protected religious freedom, the right to a write of habeas corpus, the benefit to trial by jury, & other individual rights
encouraged education
forbade slavery
What did Shays and his men do to rebel?
Closed down courthouses to keep judges from taking their farms
Marched on the national arsenal at Springfield and seized the weapons
Why was Congress unable to stop Shays and his men?
The Continental Army was disbanded
What did the MA gov do to end Shays Rebellion?
Sent militia troops to Springfield to restore order
Where did the Convention meet?
East room of PA State house (now known as Independence Hall)
Who attended the Constitutional Convention?
55 delegates from 12 states - RI
John Adams & Jefferson were representing the US in GB and France
Patrick Henry, Sam Adams, John Hancock bc they feared a strong national government would endanger the rights of the states
How many notes did Madison write and how do they help us?
600 helps us understand what happened in the Convention day by day
What was one thing the delegates were committed to? What did these things reflect?
The Ideals of the D of I
Powers came from the consent of the governed
Reflected Enlightenment
Describe Enlightenment thinkers
Liberal thinkers
Rights to liberty & equality
What was the best way the delegates decided to protect the rights?
Republic
Who could vote in PA
Where could women vote?
Free white males
New Jersey
Who did James Madison believe the power should come from in a government?
The ppl
Who created the V plan and what was it?
Drafted by James Madison & proposed by Edmund Randolph
3 branches
Congress made of 2 parts
Bicameral (Senate and house of reps)
Number of reps depended on population
NJ plan
William Paterson of New Jersey
Unicameral w/ one house in leg branch
3 branches
Each state would have an equal vote in congress
What did James WIlson think?
Rep based on pop
Gunning Bedford of Delaware
Thought small states would get swallowed by large states and hurt and threatened that small states would join a foreign ally
Rufus King of MA
thought ginning Bedford was crazy for saying that small states would join foreign ally after GB
Who put forward the Great Compromise and from where?
Roger Sherman of Connecticut
Compromise plan
kept two-house Congress
house of reps - pop
Senate - 2 senators from each state elected by their state legislatures
Elbridge Gerry
Thought “blacks are property” and like most northern states thought they should be taxed
Morrises opinion of slave representation
they are property shouldnt be counted
still wanted to stop slavery
Who became president of an antislavery society in 1787
Franklin bruh
Who proposed the 3-5ths compromise?
Madison
What did northern delegates favor to benefit business in the north?
Give Congress broad power to control trade between states & other countries
What did southern delegates worry that Congress would do if they got control to trade?
they would tax- exports and outlow trade of slaves
What two state s objected that their economies would collapse w/o slaves
SC and georgia
What two people urged one executive?
Charles Pinckney and James Wilson
What did Wilson sayy was good about a single executive?
a good gov depends on clear, timely, & responsible leadership which can be found in 1 person
WHo opposed a single executive and why?
Edmund Randolph - thought 3 could lead better than 1 in a 3 person executive system
Franklin - no one knows how the next executive will act
What was the conflict between who chose the executive?
Some delegates wanted Congress to do is
Gov Morris disagreed
Some people that ppl would elect but Madison said that ppl would naturally vote for someone from their own state
Others suggested a group of electors that would have an objective opinion
How many electors are in the electoral college?
the number of senators and representatives it sends to Congress.
WHo voted for electors back then and wb Now?
delegates left the states decide how to choose electors
most states had legislatures choose electors
Today ppl choose electors and then those electors cast their ballots for president & vice president on a day chosen by congress
What happened within a few years of the Convention?
politcal parties were nominating presidentail candidates and education voters about them
Who swayed the opinion of the delegates when deciding who should ratify the constitution and how?
James Madison said ppl are foundation of power = delegates agreed
How was the constitution ratified
At special conventions by delegates elected by the people in each state
How many ppl left the Convention before it ended and what 3 didnt sign
13 left
Edmund Randolph, George Mason of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of MA
Why did Mason not sign the constitution?
too much power to national gov
WHy did Gerry not sign it?
no protection of ppls rights
Why did Anti-Federalists not like the new plan?
thought Congress would tax- too much
president would rule like a king
judicial branch would overpower state courts
no bill of rights
didn’t want change
Who came up with the 15 proposals that became known as ___
George Washington, George Mason, Edmund Randolph, James Madison
Virginia Plan
WHo handwrote the entire Constitution
Gov Morris
