Chapter 9 The Confederation and the Constitution 1776-1790

Primogeniture

An English law in colonial times that said only the eldest son of the parents could inherit a landed estate. This left the wealthy but landless younger sons to seek their fortune elsewhere. Many of the younger sons went to the New World, and they included Gilbert, Raleigh, and Drake.

Land Ordinance of 1785

A law that divided much of the United States into a system of townships to facilitate the sale of land to settlers, 36 sections

Constitutional Convention

A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution

Antifederalist

A person who opposed the adoption of the United States Constitution., An opponent of the Constitution in the debate over its ratification.

Popular sovereignty

Authority of the people, Government must be controlled by the people.

Civic Virtue

Citizens commitment to democratic ideals (freedom, individual rights, etc.) and practices and to good character in everyday life

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Congress provided a procedure for dividing the new lands into territories; set requirements for admission of new states

Society of the Cincinnati

Group of Continental Army officers formed a military order in1783. They were criticized for their aristocratic ideals.

States Rights

Idea that the states have certain rights that the government cannot overrule

Electoral College

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution

Alexander Hamilton

1789-1795; First Secretary of the Treasury. He advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt

Three Fifths Compromise

3/5 of all the slaves would be counted for both tax and representation.

Thomas Jefferson

3rd President of the United States, chief drafter of the Declaration of Independence; strong state government/power; believed in a strict interpretation of the Constitution, "All men are created equal..."

Shays Rebellion

A Series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings.

Great Compromise

A compromise that proposed two houses of Congress; one where a state's population would determine representation and another where all states were represented equally

Confederation

A form of an international organization that brings several autonomous states together for a common purpose.

The Federalist Papers

A series of eighty-five political essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Anarchy

A state of society without government or law.

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Federalist

A term used to describe supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures.

Federation

A type of government that links different groups together, group of states with a central government but independence in internal affairs

Articles of Confederation

A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.

Republican Motherhood

After the election of 1800 Jeffersonian promoted this as the ideal for women to raise their children with idealism of the American nation.

Abigail Adams

John Adam's wife, she appealed to her husband to protect the rights of women

Consent of the Governed

People are the source of any and all governmental power, citizens agree to obey the laws and the government they create. Consent is the foundation of government's legitimacy.

Large states plan

another name for the virginia PLan

"Mobocracy"

To be ruled by a mob rule... The founding fathers fearer this the mos

Daniel Shays

a former revolutionary war captain. Led an uprising in august of 1786. The uprising was in response to the government seizing farms to pay off taxes, Shay's Rebellion

Non-importation agreements

an agreement that pledged not to import or use goods imported from great britain

Loose Confederation

it was created by the Articles of Confederation and linked the thirteen independent states together for joint action in dealing with common problems, such as foreign affairs