Chapter 4.3

During the Critical Period (1783-1789), it seemed Americas revolutionary experiment in democratic government was on the verge of ending in disaster. Why?

The states were becoming antagonistic and even hostile toward one another.

1. 1787 2. September 17th, 1787 3. 1788 4. December 15, 1791 5. 1795 and 1804

1. Delegates convened in Philadelphia to write a Constitution to replace the articles of Confederation 2. The Original Constitution was signed. 3. The Original Constitution was ratified to become "the supreme law of the land" 4. Ten amendments to the Original Constitution- known as the Bill of Rights - would be ratified. 5. The final amendments to the Constitution by the founding generation were added.

How did the founders get around the state legislatures and constitutional law to gain acceptance of the new constitution?

-The constitution was submitted t special popularly elected ratifying conventions in each state for the people to decide. -They changed the requirements so that only nine out of the thirteen states (supermajority) were needed to ratify.

The New Jersey Plan

-The small state plan -equal state representation -each state had an equal number of votes in legislature.

What would be the biggest obstacle to ratifying the new Constitution, if they were bound by the amendment rules of the Articles of Confederation?

-Unanimous consent of the state legislatures was needed.

The Original Constitution and the first twelve amendments are known as the ( ) because all of it was the original work of the founding generation.

Founders' Constitution

The ( ) granted slave owners a constitutional right to recapture runaway slaves who have fled to other states, including states where slavery was illegal. And, as importantly, it took away the right of states to pass laws to protect and/or emancipate runaway slaves.

Fugitive Slave Clause

Known as the ( ) Compromise, Roger Sherman of Connecticut proposed that the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan be merged to form a ( ) legislature. One house would have proportional representation, and the other equal state representation.

Great, Bicameral

There were at least two reasons the Founders chose a bicameral (rather than unicameral) legislature. Which of these options was one of those reasons?

- It facilitated the Great Compromise

How did the Articles of Confederation contribute to poor economic conditions during the 1780s?

- It lacked the power to raise the money to build a navy to protect the import/export/trade of goods. -State governments did not want to levy taxes on individuals

Why did the Founders choose the electoral college instead of the direct popular election to elect the president?

- Many founders thought the people would be under-informed and easily manipulated. -It was a compromise to give slave states more voice in presidential selection.

What were the stipulations provided by Article 1?

- Members of the House serve two-year terms - Anyone who is eligible to vote for the state legislature is eligible to vote for members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

During the Constitutional Convention, the Founders had to consider the strong differences of interest and opinion amongst the people of the different states. What were the key constituencies that needed to reach a compromise?

- States w/ large populations and small populations. -Northern states and Southern slave states

Why was the Philadelphia (Constitutional) Convention May 1787 assembled?

-Armed rebellions had begun to arise in several states, in particular Shay's rebellion. -Congress couldn't afford to order union troops to quell emerging rebellions.

What were the arguments for the United States to remain united during the Critical Period (1783-1789)

-If the states were apprehensive abut war with each other large standing armies would be created -They were better able to defend themselves from common security threats -Economic protectionism between states would be worse if the states were disunited. -Political conflicts between the states could become intense military struggles.

Virginia Plan

-Large state plan -Proportional representation -reps for congress based on states population.

What happened because the democratically controlled governments were reluctant to levy taxes on individuals?

-Political conflicts arose within creditors and debtors. -State and Congress accumulated high levels of debt -The economy suffered from inflation because states tried to pay debts by printing more paper money.

At the time of the founding, which areas were controlled by each level of government under the system of federalism?

Central Government -Diplomacy -Coining of money Concurrent authority (both) -taxation State Government -Family -Granting of hunting licenses -Most of criminal law

A system of ( ) was designed to keep the three branches of government (executive, legislature, judicial) truly separate from one another from, somewhat paradoxically, giving them a bit of power over one another. This ensures that no one branch is more powerful than another,

Checks and balances

The ( ) is a system established by the U.S Constitution for selecting presidents. The person who becomes president is the person with the most votes from the electors.

Electoral College

How many electors (electoral votes) does each state have?

Equal to the number of representatives each state has in the House of Representative and the Senate.

No one at the convention was willing to discuss the specific authority that would be granted t the central government until the issue of representation in congress was resolved. Why?

If the people of their state have their interests well represented in Congress, then Congress can do whatever it wants. If they are not represented, Congress should have as little authority as possible.

Because anti-slavery delegates did not want the Southern slave state delegates to leave the Constitutional Convention, the resulting Constitution did alot to protect slavery, However these provisions were mostly hidden why?

Most of the framers were the view that the Constitution's protections for slavery were an embarrassment that should be concealed as much as possible.

A ( ) democracy is a form of government where a small number of public officials in government make and enforce laws on behalf of the majority of citizens who are outside of government.

Representative

The article VI (6) ( ) Clause of the Constitution states that if there is a conflict between state law and federal law in an area of concurrent authority, the federal law takes precedence over the state law.

Supremacy

Match each feauture to the component of the legislature that it belongs to.

The Senate -Meant to promote virtues such as knowledge -6 year terms -2 members per state -The upper house -Quasi-aristocratic The House of Representatives -The lower house

The Constitution preamble begins and ends with the words: " We the people.. Do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America." What does this mean?

The U.S Constitution was enacted under the authority of the sovereign people of the United States of America.

Why did most Americans believe standing armies to be the end of liberty?

They were the way executives are able to consolidate all government power and rule without the control of the people or the other branches of government. They would result in an authoritarian form of government.

Article 1, Section 9

This clause guaranteed that Congress would not ban the slave trade prior to 1808, a tax may be that does not exceed 10 dollars per person (slave).

each slave would count for 3/5 of a person for taxation and representation purposes

Three fifths compromise

Why did delegates from slave states prefer to calculate state population size by counting the total number of inhabitants (including slaves)?

To guarantee a majority of seats in the House of Representatives