Unit 3

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

The Articles of Confederation do not have a comparable Bill of Rights. Based on this information, and the text of the Bill of Rights above, which document do you think more explicitly protects the basic rights of people? Why?

The Constitution, people's basic rights are listed and protected while in the Articles of Confederation they are not even listed

How did Shays' Rebellion show some of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

The Federal government was helpless to do anything about the rebellion because it was a state matter

What was the Riot Act

The Riot Act stated that the police had the ability to arrest a person or group that was rioting and hold them in jail without charge or trial for as long as necessary.

What are the advantages of a bicameral [two houses/governing bodies] structure of Congress proposed by the Constitution as opposed to the unicameral [one house/governing body] structure proposed by the Articles of Confederation?

Bicameral assures that one body of government does not possess more power than the other

Which system for tax collection suggests that all states are equally important to the union?

Constitution

The Articles of Confederation does not specify or establish a judicial branch. Instead, the states each establish and maintain their own courts, individually. What are the advantages of having one supreme court, as established by Article III of the Constitution, instead of having each state have its own court or legal system?

So the country is united in their decisions and states don't get into arguments over certain laws

Article 6 of the Constitution

Supremacy Clause - clearly states that national law will be supreme over state law

What provisions were included in the Articles of Confederation?

Federal Government was not allowed to control state matters or collect taxes

Third Amendment

Government may not quarter soldiers in the house of citizens during peacetime without permission

Fourth Amendment

Government may not search or seize a person's property without a warrant

The one branch of government elected directly by the people is the

House of Representatives

According to Article III of the Constitution, where does the judicial power of the US lie?

In one supreme court

How is the structure of Congress different under the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution?

In the Articles of Confederation the Congress has each state choose between 2-7 members to represent them, while in the Constitution states are only allowed one representative per 30,000 citizens

What is different about the system for collecting taxes under the Articles of Confederation as compared to the Constitution?

In the Articles of Confederation, states can choose the proportion of the tax they want to pay, while in the Constitution, Congress can choose a set tax

The delegate whose contributions to the Philadelphia Convention were so notable that he has been called the "Father of the Constitution" was

James Madison

Article 3 of the Constitution

Judicial Branch

The Articles of Confederation weaknesses

Lacked Executive and Judicial branches, lacked power to tax and regulate trade

Antifederalists believe that the sovereignty of the people resided in which branch of the central government?

Legislative

Article 1 of the Constitution

Legislative Branch

Eighth Amendment

No cruel and unusual punishment or excessive fees

First Amendment

No law can prohibit the freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.

Article 5 of the Constitution

Outlines the process for amending or changing the Constitution

Article 7 of the Constitution

Outlines the process for ratification of the Constitution

Article 4 of the Constitution

Outlines the rights and expectations for all states and citizens including the adding of new states

Second Amendment

Right to bear arms

Which event proved that the Articles of Confederation were weak?

Shay's Rebellion

What punishment did Shays and the lead rebels receive for their actions?

Shays was eventually pardoned, and anyone who admitted to being a rebel were pardoned with certain rights taken away

Which system for tax collection supports the idea that some states are worth more than other states?

The Articles of COnfederation says that the value will be estimated based on land, people, and improvements

Do you think the Anti-Federalists supported the Articles of Confederation or the US Constitution?

The Articles of Confederation, since it gave the states more power

Which document seems to emphasize a unified national identity?

The Constitution

What power does the Constitution give the president? What does this imply to you or tell you about his role in government?

The Constitution grants him executive power, which tells you that the President has some authority

Which process for the Amendments creates a more flexible governing structure?

The Constitution, not everyone needs to vote for the same thing so there is more chance to have what is being voted on approved

Is the following statement true or false, the US Constitution provided America with a stronger government than the Articles of Confederation

True, the Articles of Confederation were weak and are not still intact, but the Constitution has been here for many years

Among other views, The Federalist, written during the ratification debate, argued that it was

possible to extend a republican form of government over a large territory

A major strength of the Articles of Confederation was its

presentation of the ideal of a united nation

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention were concerned mainly with

protecting America from its weaknesses abroad and its excesses at home

As written documents, the state constitutions were intended to

represent a fundamental law superior to ordinary legislation

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention stipulated that the new Constitution be ratified by

state conventions

The idea that all tax measures should start in the House was made to appease

the big states with the most people

The Articles of Confederation major structure

Under the Articles, the national government consisted of a unicameral (one-house) legislature (often called the Confederation Congress); there was no national executive or judiciary. Delegates to Congress were appointed by the state legislatures, and each state had one vote.

According to the Anti-Federalist Papers, are the Bill of Rights necessary? Why or why not?

Yes, the Bill of Rights is necessary, because otherwise the government will have the ability to repress the states

Do the authors of the Anti-Federalist papers try to build an argument against the Constitution in these excerpts?

Yes, they try to convince the people that a strong central government is bad

The Founding Fathers failed to eliminate slavery because

a fight over slavery might destroy national unity

Probably the most alarming characteristic of the new Constitution to those who opposed it was the

absence of a bill of rights

The Articles of Confederation were finally approved when

all states claiming western lands surrendered them to the national government

The Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention worked out an acceptable scheme for

apportioning congressional representation

The "large-state plan", put forward in the Constitutional Convention

based representation in the House and Senate on population

Sixth Amendment

A person charged with a crime has a right to a speedy trial, an impartial jury and a lawyer

Article 2 of the Constitution

Executive Branch

The Constitutional Convention

The meeting of state delegates in 1787 in Philadelphia called to revise the Articles of Confederation. It instead designed a new plan of government, the US Constitution.

Ninth Amendment

The people have rights other than those mentioned in the Constitution

According to the Federalist Papers, are the Bill of Rights necessary? Why or why not?

They believe that the Bill of Rights are not necessary because the government should have control over these decisions

Shay's Rebellion convinced many Americans of the need for

a stronger central government

The Constitutional Convention was called to

To revise the Articles of Confederation

Fifth Amendment

A person can't be tried for the same crime twice, and does not have to testify against him or herself

Seventh Amendment

A person in a civil case is guarenteed to a trial by jury

Tenth Amendment

Any power not given to the Federal government by the constitution is power of the State or the people

Which document seems to emphasize the individual power of states?

Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation does not specify or establish an executive branch. Instead, the same powers listed in Article II of the Constitution are almost all granted to Congress (made up of representatives of the states), including command of the army and the power to make treaties. What does that suggest the Articles of Confederation values; state's rights or federal power? Why?

Articles value states rights because the powers of the President (in the Constitution) are granted to the state representatives

Why did Shay believe the government was obligated to provide protection from debt and decline?

Because he was in the military and felt he should have had privileges

How many states have to agree to any changes or amendments made to the Articles of Confederation?

Every state in the union

In Federalist Paper #51 the author says: "If men were angels, no government would be necessary." What does this tell you about how he views the nature of ordinary man? What does this imply about why government is needed?

The author views the nature of ordinary men ad naturally evil or bad. This quote implies that government is needed to keep people in "check"

Do you think that the authors of the Anti-Federalist Papers would argue that the ordinary man should be heavily involved in the government, or that an elite class of educated men should be heavily involved in the government?

The authors of the Anti-Federalist papers would argue that the ordinary man should be heavily involved in the government

Do you think the authors of the Federalist Papers would argue that ordinary man should be heavily involved in the government, or that an elite class of educated men should be heavily involved in the government?

The authors of the Federalist Papers would argue that an entire class of educated men should be heavily involved in the government

Major complaints of Shay and his followers?

They couldn't pay their taxes

Do you think that the authors of the Federalist Papers would support a strong central government with weak state governments or the opposite?

They support a strong central government with weak state governments

Do you think the authors of the Anti-Federalist Papers would support a strong central government with weak state governments or the opposite?

They support a weak central government with strong state governments

How do the authors of the Federalist Papers try to build an argument in support of the Constitution in these excerpts?

They use quotes from the Constitution as well as explain the how it can overcome obstacles yet to come

What does the phrase "firm league of friendship" suggest to you about the relationship that the states in the union will have with one another under the Articles of Confederation?

They will have good, working relationships

The Constitutional Convention addressed the North-South controversy over slavery through the

Three-Fifths Compromise

Under the Constitution, the president of the United States was to be elected by a majority vote of the

electoral college

The Articles of Confederation left Congress unable to

enforce a tax-collection program

Immediately after the Revolution,the new American nation's greatest strength lay in its

excellent political leadership

Shay's Rebellion was provoked by

foreclosures on the mortgages of backcountry farmers