Unit 1B: Creating and Ratifying the Constitution

Question 1

What were the Framers influenced by?

Answer 1

• Governments of Ancient Greece & Rome; British government
• Enlightenment philosophers – Locke (popular sovereignty) & Montesquieu (separation of powers)
• Own experiences – Declaration of Independence, State Constitutions, and Articles of Confederation

Question 2

What is the purpose of the Philadelphia Convention? What happened instead?

Answer 2

To revise the Articles of Confederation BUT then make the momentous decision to create a new system of government (a federal system) by creating a new constitution

Question 3

What was the Virginia Plan?

Answer 3

• James Madison
• Framework for much of the Constitutional Convention
• Strong national government with **3 branches
• Bicameral legislature with representation based on population **
• Single executive chosen by Congress
• 1 or more Supreme Courts and inferior courts chosen by Congress

Question 4

What was the New Jersey Plan?

Answer 4

• William Patterson
• 3 branches of government with state power over national power
• Revise the Articles of Confederation
• Unicameral legislature with equal representation
• Plural executive chosen by Congress
• 1 Supreme Courts appointed by executive

Question 5

What was the Connecticut Compromise (Great Compromise)?

Answer 5

• Issue – representation in Congress
• Compromise: Create a **bicameral legislature **
• House of Representatives – based on population (allowed the larger states to support and favor)
• Senate – equal representation (allowed the smaller states to support)
• Crucial to the small states so they would carry enough weight in the new government

Question 6

What was the Three Fifths Compromise?

Answer 6

• Issue – should slaves count in the population?
• Compromise – yes, slaves will count but as 3/5ths of a person

Question 7

Federalists

Answer 7

• Supported ratification (approval) of the Constitution
• Wanted a strong national government to unite the country
• Did not feel a Bill of Rights was necessary but agreed to add it after ratification

Question 8

Anti-Federalists

Answer 8

• Opposed ratification (approval) of the Constitution
• Objected to such a strong national government that would take away state/peoples powers AND no bill of rights (biggest issue with the Constitution)in the Constitution
• Bill of Rights created (part of the compromise to get enough support for the Constitution) to protect individual liberties against the federal government

Question 9

The Federalist Papers

Answer 9

• Campaign document written to encourage ratification (approval) of the Constitution, specifically in New York
• Argued there were built in provisions in the Constitution in order to limit it even as it created a stronger national government

Question 10

How did the Constitution differ from the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 10

• Constitution – 3 branches of Government
• Articles – 1 branch of government (no executive or judicial branch)
• Constitution – strong national government with power divided between the national government and state governments
• Articles – state power – confederal system (strong state governments and a weak central government)