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U.S. History I > Lesson 4-2: Drafting the Constitution > Flashcards

Lesson 4-2: Drafting the Constitution Flashcards

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1
Q

Shays’s Rebellion

A

An uprising of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers protesting increased state taxes in 1787.

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2
Q

What was one of the driving fears stemming from Shays’s Rebellion?

A

Would the rebellion spread? Every state had “debt-ridden” farmers.

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3
Q

Shays’s Rebellion led to what?

A

A talk about creating a stronger national government that could actually defend the United States of America.
- Essentially, Shays’s Rebellion brought about the end of the Articles of Confederation and the drafting of the Constitution of the United States.

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4
Q

The states were so afraid of the abuse of power in the new government that they took away so much power from the national government, and made it weak. This would explain why…

A

The states held more power than the national/federal government under the Articles of Confederation.

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5
Q

What was one of the main issues that the country faced when the convention was held?

A

Trade among the states; states did not agree on the taxes placed on each other’s imported goods, which led to many disputes.

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6
Q

What was done to try and correct/alleviate these issues?

A

September 1786; leaders like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton called for a convention to deal with tax disputes.
- Only five states sent representatives to this meeting.
- The meeting was set to be held in Annapolis, Maryland.

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7
Q

Because the initial tax-dispute convention flopped, what was the new plan?

A

To have another meeting a year later in Philadelphia to discuss tax issues and interstate trade.

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8
Q

Why did, this time, 12 states send delegates to this convention?

A

Shays’s Rebellion filled them with consternation and anxiety.

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9
Q

Which state was not present at this convention?

A

Rhode Island

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9
Q

Where was the convention held?

A

Philadelphia State House; the same room where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

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10
Q

What was suspicious about this delegate convention?

A

The windows were tightly shut, all of the doors were locked, and guards were placed outside of the House. Now, if the delegated HADN’T submitted the Constitution to the Congress, which submitted for the states for approval, these actions would have been illegal.

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11
Q

How many delegates were at the Constitutional Convention?

A

55

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12
Q

Five days into the convention, what did the delegates decide?

A

That they should give up trying to revise the Articles of Confederation, but rather create an entirely new government.

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13
Q

PROBLEM #1

A

Big vs. Small States
- How would representation be decided?

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14
Q

The Virginia Plan: Who does it favor?

A

Large states
- Virginia was a large state

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15
Q

Who created the Virginia Plan?

A

James Madison

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16
Q

How was the Congress set up according to the Virginia Plan?

A
  • Bicameral (two-house) legislature
  • Membership of each house based on each states’ population
  • The voters (citizens) would elect members of the lower house.
  • The members of the lower house would elect the members of the upper house.
  • Executive and judicial branches will be picked by the legislature.
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17
Q

How was representation determined?

A

Population

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18
Q

What was the issue with the Virginia Plan?

A

Too much power was given to the larger states.

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19
Q

The New Jersey Plan: Who did it favor?

A

Small states

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20
Q

Who came up with the New Jersey Plan?

A

William Paterson

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21
Q

How was the Congress set up according to the New Jersey Plan?

A
  • Unicameral (one-house) legislature
  • Based on equality; each state had an equal vote
  • Remain a confederation (like under the Articles of Confederation) of sovereign states
  • Congress could tax/deal with trade
  • Weak executives appointed to courts
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22
Q

How was representation determined according to the New Jersey Plan?

A

Equality

23
Q

What was the issue with the New Jersey Plan?

A

It was too similar to the Articles of Confederation.

24
Q

What was the solution to the dispute between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans?

A

The Connecticut Compromise, or the Great Compromise

25
Q

The Great Compromise: Who did it favor, large or small states?

A

Neither/both

26
Q

Who created the Great Compromise

A

Roger Sherman, a political leader from Connecticut

27
Q

How was the Congress set up according to the Great Compromise?

A
  • Bicameral (two-house) legislature
  • Upper House: The Senate = States have equal representation
  • Lower House: The House of Representatives = States have representation based on population
  • Voters in each state would elect the members of the House of Representatives
  • State legislatures would choose the members of the Senate.
28
Q

What was an effect of the Great Compromise?

A

Now there is a strong government in place in the United States of America.

29
Q

How was representation determined in the Great Compromise?

A

By equality AND population

30
Q

PROBLEM #2A

A

Slaves
- How would they factor into representation?

31
Q

Southern states wanted…

A

1) WANTED Slaves to be counted as population for representation purposes, so they could have more representation in the House.
2) Did NOT want slaves to be counted as population for taxation purposes, because this would increase their taxes.

32
Q

Northern states wanted…

A

1) Did NOT want slaves counted as population for representation purposes, because they had a small number of slaves, and, if they were counted, that would give the Southern states the upper hand in the House.
2) WANTED slaves counted when levying taxes, because THEY themselves would not have much to pay, because they did not own many slaves, but the South did, and they would then be at a disadvantage.

33
Q

Why was the sharing of power good for the states?

A

That way, they would not have worry about losing their rights.

33
Q

The Three-Fifths Compromise

A

Three-Fifths of a state’s slaves were to be counted as population for both representation and taxation purposes.

34
Q

PROBLEM #3

A

Division of Powers
- How would the state and national government be fairly balanced?

35
Q

Federalism

A

A system of government in which the state and national governments share power.

35
Q

PROBLEM #2B

A

Economic Standing of Slavery
- Will the slave trade be abolished if Congress can regulate foreign trade?

35
Q

What did the convention do to settle Southerners’ worries about this topic?

A
  • Gave Congress the power to regulate foreign trade
  • Prevented the Congress from interfering with the slave trade for at least 20 years
36
Q

What are the powers given to the national government called?

A

Delegated powers/enumerated powers

37
Q

What were some of the powers given to the national government?

A

1) Control foreign affairs
2) Provide national defense (which would have helped with Shays’s Rebellion
3) Regulating interstate trade
4) Coining money

37
Q

What are the powers given to the state governments called?

A

Reserved powers

38
Q

What were some of the powers given to the state governments?

A

1) Providing and supervising education
2) Regulating their state’s trade

39
Q

What powers do both the national and state governments share?

A

1) The right to tax
2) The right to borrow money
3) The right to pay debts
4) The right to establish courts

40
Q

The convention granted rights solely to the national government, while also protecting states’ rights. They placed limits on the government, and created three separate branches. What are these three branches called?

A

1) The Legislative Branch
2) the Executive Branch
3) The Judicial Branch

41
Q

The Legislative Branch

A
  • Headed by Congress
  • Makes the laws
42
Q

The Judicial Branch

A
  • Headed by the Supreme Court
  • Interprets the laws
42
Q

The Executive Branch

A
  • Headed by the President
  • Enforces/carries out laws
43
Q

This idea of the separation of powers came from what time period?

A

The Enlightenment

44
Q

Who originally came up with the idea of the separation of powers?

A

The Baron de Montesquieu of France

45
Q

Checks and Balances

A

The provisions established in the U.S. Constitution that prevent any one branch of the U.S. government from dominating over the other two branches.

46
Q

Because there were no national political parties, and communication and travel were limited, people feared what going into the presidential election?

A

That the popular vote would be divided among regional candidates.

47
Q

What was the second fear going into the first presidential election?

A

The upper class distrusted the lower class.

48
Q

How did the delegates set up the system of electing the president?

A

Each state chooses a number of electors equal to the number of senators and representatives that states has in Congress.

49
Q

The electoral college

A

The group of electors chosen by each state that cast ballots for candidates.

50
Q

What was the last thing the delegates did at the Constitutional Convention?

A

Created a system for amending the Constitution, so that the document would prevail for centuries.

51
Q

What were George Washington’s feelings about the Constitution?

A

He did not believe that it would last for more than 20 years.

U.S. History I (7 decks)

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