Chapter 6

(157.)The Electoral College

157)Electoral College identification: The electoral college is a set of people elected from each state elected from the people to choose the next president. The amount of electors from each state is determined by the number of representatives in the House with addition to two more senators. The electors are believed to be people with wisdom free from biased interest. historical signifigance: This is significant because it represents a more cautious way of electing powerful leaders (president) designed to avoid potential errors of judgement that the common man may make. In elections, the electoral college may choose to overrule popular vote of their state. This is an example of indirect election because the general consensus may be ignored if state electors have dissenting views. Larger states may have an advantage in the electoral college because larger population gives then more elctoral votes while individaul state power is retained.

(165.) Federalists vs. Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans

By the late 1780s, two different political parties started emerging. One, was the Federalist Party which was led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. The other, was the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans which was led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The Federalists believed in a strong national government with the Constitution while the Democratic-Republicans opposed a strong central government and instead believes that the power be in the hands of the state and the people. The Federalists were more leaning towards the peace side of preventing war with Great Britain and recalling the French Revolution as a horror while the Democratic-Republicans liked the democratic, anti-aristocratic spirit of the French Revolution. The Federalists wanted to create tariffs and importation taxes while the Democratic-Republicans were against that because farming was the epitome of America.

(160.) Funding at Par

I.D. Funding At Par: Funding at Par means that the government would pay off its debt at face value plus accumulated interest. This method was set before congress by Alexander Hamiliton, a financial genius under George Washington. However, many people did not believe the Treasury was capable of meeting these expectations. Historical Significance: Alexander Hamilton's idea of funding at par is historically important because although it kept our nation in a huge debt it boosted Americans attitudes toward the government. It stated that the government would pay the owners of the U.S. Bonds the face value of the bonds they owned even though some might gain huge profits. This was significant because it showed that the U.S. government would honor its financial obligations.

(173.) John Adams (summary as president)

ID: (October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States (1797-1801). He played a leading role in persuading Congress to declare independence, and assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. A conservative Federalist, he was one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States. When Adams became President, the war between the French and British was causing great difficulties for the United States on the high seas and intense partisanship among contending factions within the Nation. His administration focused on France, where the Directory, the ruling group, had refused to receive the American envoy and had suspended commercial relations. (Random Fact: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were big enemies for quite a while mainly because of each other's political viewpoints. Adams was a Federalist while Jefferson was a Democratic-Republican. Anyway, over time the two mended their relationship and wrote letters to each other toward the end of their lives. Adams ended up dying on July 4, 1826, the same day as Thomas Jefferson...woooah) HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: John Adams helped draft the Declaration of Independence which is a good thing because otherwise we Americans may not have such freedom as we do today. John Adams was an important figure throughout the revolution and the early years of the presidency. He was one of only two presidents who signed the Declaration of Independence. The crisis with France dominated most of his time in office. He was faced with opposition to the actions that he took concerning France from both American political parties. However, Adams' major accomplishment was keeping America out of war with France and normalizing relations between the two countries. This allowed the United States to avoid war thus giving it more time to build and grow before having to worry about military action. (173.)

(169.) Washington's Farewell Address

ID: - On September 19, 1796, an address written by George Washington was published in the American Daily Advertiser. - Though it wasn't delivered orally, many Americans read pamphlets and newspapers containing the address. SIGNIFICANCE: Washington's farewell address covered the general topics of cooperation between governments and the importance of the Constitution, among others; views held on each of these subjects would change over time. However, Washington's warnings against involvement in foreign affairs were heeded up until about 60 years ago. In his address, Washington encouraged an isolationist foreign policy where the United States would remain unattached (as allies) from other countries. This policy, Washington believed, would prevent America from sacrificing the well-being of its people for the honoring of an alliance.

(167.) Washington's Neutrality Proclamation

ID: Washington adopted an proclamation of neutrality in 1793 in order to maintain the stability of the new country. He did not want America to become mixed up in foreign affairs because he felt that this carried the prospect of tearing the new nation to shreds. To him, keeping order within the country was far more important than anything from abroad. Historical Significance: This foreign policy was tested during the French Revolution with the arrival of Edmond Genet and later when Britain began raiding American ships in 1794 but it survived these early challenges. The isolation that came from neutrality allowed America to thrive on it's own and is part of the reason the country survived. America held on to this neutral ideal until after WWII.

(180.) Judiciary Act of 1789

ID: Adopted during the first session of Congress, the purpose of the Judiciary Act was to establish U.S. federal judiciary. It vested the power of the United States into one supreme court and spread that power down into minor courts approved by the United States government. It called for six supreme court justices, giving them sovereign jurisdiction over all civil action within the states and those brought against the U.S. It also created 13 districts with a circuit court and district court in each. In addition, it gave all people the right to representation in court. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: At the time of its ratification, the Judiciary Act of 1789 drew much fire from Anti-Federalists who opposed the creation of an overarching system of justice, fearing that it would make for an easy stepping stone into tyranny if abused. Despite the obstacles facing it, the Act was ratified although it continued to face opposition long afterwards. Those who were against its creation called for less federal power and more power in the states. In the face of all this, the standards in the Judiciary Act laid down the foundation of what America's modern juridical system is founded upon and continues to be upheld to present day.

(162.) Excise Tax

ID: An excise tax is a tax on a good or service that is usually based on the amount of business done. It is an indirect tax which means that the consumer does not directly pay for it. They just see the price of the product go up. During the Federalist era, an excise tax was required for distillers of alcoholic liquors. Significance: The excise tax was placed my Hamilton to generate revenue for the new government. It fell most heavily on the whiskey distillers, especially the ones in Pennsylvania, Virgina, and North Carolina. This caused unrest among the small farmers who complained that they had to pay for both property tax and the excise tax on distilleries. Later, the unrest caused by these farmers would bring about the Whiskey Rebellion.

(151.) Great Compromise a.k.a Connecticut Compromise + Three-Fifths Compromise

ID: During the Constitutional Convention, the issue of representation in Congress arose. After a long period of bickering, the participants agreed on the Great Compromise, which stated that representation in the lower house was based on population, on July 16, 1787. The Three-Fifths Compromise was also made to limit the representation of slaves by stating that each slave represented 3/5 of a person. Historical Significance: Large states tended to have more benefits from the compromise because they had more representation in the House of Representatives. The Great Compromise would serve as the basis of the government structure as we know it today and had also helped create the Constitution. The Argument of slave representation also arouse anger between the North and South because the North resented the slaves and viewed them to have no representation whereas the South wanted the slaves to help give more representation for their states.

(177.) Pinckney's Treaty

ID: Pinckney's Treaty is also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo or Treaty of Madrid and established the intentions of friendship between the US and Spain. It allowed US to navigate the Mississippi River and likewise set the boundaries between the Spanish colonies and the US, which had been in much dispute. It is named so because the US sent Thomas Pinckney as the representative for the US. Spain also allowed the US to deposit goods for transshipment at New Orleans, a prized port that Spain controlled. Historical Significance: This treaty was important because the borderline between American and Spanish colonies had been questioned even when the British were still in control of America. It allowed America to sail up and down the Mississippi to trade with other colonies and have a faster means of transportation that was vital to the success of the new country. Without the access of the Mississippi River, America would not have been able to communicate as easily and quickly between the South and the North, which would have caused a rift between the two areas and potentially led to the split of the two simply because of geographic differences. With the addition of being able to trade at New Orleans, America had the opportunity to make more money at a time where it had an unstable economy since it could trade and ship its goods to the East for a much cheaper price. Pinckney's Treaty allowed America to unite easily which ensured that it survived its "Critical Period" and did not crumble and revert back to British rule. It also bettered the relationship between Spain and America, allowing America to have one more ally during this unstable time.

(146.) Battle of Fallen Timbers/Treaty of Greenville

ID: The Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794) was the final clash between Native Americans and the United States. Lead by General Anthony Wayne, 4,000 American soldiers fought against tribes such as the Shawnees, Potawatomis, and Ojibwas, all lead by the chief, Little Turtle. The Americans defeated the Indians, leading to the Treaty of Greenville a year later. It ceded new territory to the United States in exchange for formal acknowledgement of Indian possession over certain lands. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Although the treaty promised to honor Native American claims to land, it offered a false sense of protection from invasion by Americans moving westward. In addition, the new territory added to the United States made settlement a much easier feat as Americans did not have to defend themselves from attacks by the Natives. This decline in conflict between the Native Americans and the United States proved that the Constitution was better equipped to handle such problems

147. Framers / Founding Fathers / Demigods

ID: The Founding Fathers were a group of 55 men that convened at the Philadelphia State House in 1787; they were headed by Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. Their main purpose was to modify the current constitution, because the Articles of Confederation was so unpopular by that time. Historical Significance: The Fathers were the future "framers" of the Constitution. The Philadelphia Convention, as it was called, also created the Virginia Plan which would create a lower and a higher legislative house (skewed towards the higher houses because of population advantage). Eventually, the two greatest product that came out of the Convention were The Great Compromise, which solved the lower/higher house problem, and our current Constitution.

(168.) Jay's Treaty

ID: Who: John Jay, chief justice of the US Supreme Court and a staunch New York Federalist What: a treaty between Britain and the U.S with certain demands When: 1794 Why: to secure compensation for recent British attacks on American shipping, to demand British withdrawal from frontier posts and to negotiate a new commercial treaty Significance: Although this treaty failed as a whole, it was able to achieve some goals. It settled the conflict between Britain and America temporarily, and helped steer the two countries away from war against one another. This treaty even produced a weak but present commercial relationship. It helped establish American sovereignty over the entire Northwest. Americans were naturally divided about this treaty, some believed that Americans did not ask enough, while others tried to prevent ratification altogether.

(149.) Newburgh Conspiracy (1783)

ID: The Newburgh Conspiracy was a plot hatched in 1783 near the end of the American Revolutionary War resulting from the fact that many of the officers and men of the Continental Army had not received pay for many years. They organized under the leadership of General Henry Knox and sent a delegation to lobby Congress; the delegation was headed by Alexander McDougall. The officers had three demands: the Army's pay, their own pensions, and the option of commutation of those pensions into a lump-sum payment. Historical Significance: Washington gave a short but impassioned speech to his officers, called the Newburgh Address, trying to persuade them to be patient with Congress. This caused the men to realize that Washington had sacrificed a great deal for the Revolution, just as much as any of them. In handling this potentially damaging incident, Washington once again displayed powerful evidence of his personal leadership, a quality he would invoke on the new nation's behalf in the years that followed.

(179.) "Revolution" of 1800

ID: The Revolution of 1800 was the battle between Jefferson and Adams for the presidency, with Adams representing the Federalists and Jefferson representing the Republicans. More specifically, the followers of each party "fought" against one another, spreading malicious rumors about the opposing party's leader. Jefferson was elected, but there was controversy over who would serve as vice president, for Jefferson and Vice-Presidential candidate Aaron Burr both received an equal number of votes. After several re-elections, Jefferson was elected as president. Despite the explosive nature of the campaign, the election resulted in an unexpected, but peaceful, transfer of power from the Federalist to the Republican party. Historical Significance: The Revolution of 1800 may have given politics a "dirty" name; even today, candidates for several positions slander their opponents in hopes of winning the favor of the people (commercials citing the misconduct of other candidates, such as Meg Whitman's failure to vote for 28 years, are rampant, especially around this time of year). The strong opposition from supporters on both sides of the election also highlights the fact that many Americans were deeply divided over who should win the presidency, an issue that to this day remains predominant in American society. The fact that the transfer of power between the two parties was peaceful despite deep divisions of the people not only went against trends of that time to rebel violently, but also set the precedent for politics today (there are no violent rebellions after elections are held).

(150.) Virginia Plan vs. New Jersey Plan

ID: The Virgina Plan, proposed by Edmund Randolph, consisted of a national government, made up of three supreme branches: the Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary, and also for a new national legislature consisting of two houses, the lower and power house. The states would be represented in relation to their population in the lower house, and the upper house would be elected by the lower house and had no specific system of representation. The plan found opposition among delegates from smaller states because it was then possible for them to not have representation in the Upper House, and William Paterson of New Jersey proposed another plan, which called for a federal government. It stated that each state would be equally represented by preserving the one-house legislature, but Congress expanded powers to tax and regulate trade. Significance: Randolph's proposal was a drastic change from the system of government in effect at the time, and was revolutionary with the creation of a strong national government and an executive branch. The fact that the Virgina Plan remained the basis for discussion showed that the delegates agreed that a more centralized government was necessary. However, the reluctance of the states to give up their power to a more centralized authority also shows their skepticism of the benefits of such a powerful central authority.

(170.) X, Y, Z Affair

ID: The X, Y, Z affair was the major spark that caused the Quasi War. A bipartisan group of three American diplomats, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, John Marshall and Elbridge Gerry went to France to stabilize relations between the two countries. They were met by three agents of the French foreign minister, Prince Talleyrand who a loan for France and a bribe for French officials before negotiations could begin. The Americans adamantly refused and when the incident was reported the names of the French Agents were replaced by Messer X, Y, and Z. President John Adams and the American people were outraged and called for war. Significance: The X, Y, Z affair was significant because it brought about the Quasi war and caused relations to deteriorate between former allies, America and France. It was also a test of America's neutral stance on foreign entanglements and cooler heads allowed America to get out of a war that could have possibly threatened the existence of the young nation.

(178.) Convention of 1800

ID: The convention of 1800 was a meeting between French and American delegates to end the Quasi War with France. The meeting was also known as the Treaty of Mortefontaine. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The treaty shows how America did not want to be drawn into another war because they would be easily destroyed and it revealed diplomatic relations between the two countries to be improved since the XYZ affair. The rest of the world began to take America seriously, rather than thinking of them as an experiment doomed to fail. The treaty also allowed the USA to remain neutral in the war between Britain and France, retaining its isolationist foreign policy.

(175.) The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

ID: These were two resolutions (each in their respective state) that countered the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions were created by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, respectively, and argued that the federal got its power from the states. Essentially, any action beyond the federal government's delegated powers was VOID. In this way, states would be able to restrict federal legislation by revoking laws they though inappropriate. Significance: Although they ended up ineffective, the resolutions indicated an increased Republican presence. It provided opposition to the Federalist party. This ensured that no single party would completely dominate the central government. This sets the precedent for better representation for the people. The resolutions, in IDEA, were supposed to increase state power to offset federal domination. The ideas behind the resolutions helped form the government we have today, with equal power between the central and state governments.

(174.) Alien and Sedition Acts:

ID: In 1798, the Alien and Sedition Acts were both enacted following the end of the quasi war with France. The Alien Act placed new obstacles in the way of foreigners trying to become American citizens, while at the same time it gave the President more power to deal with aliens to the country. The Sedition Act called for the government to prosecute those who participated in sedition, or demonstrations of discontent and rebellion to the government. Significance: The Alien Act helped to discourage those who wished to immigrate to America, and also prompted many to leave the country thereafter as a result of the xenophobia on the behalf of the Federalists. Because the term "sedition" was interpreted in a multitude of ways by its Federalist enactors, any form of opposition was seen as sedition, in addition to the theoretical libelous and treasonous activities. The Republican Party immediately saw this as an attempt to put an end to their efforts. The Federalist administration did in fact arrest ten Republicans, most convicted of criticism of the Federalists in their newspapers. In spite of this act, the Republicans rallied support to eventually dominate the Federalist Party to win the election of 1800.

(171.) Quasi War (w/France)

ID: The Quasi War with France was an undeclared war with France that ended peacefully due to a treaty with the United States that canceled the old agreement of 1778 and established new commercial arrangements. Historical Significance: The United States began cooperating with the British and became virtually an ally of Britain in the undeclared war against France. Eventually, France decided to reconcile with the United States before tension grew between them. Because our country was so new, European powers looked upon the new nation condescendingly. The United States was fortunate that the the war did not escalate into a full scale war because they would have lost.

(152.) Bicameral VS. Unicameral

ID: A Bicameral legislature is one that has NOT one but TWO legislative houses consisting of the upper house or "Senate" and the lower house or the "House of Representatives" . A Unicameral legislature, on the other hand, only has one legislative house. Significance: In order to satisfy the large and small states, a bicameral legislature was decided upon. The small states, wanting equal representation in the law making process were outraged at the idea of having legislative representation based solely on the population of each state. A compromise was reached in which one part of the legislature (the Senate) would be represented by two individuals from each state while the other (The House of Representatives) would compose of representatives in numbers proportional to the population of each state.

(148.) Annapolis Convention (1786)

ID: A meeting at Annapolis, Maryland of 12 delegates from five states (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia) which called for a constitutional convention to fix the defects of the federal government that limited trade/commerce between states under the AoC. SIG: The formal title of the meeting was a Meeting of Commissioners to Remedy Defects of the Federal Government. The defects they wanted to fix were barriers that limited trade or commerce between the largely independent states under the AoC. The commissioners felt that there were not enough states represented to make any substantive agreement. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and North Carolina had appointed commissioners who failed to get to the meeting in time to attend it, while Connecticut, Maryland, South Carolina and Georgia had taken no action at all. They produced a report which was sent to Congress and the states. The report asked support for a meeting to be held next May in Philadelphia, leading to the Philadelphia Convention of 1787.

(155.) Federalists vs. Anti-federalists

ID: After the Constitution was written in 1787 there was debate between those who support and opposed it. Federalists were supporters of the Constitution, among who included A. Hamilton, John Jay, & James Madison (the three who penned the Federalist Papers). They feared the unchecked power of the masses and the dangers of popular will. They also believed that the government and the Constitution would protect people's liberties without a written bill of rights. Conversely, Anti-federalists believed they were defenders of the true principles of the Revolution. They feared change and were concerned about the possibly tyrannical and concentrated power of the government, still believing persistently in state rights and power. Most importantly, they wanted a bill of rights claiming that the government could not be trusted to protect people's liberties and the assurance of rights had to be preserved. Significance: Although both strived for a common goal, they faced the issue of concentrated power versus popular will and also the idea of states rights. Their battle showed the weakness of the Constitution, predominantly the lack of a bill of rights. It also displayed the fear of many people still lingered from the Revolution. Eventually, many including Madison, agreed that a bill of rights was needed and it was added to the Constitution.

(161.) Assumption

ID: Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, proposed to have the federal government assume stated debts from the Revolution. Hamilton's proposal was criticized by many, including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Hamilton got the plan to pass in 1790 by striking a deal with Jefferson and Madison to use his influence to place the national capital on the Potomac River in exchange for backing of the "asuumption plan". Historical Significance: The assumption policy engouraged state and federal bondholders to get payment from the federal government. This would give the federal government much more power by placing the total debt of the country in the hands of only the federal government. The plan helped increase the wealthy to have an long-lasting share in national government, instead of paying off the debt of the country.

181. The Judiciary Act of 1801 / Midnight Judges

ID: The Judiciary Act of 1801 was an act passed by the Adams Administration. This act allowed for the appointment of more federalists to newly created positions in the Supreme Court. Since Adams was reported to have stayed up until midnight signing these new judge commissions, the new judges were dubbed "midnight judges" Historical Significance: After the Election of 1800, when Republican Thomas Jefferson was elected as the 3rd President, the Federalist party swung downhill. This act was essentially the last stand for the Federalists, an attempt to revive the party. The Jeffersonian Republicans left this act alone, expressing the wish not to completely wipe out Federalist influence. Despite this, however, Jefferson's election to office eclipsed the Federalist power permanently, and the party eventually disintegrated.

(163.) Bank of the United States

ID: Bank of the United States was a national bank which was proposed by Alexander Hamilton. Established in 1791, the bank served as a stable place for the United States government to place it's money. It also gave out bonds to the better well off who were willing to lend money to the government, and also did a variety of other things, such as . Basically, all of the government's funds went to one location, the Bank of United States. Historical Significance: The Bank of the United States was the government's first of three tries to start a national banking system. The Federal Bank was highly debated in congress because it involved wrapping the federal debt under one government bank. States who owed less complained because it meant that their residents would have to pay more in taxes to cover for the states who had higher outstanding debts. The well off and influential in America were generally happy with the new banking system. The bonds were a success, for the buyers reaped large profits. Nevertheless, most citizens were concerned on the constitutionality of this issue. Citizens were afraid that the bank would start to become a monopoly. As this bank was not private, people were afraid that states banks would soon lose power; the federal government would become to strong. Because of this, not only were citizens concerned about a possible inflation of federal power, but key players like Thomas Jefferson were highly opposed to this.

(166.) French Revolution

ID: During Washington's first term as president (1789-1793) the French Revolution (battle between the new French republic and the European monarchs) had just began. The Republicans supported the French Revolution while the Federalists were horrified with what the revolutionists did to the monarchy. However, Washington decided that America was not strong enough itself, let alone strong enough to wage a war. As a result President Washington issued the proclamation of neutrality, thus pulling out of the war. During the French Revolution, the Republicans and the Federalists had very different views on how the French revolutionists overthrew the monarchs. Significance: This shows that America was under great leadership (George Washington) and that they were aware of the vulnerability of their newfound country. However, the reactions shown by the two parties show the differences in morals and beliefs between the Federalists and the Republicans.

(172.) Citizen Genet

ID: Edmond Genet, known as "Citizen Genet," was a diplomatic representative of France. Genet landed on the port of Charleston at the time the new French government was in a war against Great Britain and its allies in 1793. Genet did not immediately present his appearance to the president and even tried using the American ports against the British. He even hired armed expeditions against the Spanish; all his actions were a direct violation of the Neutrality Act. Historical Significance: Citizen Genet was a serious test against the power of the Neutrality Act. Genet's actions were endangering the American neutrality in the war between France and Great Britain. Genet was just one of the many problems the American government had to deal with in order to establish a successful nation. In the end, Genet's political party in France ran out of power and Washington granted Genet political asylum in America (protected by a sovereign authority in America).

(176.) Compact Theory + Nullification

ID: John Locke defined the Compact Theory as an agreement between all the states to give some power to the central government. Nullification is a state's ability to declare an action of the central government unconstitutional and thus void it to protect its citizens. Both were significant policies as the government in the late 16th century began to divide powers between the national government and the states'. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: A highlight of the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, the compact theory and nullification ultimately stated that the states gave power to the government and could take it back. The Compact Theory states the states' obedience towards the national commands while nullification states their ability to take the power back when an action is unlawful. The Compact Theory and nullification was in response to Alien and Sedition acts and would eventually play a large role as states reasoned their abilities to secede during the Civil War.

(156.). Federalist Papers

ID: Papers that were written by Federalist, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. These papers were meant to explain the benefits and meaning of the Constitution, and convince people to support. Federalist feared if they did not defend or advocate it that the Anti-federalist would stop the signing of it. SIG: Possibly without the help of these papers many states would not have signed the Constitution and American would be back to square one. The powerful influence of the writers of the Federalist papers, Franklin and Washington helped the supporters of the Constitution greatly. These papers convince states that were on the fence about signing it, such as NY.

(158.) Strict construction vs. Loose construction

ID: Strict constructionism is a judiciary interpretation practice; it is basically the reading and understanding of a law or legislative text exactly as it is and for what it is. It is generally considered a conservative practice as opposed to loose constructionism, a rather liberal interpretation of the law. Smooth constructionism is more of an interpretive method, causing for laws to be reasoned with outside of their textual boundaries. Significance: At the time when the constitution was being argued, a great deal of controversy was over its interpretation. The two schools of interpretation, strict construction and smooth construction, were divisions among this trend. Over time, this would cause a dissent in the reading and understanding of our laws; splits in originalism and liberal interpretation lead to court cases even today.

(154.) Bill of Rights

ID: The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments in the US Constitution. Written in 1789 and ratified on 1791, the Bill of Rights outlines the American Citizen's basic rights and are a key law to American law and government. Significance: The Ten Amendments give the American people certain rights that cannot be taken away. It is the foundation of all other laws and is included with the Constitution. The Amendments were written to protect the American people and insure fairness. The Amendments include the freedom of speech, religion, and assembly; The right to bear arms; The protection from quartering soldiers; Protection from search and seizure; Protection from due process, double jeopardy, and self-incrimination; The right to a public trial; No excessive bail or cruel and unusual punishments

(159.) The Cabinet (in general)

ID:A Cabinet is a body of high ranking members of the government, they always represent the executive branch and are the president's advisors. The positions consist of the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments which is made up of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General. Sig: They established the offices of the attorney general and postmaster general. Although it is not in the Constitution, out of respect for George Washington, the president can have a Cabinet.

(153.) Checks and Balences

Id. The Checks and Balances system was implemented to separate the powers of the central government. Under this, the United States government was split into 3 branches, the Legislative, Judicial, and the Executive. Each branch contained different powers and fields of jurisdiction. For example, the Legislative Branch made laws, the Executive Branch passed or vetoes the laws, and the Judicial Branch checks the validity of laws. Sig This system protected against the domination of one branch over the others. The founding fathers wanted to avoid one group becoming another tyranny. The fathers wanted to stress the importance of equality within the government. #153

(164.) the Whiskey Rebellion

Whiskey Rebellion ID: In 1794, a group of Pennsylvania farmers protested against a federal whiskey excise tax by terrorizing tax collectors. Alexander Hamilton quelled the rebellion by ordering George Washington to personally lead a 15,000-man militia to confront the rebels. Significance: The Whiskey Rebellion was an example of a negative reaction to the increase in federal taxing power that was granted by the Constitution. Hamilton's ability to mobilize a national militia in order to intimidate the rebels into submission was also a new power that the national government did not previously have under the Articles of Confederation