Unit 2: The Constitution

According to the Great Compromise, how would representation in Congress be apportioned? Each state would have equal representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress would be a unicameral legislature with each state receiving equal representation. Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on each state's population and every state would have two senators. Representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate would be based on a state's population.

Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on each state's population and every state would have two senators.

What was the Declaration of Independence and who wrote it?

A document written in 1776 in which the American colonists proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and listed their grievances against the British king. Written mainly by Thomas Jefferson but included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston.

What key tenets of American political thought were influential in the decision to declare independence from Britain?

Americans believed all people (i.e., white males) possessed the rights to life, liberty, and property. The best way to protect these rights was by limiting the power of government and allowing people to govern themselves.

What issue did Marbury v. Madison address?

Congress was given the power to make laws, but the executive branch, consisting of the president and the vice president, and the federal judiciary, notably the Supreme Court, were created to, respectively, enforce laws and try cases arising under federal law. Neither of these branches had existed under the Articles of Confederation. Thus, Congress can pass laws, but its power to do so can be checked by the president, who can veto potential legislation so that it cannot become a law. Later, in the 1803 case of Marbury v. Madison, the U.S. Supreme Court established its own authority to rule on the constitutionality of laws, a process called judicial review.

Who is John Locke and what contributions did he make to our government?

English Political Philosopher Espoused these ideas: Relationship between government and natural rights of life liberty and property.

What are the Federalist Papers?

Facing considerable opposition to the Constitution in that state, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote a series of essays, beginning in 1787, arguing for a strong federal government and support of the Constitution. Later compiled as The Federalist and now known as The Federalist Papers, these eighty-five essays were originally published in newspapers in New York and other states under the name of Publius, a supporter of the Roman Republic.

What was the Constitutional Convention?

Fifty-five delegates arrived in Philadelphia in May 1787 for the meeting that became known as the Constitutional Convention. Many wanted to strengthen the role and authority of the national government but feared creating a central government that was too powerful. They wished to preserve state autonomy, although not to a degree that prevented the states from working together collectively or made them entirely independent of the will of the national government. While seeking to protect the rights of individuals from government abuse, they nevertheless wished to create a society in which concerns for law and order did not give way in the face of demands for individual liberty. They wished to give political rights to all free men but also feared mob rule, which many felt would have been the result of Shays' Rebellion had it succeeded. Delegates from small states did not want their interests pushed aside by delegations from more populous states like Virginia. And everyone was concerned about slavery. Representatives from southern states worried that delegates from states where it had been or was being abolished might try to outlaw the institution. Those who favored a nation free of the influence of slavery feared that southerners might attempt to make it a permanent part of American society. The only decision that all could agree on was the election of George Washington, the former commander of the Continental Army and hero of the American Revolution, as the president of the convention.

What was Shay's Rebellion?

In the summer of 1786, farmers in western Massachusetts were heavily in debt, facing imprisonment and the loss of their lands. They owed taxes that had gone unpaid while they were away fighting the British during the Revolution. The Continental Congress had promised to pay them for their service, but the national government did not have sufficient money. Moreover, the farmers were unable to meet the onerous new tax burden Massachusetts imposed in order to pay its own debts from the Revolution. Led by Daniel Shays the heavily indebted farmers marched to a local courthouse demanding relief. Faced with the refusal of many Massachusetts militiamen to arrest the rebels, with whom they sympathized, Governor James Bowdoin called upon the national government for aid, but none was available. The uprising was finally brought to an end the following year by a privately funded militia after the protestors' unsuccessful attempt to raid the Springfield Armory.

What important power did the national government lack under the Articles of Confederation? It could not coin money. It could not declare war. It could not impose taxes. It could not conduct foreign affairs.

It could not impose taxes

How did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention resolve their disagreement regarding slavery? It was agreed that Congress would abolish slavery in 1850. It was agreed that a state's slave population would be counted for purposes of representation but not for purposes of taxation. It was agreed that a state's slave population would be counted for purposes of taxation but not for purposes of representation. It was agreed that 60 percent of a state's slave population would be counted for purposes of both representation and taxation.

It was agreed that 60 percent of a state's slave population would be counted for purposes of both representation and taxation.

British colonists in North America in the late seventeenth century were greatly influenced by the political thought of ________. King James II Thomas Jefferson John Locke James Madison

John Locke

What does separation of powers mean?

Separation of powers refers to the process of dividing government into different branches and giving different responsibilities and powers to each branch. In this way, the separate branches must work together to govern the nation. For example, according to the Constitution, Congress has the power to draft legislation. However, the president must sign a piece of proposed legislation before it becomes a law. Thus, the president and Congress must work together to make the nation's laws.

What did the Fourteenth Amendment achieve?

The Fourteenth Amendment gave citizenship to African Americans and made all Americans equal before the law regardless of race or color. Over the years it has also been used to require states to guarantee their residents the same protections as those granted by the federal government in the Bill of Rights

What were the Articles of Confederation and what was wrong with them?

The first "constitution" of the United States.

What reasons did the founders have for writing this declaration?

There were a multitude of reasons listed in the DOI for the American Colonies to separate from the British.

What was the purpose of the American Revolution?

This is a highly complex answer; however, the main reason to fight the British was to allow for self-rule and self-government. Become an independent nation Create a new system of self-governance Claim equal rights for all citizens and establish the rule of law required for that to be meaningful Gain independent membership in the European state system Rid themselves of tyranny.

Why were The Federalist Papers written? To encourage states to oppose the Constitution. To encourage New York to ratify the Constitution. To oppose the admission of slaveholding states to the federal union. To encourage people to vote for George Washington as the nation's first president.

To encourage New York to ratify the Constitution.

The Federalist Papers

a collection of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the Constitution

Three-Fifths Compromise

a compromise between northern and southern states that called for counting of all a state's free population and 60 percent of its slave population for both federal taxation and representation in Congress

Great Compromise

a compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that created a two-house Congress; representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate

Declaration of Independence

a document written in 1776 in which the American colonists proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and listed their grievances against the British king

republic

a form of government in which political power rests in the hands of the people, not a monarch, and is exercised by elected representatives

federal system

a form of government in which power is divided between state governments and a national government

confederation

a highly decentralized form of government; sovereign states form a union for purposes such as mutual defense

unicameral legislature

a legislature with only one house, like the Confederation Congress or the legislature proposed by the New Jersey Plan

bicameral legislature

a legislature with two houses, such as the U.S. Congress

Virginia Plan

a plan for a two-house legislature; representatives would be elected to the lower house based on each state's population; representatives for the upper house would be chosen by the lower house

New Jersey Plan

a plan that called for a one-house national legislature; each state would receive one vote

checks and balances

a system that allows one branch of government to limit the exercise of power by another branch; requires the different parts of government to work together

social contract

an agreement between people and government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as the government protects their natural rights

reserved powers

any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government; powers reserved to the states and denied to the federal government

What argument did Alexander Hamilton use to convince people that it was not dangerous to place power in the hands of one man? A. That man would have to pass a religious test before he could become president; thus, citizens could be sure that he was of good character. B. One man could respond to crises more quickly than a group of men like Congress. C. It was easier to control the actions of one man than the actions of a group. D. both B and C

both B and C

Articles of Confederation

the first basis for the new nation's government; adopted in 1781; created an alliance of sovereign states held together by a weak central government

Bill of Rights

the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution; most were designed to protect fundamental rights and liberties

veto

the power of the president to reject a law proposed by Congress

enumerated powers

the powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution (Article I, Section 8); power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs

natural rights

the right to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by God; no government may take away

separation of powers

the sharing of powers among three separate branches of government

The agreement that citizens will consent to be governed so long as government protects their natural rights is called ________. the divine right of kings the social contract a bill of rights due process

the social contract

supremacy clause

the statement in Article VI of the Constitution that federal law is superior to laws passed by state legislatures

Anti-Federalists

those who did not support ratification of the Constitution

Federalists

those who supported ratification of the Constitution

How many states must ratify an amendment before it becomes law? all three-fourths two-thirds one-half

three-fourths