Ratification of the Constitution

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

1. Each state could coin its own money. 2. No executive branch existed. 3.No regulation of interstate commerce. 4.No national court system. 5.No army. 6. 9 of the 13 states had to agree to pass ANY law. 7. All 13 states needed to agree to pass an amendment.

"The Critical Period"

1781-1789, when the Articles of Confederation were in effect, before the Constitution.

Philadelphia Convention

55 delegates assembled in Philadelphia in 1787. They planned to amend the Articles of Confederation, but instead, they wrote a new Constitution (that we still use today.)

The Federalist Papers

A set of 85 essays that argued for a strong Constitution, these were written by: Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison. These were written to persuade New Yorkers as well as the other doubters that the Constitution should be ratified!

Shay's Rebellion revealed what flaw of the Articles of Confederation?

Absence of a national army.

Anti-Federalist

Anti-Federalists were afraid that the Constitution would give too much power to the federal gov't. They were led by: James Winthrop, John Hancock, George Clinton and George Mason. They are closer to what the Republicans or Tea Party believe today.

The Great Compromise

Created the current bicameral (2 house) legislature where the House of Representatives is based upon population, and the senate has equal representation (2 senators per state.)

Federalist

Federalists were in favor of a federal gov't created by a Constitution. Some important Federalists were: James Madison, George Washington, and Alexander Hamilton. This is closer to what the Democrats believe today.

Commercial Compromise

Gave the federal gov't the power to tax imports, but not exports (this is called a tariff)

Virginia Plan

James Madison wanted a bicameral (2 house) legislature based upon population. The bigger the population of a state, the more representatives it would have.

Alexander Hamilton

One of the farmers of the Constitution, he was the first Secretary of the Treasury, and he developed the Gold Standard for the U.S. Treasury.

James Madison

One of the framers of the Constitution, he was the fifth president, and his wrote most of the Constitution.

The Constitution as it was ratified in 1788 provided for which of the following?

Representatives of the House of Representatives to be chosen in local elections.

Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution.

All of the following were a part of the Constitution ratified in 1788 EXCEPT:

The Bill of Rights.

Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention (also known as the Philadelphia Convention, the Federal Convention, or the Grand Convention at Philadelphia) took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain.

Three Fifths Compromise (simple version)

The Northern states wanted slaves to count for taxation, but not representation. So the slaves would count for the slave owners to pay taxes, but not to get the representatives in the House of Representatives. The Southern States wanted slaves to count for representation, but not have to pay taxes for the slaves that they owned. The compromise was that each slave would count as 3/5 of a whole person. One white person = 3/5 of a black person! This meant the South paid some taxes for slaves, and had some representation for them (but, of course, the representatives were all white men who wanted more slavery!

Three Fifths Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise between Southern and Northern states reached during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in which three-fifths of the enumerated population of slaves would be counted for representation purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes and the apportionment of the members of the United States House of Representatives.

Trans-Atlantic Slave trade

The legal kidnapping and sale of African American people in the United States. It was legal to sell African people in the United States until 1808, 20 years after the Constitutional Convention.

Land Ordinance of 1785

This helped give guidance for settling the West (now known as the Midwest.) The land of the west was divided into townships containing 36 sections for purchase. One of the few accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

This is one of the few accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation. It provided statehood for areas that reached 60,000 inhabitants. No slavery would be allowed in the Northwest Territories.

New Jersey Plan

William Paterson wanted representation to be equal so that the smaller stater (with less population) would still get a voice.

census

a count of the population done every ten years to determine state population and representation in the house of representative.

quorum

a gathering of the minimal number of members of an organization to conduct business

tariff

a government tax on imports or exports.

Census

a period count of the population.

mercantilism

an economic system (Europe in 18th C) to increase a nation's wealth by government regulation of all of the nation's commercial interests

ratify

approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation

dissidents

characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards

The 3/5ths Compromise looked to:

determine the value of a slave on the national census.

faction

group of people who disagree with the majority.

thwarted

hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of

The Great Comprise

include or contain

Custom duties

means the same thing as tariff- a tax on imports.

unanimous

of one mind

ratification

passing a set of laws by voting them in.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 looked to:

provide a plan for the incorporation of new states.

Bill of Rights

ratified in 1791, this was promised at the Constitutional Convention, and made it possible for the Anti-Federalist to accept the constitution. It protects important freedoms such as the right to an attorney.

Shays Rebellion

rose up and overthrew the gov't. This is a major reason why the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution-it put pressure on the gov't to get stronger.

tyrannical

ruling by fear or force.

prudently

showing wise self-restraint in speech and behavior especially in preserving prudent silence

contention

something (a person or object or scene) selected by an artist or photographer for graphic representation

Federalist Paper #10

written by James Madison, this argued that a large republic needed the Constitution. It argues that a strong union would be able to control tyrannical factions.

John Dickinson

wrote the Articles of Confederation. Ben Franklin also looked it over. The Articles were in effect from 1781-1789.