U2 P3 Flashcards
The Virginia Plan (Author: James Madison)
A) Scrap Articles of Confederation in favor of more powerful government
B) Legislature: Bicameral; members selected by the people in one house, the other by the states
C) Votes based on each state’s population (more people=more votes)
D) Legislature selects Judiciary and Executive (one person)
The New Jersey Plan (Author: William Paterson)
A) Keep and strengthen Articles of Confederation
B) Congress: Unicameral; selected by the states; one vote per state
C) Congress could impose duties (import taxes) and profit from the post.
D) Executive to consist of several people, elected by Congress.
E) Supreme Court appointed for life by Executive
The Connecticut (Great) Compromise (Author: Roger Sherman)
A) One House (of Representatives) popularly elected & apportioned, where tax bills originate
B) The other house (Senate) selected by the states, with equal representation
C) National power supreme over state power
The Three-Fifths Compromise
how slaves are counted for House of Rep.
The Electoral College
unelected people choose the Executive (President)
The Federalists
A) Typically rich land-owners and Northern merchants
B) Aristocrats who saw themselves as best-suited for governing
C) Favored a strong central government insulated from control by the distrusted mass of people
D) A-List Members: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay
The Anti-Federalists (“Federal Republicans”)
A) Typically small farmers, shopkeepers, and laborers
B) Believers in democracy & the primacy of rights
C) Favored strong state governments; distrustful of elites
D) A-List Members: Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, Melancton Smith, Mercy Warren
Anti-Federalist Arguments
A) Presented in anonymous letters to newspapers (written by “Brutus,” “Cato,” “The Federal Farmer” and others).
B) Fear of a distant central government and a standing army
C) Concern over compulsory taxation by the central government
D) Worry over rising government debt and unlimited power to borrow money
E) Demand for a Bill of Rights
The Federalists Papers
A) 85 essays written by “Publius” (Madison, Hamilton, & Jay)
B) Argued for ratification and in rebuttal to the Anti-Federalists
C) The Federalist No. 10: The Constitution would guard against the dangers of “factions.”
The Ratification Votes
A) Small states quickly ratified before the Senate’s make-up could be changed
B) By June 1788, 9 of 13 states had ratified, putting the document into effect, but VA & NY (over 40% of the US population) were not among them.
C) Thanks to the efforts of Madison and Hamilton, VA & NY eventually ratified.
D) The key to ratification: agreeing to the addition of a Bill of Rights
