Creation of Constitution Test Flashcards
Powers granted by the Articles of Confederation (8 items)
The national government would be run by the Confederation Congress, a legislature body, which were able to wage war, make peace, sign treaties, run Indian affairs, issue money, and control Western and foreign affairs.
Strengths of the Articles (3 items)
~~~The Land Ordinance of 1785
-Called for surveyors to stake out six-mile-square plots called townships in Western lands which was known as the Northwest Territory
-Northwest Territory included land that formed Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.
~~~Northwest Ordinance
~~~bounded states in a government
Weaknesses of the Articles (7 items)
- Congress was the only branch
- Confederation Congress was too weak to enforce laws
- Couldn’t collect taxes
- Couldn’t amend articles
- Couldn’t create courts
- Couldn’t regulate trade with other countries/couldn’t put tariffs on trade
- No equal rights for states concerning western land distribution
Shay’s Rebellion
It was an uprising of Massachusetts farmers who demanded tax relief. It was spread throughout the colonies but was most serious in Massachusetts. There were economic depressions, high taxes, and bad harvest. Attempted to capture a federal arsenal and heckled people who supported the state government.
Helped political leaders to realize that the government and Articles of Confederation needed to be changed.
Northwest Ordinance: Know the details about what it said about the Western lands
• When could they self-govern?
• Slavery?
• When could they apply for statehood?
• What freedoms were guaranteed the citizens?
Northwest Ordinance: outlined how the Northwest Territory was to be governed. (lands west of the Appalachian Mountains)
• Self-govern- 5,000 adult males
• Slavery: outlawed
• Statehood: Population of 60,000
• Freedoms guaranteed: Freedom of religion and trial by jury
• Rivers were open for navigation
Constitutional Congress: • Where? • Why did they meet? • President of Congress: • Creator of Virginia Plan and notetaker
- Took place in Philadelphia
- They met to amend the Articles of Confederation (states had high taxes and needed to amend to create national trade laws)
- President: George Washington
- Creator of VP and Notetaker: James Madison
Virginia Plan: What did it say?
It proposed a government with three branches that have checks and balances
• Executive: enforce the laws
• Legislative: create laws
• • • House of Representatives and Senate in which representation is directly proportional to state population
• Judicial: interpret the laws
New Jersey Plan: what did it say? who proposed it?
- called for a single-house congress in which each state had an equal vote proposed by NJ delegate William Paterson
- Supported by smaller states
Great Compromise
- Deal offered by a committee led by Roger Sherman and other delegates from Connecticut
- Each state would have an equal vote in the Senate
- House of Representatives is based on population
- Passed in the Convention on July 16th, 1787
- Committee called Grand Committee
Three-Fifths Compromise: what and why?
- One slave was counted as 3/5 of a person, so their population would be counted for in representation for legislature and taxation, even though they were property (for southern states)
- Slavery would not be banned until 1808
Federalist (8 items)
FEDERALISTS: • John Jay • Alexander Hamilton • James Madison
• Supported Constitution
• Shared Powers between states and feds
• Thought having a strong Gov. was the best way to protect rights
• Gave limited power to the Fed
• Gave people the power to protect their rights
~~~
Antifederalists (9 items)
ANTIFEDERALISTS: • Thomas Jefferson • Patrick Henry • George Mason
• Didn’t support Constitution
• Thought would take power away from states and liberties would be lost
• No guaranteed rights
• Demanded BoR
• Thought President would become too powerful like a king
• Received support from rural areas
~~~
Bill of Rights • When was it created? • Why? • Amending the Constitution: proposal and ratification method • Author
- Created: 1789 but ratified 1791/created after the Constitution
- Was added on later because there were controversies
- Madison thought there would be social conflict from religious laws being enforced
- ten amendments to the Constitution granting basic individual rights and protecting people from government abuse
- Proposal and ratification method: 2/3 of both houses in Congress or 2/3 of state legislatures can propose. 3/4 of states need to approve to become ratified
- Author was James Madison
How many delegates attended the Constitutional Convention?
55 delegates
Name 5 people who attended the Constitutional Convention
James Madison, Gouverneur Morris, Roger Sherman, James Wilson, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton
