Slavery and the Constitution Flashcards
Shay’s Rebellion
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.
What was the Great Compromise
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)
Explain three principles of Democracy found in early state governments.
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.
Dunmore’s Proclamation What, Where, When, and Why Significant?
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.
Who were the loyalists and how did the revolutionary war affect them?
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
What was the Articles of Confederation? What were three weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
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
Where and when was the great compromise made?
In Philadelphia in 1787 at the Constitutional convention.
Why was the great compromise significant?
This system is still being used today and it helped the states with large population and those with smaller populations accept the Constitution.
What is republic and what are two ways that the early U.S. failed to live up to republican ideals.
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.
How was the Constitution ratified?
9 of the 13 states needed to approve of the Constitution.
Explain two reasons why the anti-federalists opposed the Constitution
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
When was the great compromise
1787
where was the great compromise
Philadelphia
Why was the great compromise significant
This system is still being used today
What was the constitutional convention?
The constitutional convention was a meeting held in Philadelphia
EXPLAIN three ways the constitution was a better plan of government than the Articles of Confederation.
- Checks and balances
- Taxes»_space; Government had funds
- President»_space; leader
(These need to be explained on the test.)
How the laws of Slaves changed after the Revolutionary war
Most northern states passed a law to stop slavery after the war
Aside from the ¨Great Compromise,¨ (over representation in the law making branch), describe three compromises reached by the delegates of the Constitutional Convention.
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.
What was the slave trade compromise?
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
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
The ordinance provided guidelines for governing new western territories and developing them into states.
What was the constitutional convention?
The constitutional convention was a meeting held in Philadelphia to discuss the weaknesses of the the central government established by the articles of confederation.
When was the constitutional convention?
1787
- Why didn’t the writers of the Constitution end slavery? What were two items concerning slavery in the Constitution?
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”.
what was the purpose of the constitutional convention?
to discuss the weaknesses of the central government
