Forming A New National Government Flashcards
What came about from the Great Revolution of 1688?
The English Bill of Rights
America’s government is based on what 3 documents?
- Magna Carta
- Mayflower Compact
- English Bill of Rights
What are 3 important facts about the Magna Carta?
- Established the idea of limited government
- The first document to give citizens rights
- First document to restrict the power of the monarch
Which document re-established rights from the Magna Carta?
English Bill of Rights
Why did the Articles of Confederation give a lot of power to the states and not much power to the central government?
They feared the tyranny of the central government if it was given too much power.
What was a main weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
Weak central government - not good for creating a unified country that is able to protect its citizens.
What body did the Second Continental Congress appoint to create the Articles of Confederation?
The Committee of Thirteen
Why did Maryland not want to ratify the Articles of Confederation?
Maryland wanted other states to give up their western land claims because Maryland already had a western border - considered unfair that all other states can expand their territory.
Who assured Maryland that states would give up their western land claims under the Articles of Confederation?
Thomas Jefferson
When did Maryland ratify the Articles of Confederation, putting it into effect?
March 1781
Under the Articles of Confederation, what became the national government?
Congress
What is a township?
A 36 square mile region divided into 36 lots of 640 acres (1 square mile).
Why did congress pass the land Ordinance of 1785? What was it?
To pay off war debt;
A system of buying unclaimed western lands
Under the Land Ordinance of 1785, how many lots were reserved for public schools? Veterans? How many were sold to the public?
1, 4, 31 (remaining lots)
Which 6 states were established from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
What was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?
A system of bringing new states into the Union.
Under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, once the population of a territory reached ______ settlers, it could draft a constitution and ask congress to become a state.
60,000
Name 3 things enforced under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
- Protected civil liberties
- Required public education
- Banned slavery in new territories
Under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, slavery was banned in new territories. What exception to this rule caused conflict that eventually led to the civil war?
People were allowed to bring in their own slaves.
What was the state originally formed in upper east Tennessee called?
Franklin
Which state opposed the creation of Franklin as a new state?
North Carolina
The state of Franklin became an example of what?
The short-lived American Confederation government.
Why did farmers in Massachusetts start Shay’s rebellion?
Massachusetts collected taxes instead of printing paper money to pay off its war debt. Farmers were unable to pay off this tax, so they were forced to sell their property, which angered them.
Where and when did Shay’s Rebellion take place?
Springfield, Massachusetts. August 1786
When was Shay’s rebellion stopped?
January 1787
How did Shay’s Rebellion make more Americans call for a revision of the Articles of Confederation to make a stronger central government?
They recognized that a stronger central government could have been able to stop the rebellion more quickly - A strong central government is needed to protect citizens.
Why was the Constitutional Convention called?
To revise the Articles of Confederation because it created a weak central government.
When and where did the Constitutional Convention take place?
Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. May 1787
Who was elected as president of the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington, a delegate from Virginia.
Who was called “The Father of the Constitution” because of his excellent note-taking in the Constitutional Convention?
James Madison
Why didn’t women, African Americans, and Native Americans participate in the Constitutional Convention?
They did not have the same rights as regular citizens.
Who introduced the Virginia Plan?
Edmund Randolph
Under the Virginia Plan, how many houses would make up the legislature?
2 - bicameral
Under the Virginia Plan, how would the number of representatives per state be chosen?
Based on state population
How did basing the number of representatives per state off of state population anger the smaller states?
They believed that it gave too much power to the larger states because they had more representatives.
Who proposed the New Jersey Plan?
William Paterson
Under the New Jersey Plan, how many houses would make up the legislature?
1 - unicameral
How would the New Jersey Plan determine how many votes each state would get?
1 per state - gave equal voice in government
Under the New Jersey Plan, what 2 things were the federal government allowed to do?
- Tax citizens in all states
2. Regulate commerce
What was the main purpose of the New Jersey Plan?
To prevent larger states from having too much power.
