APUSH Ch. 9

Federalists

A political party consisting of the wealthier, more educated, more respectable citizens of the time. Federalists generally lived along the eastern seaboard in the 1790's, They believed in advocating a strong federal government and fought for the adoption of the United States Constitution in 1787-1788.

The "Large-State Plan"

It was the plan purposed by Virginia to set up Congress where the number of representatives per state would be based on population, giving the larger states an advantage. It was first written as a framework for the Constitution.

Constitutional Convention

Conventions called to draft constitutions for each state.

Alexander Hamilton

Hamilton was a high political leader and 32 year old New Yorker who saved the Annapolis convention from complete failure by engineering the adoption of his report. It called upon Congress to summon a convention to meet in Philadelphia the next year, not to deal with commerce alone but to bolster the entire fabric of the Articles of Confederation. Congress, because of Hamilton's influence, issued the call for a convention "for the sole and express purpose of revising" the Articles of Confederation. Hamilton was present as an advocate of super-powerful central government. He gave a five hour speech that did not reach anyone but himself. He was one of the youngest and most brilliant founding fathers. Hamilton joined John Jay and James Madison in penning a masterly series of articles for the New York newspaper called The Federalist Papers. Their essays are the most penetrating commentary ever written on the Constitution. He later became the 1st Secretary of the Treasury and his 4-part financial plan got American on firm financial footing. His plan included: (1) paying the debt in full, (2) a national Bank of the U.S., (3) a tariff, and (4) an excise tax on whiskey.

Daniel Shays

Shays was a radical veteran of the Revolution. He led a rebellion, fittingly named Shays' Rebellion. He felt he was fighting against a tyranny. Essentially upset about his inability to get land, he rebellion was composed of debtors demanding cheap paper money, lighter taxes, and suspension of mortgage foreclosures. He was sentenced to death but was later pardoned. Because fear of similar rebellions motivated leaders to desire a stronger government, the rebellion in 1786 helped lead to the Constitution and Shays somewhat became one of the Founding Fathers.

Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

Statute which split the state and church in the government in Virginia.

nonimportation agreements

Stimulus given to manufacturing which cut off goods imported from Britain

Anti-Federalists

The Anti-Federalists were people against the Federalists (who wanted the Constitution ratified) in 1787. They disagreed with the Constitution because they believed people's rights were being taken away without a Bill of Rights. They were angered by dropping annual elections, the non-existence of God in the government, a standing army, and basically the strengthening of the federal government.

Articles of Confederation

The Articles were the first "constitution" governing the Untied States after the revolution. It was ratified in 1781 and provided for a "firm league of friendship." The legislative branch (Congress) had no power to regulate commerce or forcibly collect taxes and there was no national executive or judicial branch. Despite its weaknesses, it was an important stepping-stone towards the present Constitution because without it the states would never have consented to the Constitution.

The Federalist Papers

These were a series of articles written in New York newspapers as a source of propaganda for a stronger central government. The articles, written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, were a way for the writers to express their belief that it is better to have a stronger central government. The papers turned out to be a penetrating commentary written on the Constitution. Most famous of these were Federalist Papers #10 and #54.

Great Compromise

This compromise at the 1787 Constitutional Convention was between the large and small states over how representation in Congress would be determined. The Great Compromise resolved that there would be representation by population in the House of Representatives, and equal representation would exist in the Senate. Each state, regardless of size, would have 2 Senators. All tax bills and revenues would originate in the House. This compromise combined the needs of both large and small states and formed a fair and sensible resolution to their problems.

Confederation

This is a group of sovereign states, each of which is free to act independently from the others. In 1776, when America gained its independence, a loose confederation was formed among the thirteen colonies. Under this confederation, the states were united by a weak national government, which was completely lacking constitutional authority. The national government had some control over issues such as military affairs and foreign policy. The states, however, took the majority of power into their own hands, such as the power to coin money and raise armies. The reasoning for the weak confederation (as opposed to a strong federal government) was the fear that a strong federal government would turn out to be little or no better than the king had been.

Sovereignty

This is defined as supreme political power. When the Continental Congress in 1776 asked the colonies to draft new constitutions, it was asking them to become new states, whose sovereignty, according to republicanism, would rest on the people's authority. Power in the people's hands is the basis for democracy.

Constitution of the United States

This is the foundation of our country's national government. It was drafted in Philadelphia in 1787 and ratified two years later. The Constitution establishes a government with direct authority over all citizens, it defines the powers of the national government, and it establishes protection for the rights of states and of every individual.

Three-Fifths Compromise

This was a compromise where a black slave was counted as three-fifths of a person when they were counting the population. The southern states wanted them counted as one whole person for more representatives in the House of Representatives. The northern states did not want them counted at all, and 3/5 was the number negotiated.

James Madison

Nicknamed "the Father of the Constitution," he was a talented politician sent to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787. His notable contributions to the Constitution helped to convince the public to ratify it. He later wrote the Bill of Rights then was the 5th president of the U.S.

Shay's Rebellion

A rebellion led by Captain Daniel Shays, Revolutionary War veteran. It was an uprising that flared up in western Massachusetts. Impoverished backcountry farmers, many of them Revolutionary War veterans, were losing their farms through mortgage foreclosures and tax delinquencies. They demanded cheap paper money, lighter taxes, and a suspension of mortgage foreclosures. Hundreds of angry agitators attempted to enforce these demands. Massachusetts authorities, supported by wealthy citizens, raised a small army under General Lincoln. The movement was smashed and Shays was condemned to death then later pardoned. The importance of the rebellion was that it struck fear in the hearts of the propertied class. The rebellion exposed the need for a stronger central government and helped launch the Constitutional Convention.

ratification

Approval given by the people on governmental affairs.

republican motherhood

Central to republican ideology was the concept of "civic virtue''—the notion that democracy depended on the unselfish commitment of each citizen to the public good. The idea of "republican motherhood'' thus took root, elevating women to a newly prestigious role as the special keepers of the nation's conscience.

Continental Congress

Congress which called upon the colonies to draft new constitutions. In effect, it asked the colonies to summon themselves into being as new states. The sovereignty of these states would rest on republicanism.

States' Rights

The anti-federalists opposed the Constitution because they thought it did not give enough power to the states. They believed that each state deserved certain rights that were not clearly defined in the Constitution but were pertinent to a democracy. Since these rights were not included in the original draft of the Constitution, there was a delay in the ratification process until the states were promised their rights would be protected in a Bill of Rights. This protection was made through the Tenth Amendment saying any power not listed in the Constitution would be reserved to the states.

Northwest Ordinance

The ordinance answered the question, "How will new states be made?" It said that sections of land were similar to colonies for a while, and under the control of the Federal Government. Once a territory was inhabited by 60,000 people, then Congress would review its constitution and admit it as a state. Slavery was prohibited in the Northwest Territories. This plan worked so well it became the model for other frontier areas.

Republicanism

The theory of republicanism was that the government was under the authority of the people it governs. A republic is made of representatives chosen by the people. The power in the people's hands is the basis for democracy. The writers of the constitution used the republicanism theory and experimented with this type of government on the largest scale ever attempted.

Electoral College

This was a group of electors chosen by the people to elect the president of the United States in every election year. This system was born alongside the U.S. Constitution. The reasoning for forming it was that many conservatives simply felt the common man was too ignorant to make wise decisions on such important matters. An electoral college of educated men would fix this. This system is a way of speeding up presidential elections and is still in force today. The electors of each state must reflect the interests of the people within their respective states during each election. After the people in a state have voted, the votes are tallied. Whichever candidate has the most votes gets all of that state's votes in the Electoral College.

Land Ordinance of 1785

This was a red-letter law which stated that the disputed land of the Old Northwest (today's Midwest) was to be equally divided into townships (6 miles by 6 miles) and sold for federal income. It also promoted education (by reserving section #16 for schools) and ended confusing legal disagreements over land.

Checks & Balances

This was the principle of government under which separate branches are employed to prevent actions by the other branches and are induced to share power. The framers of the Constitution for the U.S. saw the policy of checks and balances necessary for the government to run smoothly. This principle has prevented any one branch from taking over the government and making all the decisions (i.e., having a dictatorship).