Slavery and the Constitution

Question 1

Shay’s Rebellion

Answer 1

Who or what? A rebellion of 1200 poor farmers led by Daniel Shays, who seized weapons from an arsenal in Springfield to protest taxes raised by the Massachusetts government. The rebellion was quickly ended by thousands of volunteers sent by the governor to defend the arsenal.
Where? Springfield MA
When? 1786
Why significant? The violence was a motivator to create a stronger & new type of government to ensure security.

Question 2

What was the Great Compromise

Answer 2

Lawmaking (Congress) was split into 2 groups. The Senate (2 representatives per state) and the House of Representatives (1 representative for every 40,000 free people)

Question 3

Explain three principles of Democracy found in early state governments.

Answer 3

Checks and Balances- Different parts of the government check on each other so that one group doesn’t have to much power.

Separation of Church and State- The state cannot control the church and the church cannot control the state.

Bill of Rights- List of rights.

Question 4

Dunmore’s Proclamation What, Where, When, and Why Significant?

Answer 4

What: Was a law past by the governor of Virginia that freed slaves if they fought for the British
Where: Virginia
When: 1775
Why significant: It freed slaves and upset the Virginian people even more.

Question 5

Who were the loyalists and how did the revolutionary war affect them?

Answer 5

They supported England during the revolutionary war and after the war they lost their land in the colonies and were forced to flee up to Canada (British controlled) or England

Question 6

What was the Articles of Confederation? What were three weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Answer 6

The Articles of Confederation were the original constitution of the US, passed in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789.
Three weaknesses included:
1) Gave states too much power
2) Had trouble agreeing on federal issues
3) No central Leadership
4) Couldn’t force the states into paying taxes
5) Couldn’t force the states into giving troops

Question 7

Where and when was the great compromise made?

Answer 7

In Philadelphia in 1787 at the Constitutional convention.

Question 8

Why was the great compromise significant?

Answer 8

This system is still being used today and it helped the states with large population and those with smaller populations accept the Constitution.

Question 9

What is republic and what are two ways that the early U.S. failed to live up to republican ideals.

Answer 9

A republic is a form of government were the people have representatives in the government to make laws. Two ways the U.S. failed to live up to republican ideals are that in a republic, most people vote for their leaders. Only white males could vote for representatives.

Question 10

How was the Constitution ratified?

Answer 10

9 of the 13 states needed to approve of the Constitution.

Question 11

Explain two reasons why the anti-federalists opposed the Constitution

Answer 11

Choose from these:

1) There was no bill of rights included
2) They thought the idea of a president was too much like having a king
3) States don’t have enough individual power
4) Gives the federal government enough power to overpower the states
5) They thought local governments better understood the needs of their people

Question 12

When was the great compromise

Answer 12

1787

Question 13

where was the great compromise

Answer 13

Philadelphia

Question 14

Why was the great compromise significant

Answer 14

This system is still being used today

Question 15

What was the constitutional convention?

Answer 15

The constitutional convention was a meeting held in Philadelphia

Question 16

EXPLAIN three ways the constitution was a better plan of government than the Articles of Confederation.

Answer 16

1. Checks and balances
2. Taxes&raquo_space; Government had funds
3. President&raquo_space; leader
   (These need to be explained on the test.)

Question 17

How the laws of Slaves changed after the Revolutionary war

Answer 17

Most northern states passed a law to stop slavery after the war

Question 18

Aside from the ¨Great Compromise,¨ (over representation in the law making branch), describe three compromises reached by the delegates of the Constitutional Convention.

Answer 18

The 2/3 compromise was a compromise made by the delegates at the convention, it stated that if the president were to veto a law, the senate could over ride with a 2/3 vote.

Question 19

What was the slave trade compromise?

Answer 19

The slave trade compromise made it so people had to stop bringing slaves over from Africa in the next twenty years and they had to pay a tax of $10 for every slave they brought over

Question 20

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Answer 20

The ordinance provided guidelines for governing new western territories and developing them into states.

Question 21

What was the constitutional convention?

Answer 21

The constitutional convention was a meeting held in Philadelphia to discuss the weaknesses of the the central government established by the articles of confederation.

Question 22

When was the constitutional convention?

Answer 22

1787

Question 23

9. Why didn’t the writers of the Constitution end slavery? What were two items concerning slavery in the Constitution?

Answer 23

a) The writers of the Constitution knew that Southern states relied on Slavery, so even though many of them disliked it, they knew the Southern states would not ratify the Constitution if slavery was abolished.

b)
1. In the Constitution, a passage reads: “[n]either slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction”.
2. The Consitution does regulate the slave trade, pursuant to their power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations”.

Question 24

what was the purpose of the constitutional convention?

Answer 24

to discuss the weaknesses of the central government