Chapter 7: The First Republic 1776-1789

Annapolis Convention

conference of state delegates at Annapolis, Maryland, that issued a call in September 1786 for a convention to meet at Philadelphia to consider fundamental changes

Constitutional Convention

convention that met in Philadelphia in 1787 and drafted the Constitution of the United States

fiscal crisis

creditors and debtors at odds involving the state legislatures

checks and balances

each of the three branches of government has the ability to restrain the other two

judicial review

federal courts have the power to review acts of the federal government and to cancel any acts that are unconstitutional

limited government

government has only as much authority as the people give it

separation of powers

government power is divided between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent the misuse of power

nationalists

group of leaders in the 1780s who spearheaded the drive to replace the Articles of Confederation with a stronger central government

Virginia Plan

proposal calling for a national legislature in which the states would be represented according to population

New Jersey Plan

proposal of the New Jersey delegation for a strengthened national government in which all states would have an equal representation in a unicameral legislature

ratification of Constitution

required 9 states to agree to the Constitution for it to become law

right of deposit

right to transfer cargoes to ocean-going vessels (United States needed this in New Orleans from Mississippi River)

popular sovereignty

the government receives its power from the people and can govern only with their assent

suffrage

the right to vote in a political election

federalism

the sharing of powers between the national government and the states

Constitution of the U.S.

the written document providing for a new cenral government of the United States

Articles of Confederation

written document setting up the loose confederation of states that comprised the first national government of the United States

Daniel Shays

Revolutionary War veteran who led Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts

judicial review

a power implied in the Constitution that gives federal courts the right to review and determine the constitutionality of acts passed by Congress and state legislature

Federalists

a supporter of the Constitution who favored its ratification

"legislative despotism"

abuse of power by tyrannical law makers

"ambition must be made to counter ambition" James Madison

accepted politics would be self-serving and set up system of checks and balances to balance each other

Phillis Wheatley

acclaimed African American poet, first poems published in 1773

Land Ordinance (1785)

act passed by Congress under the Articles of Confederation that created the grid system of surveys by which all subsequent public land was made available for sale

Shays' Rebellion

an armed movement of debt-ridden farmers in western Massachusetts in the winter of 1786-7. The rebellion created a crisis atmosphere

Religious pluralism

lacking religious uniformity; checked legislative efforts to impose religious taxes or designate any denomination as the established church in state constitutions after the revolution

Slavery

left in between national and state sovereignty in the Constitution, so not solved until Civil War

Southwest Ordinance (1790)

legislation passed by Congress that set up a government with no prohibition on slavery in U.S. territory south of the Ohio River

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

legislation that prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territories and provided the model for the incorporation of future territories into the union as coequal states

Republicanism

legitimate political authority derives from the people, political rights limited to those who owned property

patriarchal

men head of society - politics and public life

Antifederalists

opponents of the Constitution in the debate over its ratification

Debtor

owe money

Creditor

owed money

"Great Compromise"

plan proposed at the 1787 Constitutional Convention for creating a national bicameral legislature in which all states would be equally represented in the Senate and proportionally represented in the House

federalism

power is divided between a central government and smaller governments; central government is powerful enough to be effective, but not too powerful to threaten the rights of states and individuals

executive power

power of the President