Creating a New Government Flashcards
What were the Articles of Confederation?
First national government/constitution of the states
How were the Articles deigned?
Purposefully weak
What were the two fears of the states?
Having a strong central government and state domination
T or F: The Articles of Confederation established a unicameral legislature.
True
What was a unicameral legislature?
Only had one house
Who had more power under the AOC: states or government?
States
What were some weaknesses of the AOC?
Gave states way more power than the government, couldn’t enforce the laws, states had no unity…
What did the AOC allow congress to do?
Ask for money from states
Start an army/navy
Conduct foreign affairs
What could congress not do under the AOC?
Tax the states
Enforce laws
Force people to fight in the army/navy
Control the states
What was Shay’s Rebellion?
A rebellion made by farmers in attempt to stop taxes on farmer
Who was the leader of Shay’s Rebellion?
Daniel Shay
Why were the farmers in debt?
Many were veterans of the war and they were not paid back for their service
What year was the Rebellion in?
1786-1787
What was the most significant impact of the rebellion?
It made states realize they needed a stronger government because they could do nothing about the fighting
What did congress do about the fighting?
Nothing because they had to power
What was the meeting called to amend the AOC?
Constitutional Congress
What was the original purpose of the CC?
To amend the AOC
What ended up happening to the AOC?
They threw it out and started a whole new document
What was the VA Plan?
Proposed a bicameral legislature with the number of legislatures based on state population
Who created the VA Plan?
James Madison
What kind of states did the VA Plan favor?
Large states
What powers did the government have under the VA Plan?
Could veto state laws, regulate commerce between states, and tax
What were the two houses in the VA Plan legislature?
Senate and house of representative
How many branches did the VA Plan offer?
3: executive (with a strong president), judicial, and legislative
What is a bicameral legislature?
Two houses
What was the NJ Plan?
Proposed a unicameral government with the number of legislatures based on equal representation
Who made the NJ Plan?
William Patterson
What kind of states did the NJ Plan favor?
Small states
What kind of government did the NJ Plan create?
A weak government
What king of government did the VA Plan create?
A strong government
What powers did the government have under the NJ Plan?
Tax, regulate commerce, but no veto of state laws
How many branches did the NJ Plan have?
1: legislature
What was the great compromise?
Proposed a bicameral government with both equal representation and proportional representation (based on state population)
Who created the great compromise?
Rodger Sherman
What was another name for the Great Compromise?
The Connecticut compromise
What kind of government did the compromise make?
A strong government
What powers did the govenrment have under the compromise?
Tax states, regulate commerce, couldn’t veto but forbade states from doing anything crazy
What type of system did the compromise make?
Federalism
What were the two houses under the great compromise?
Senate and house of representatives
Which house had which representation under the Great Compromise?
Senate = equal rep
House of rep = based on population
How many branches did the government have under the great compromise?
3: executive, judicial, legislature
What was another problem with the population of each state?
The southern states had many slaves
Why did the southern states want the slaves to be added to the population?
Because they would get more representation and more political power in the house of reps
How did the northern states feel about slaves being added to the population?
They did not want southern states to get more power even though they had slaves themselves
What was the compromise called related to slavery?
3/5ths compromise
What was the 3/5ths compromise?
For every 5 slaves, 3 white men were added to the population
What did everyone believe the delegates were doing with the AOC?
Amending them
How did delegates change the ratification process?
Took the decision away from state legislatures and said 9/13 states had to approve
What did this new constitution do to the people?
Created two separate groups known as the feds and anti-feds
What did the feds favor?
The new constitution and a strong central government
Who were three important Feds?
Hamilton, Washington, and Madison
What did anti-Feds favor?
The AOC and a weak central government
What did the anti-Feds want added to the constitution?
A bill of rights
What is a bill of rights?
A list of human rights that protects the people from the government
Who were some important anti-Feds?
Sam Adams, Hancock, and Patrick Henry
What were the essays written by the Feds?
85 essays that stressed the important of the Constitution and a strong central government, and separation of powers would prevent too much power in one branch
Who eventually wrote a bill of rights?
James madison
What plan won in the CC?
Great Compromise
T or F: They did not get enough votes for ratifying the Constitution
False: they did get enough votes
