U.S. History Chapter 7 Test

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution which were ratified on December 15, 1791, and written by James Madison: guarantees civil rights and liberties that citizens of the United States have.

Virginia Plan

"Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation.

U.S. Constitution

"The supreme law of the land." Written in 1787 at Philadelphia Convention to replace Articles of Confederation and create stronger central government. Outlines structure & power of 3 branches of national government. Oldest written constitution still in use.

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)

How many amendments does the Constitution have?

27

Ordinance of 1784

A law drafted by Thomas Jefferson that regulated land ownership and defined the terms by which western land would be marketed and settled; it established stages of self-government for the West. First Congress would govern a territory; then the territory would be admitted to the Union as a full state.

Ordinance of 1785

A law that set rules for surveying and selling land in the Northwest Territory. This method is still used today.

Three-Fifths Clause

A provision signed into the Constitution in 1787 that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted in determining each state's representation in the House of Representatives and its electoral votes for president.

Shay's Rebellion

A series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.

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

2nd Amendment (Bill of Rights)

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.: Right to keep and bear arms.

Where can the different slave clauses be found and what do they mean?

Article 1, Section 2; 3/5's clause - which greatly increased the number of votes that the southern states had in the House of Representatives. Article 1, Section 9; suspends the trade of slaves no earlier than 1808. (Slave Trade Clause) Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3; addresses that if someone flees from labor and is found in another state, then they are not freed, rather sent back to their owner (Fugitive Slave Clause).

What were the ideas and motivations that pushed Americans to expand west?

Americans wanted to expand west in search of owning more land and they also believed that the west should not be controlled by the Indians. The government encouraged the westward expansion of white settlement.

Anti-Federalists

Anti-Federalists rose up as the opponents of the Constitution during the period of ratification. They opposed the Constitution's powerful centralized government, arguing that the Constitution gave too much political, economic, and military control. They instead advocated a decentralized governmental structure that granted most power to the states

separation of powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law

Consitutional Convention

Convention that met in Philadelphia in 1787 that drafted the Constitution of the United States.

Northwestern Ordinance of 1787

Created a policy for administering the Northwest Territories. Organized the structure of the territories (split up sections of land into townships-36 square miles), included a path to statehood, and forbade the expansion of slavery into the territories. (182)

Article 1 of the Constitution

Creates legislative powers = congress - made up of senate and house of representatives

5th Amendment (Bill of Rights)

Due process of law- no self-incrimination, don't have to testify against yourself

*The Federalist*

Essays promoting ratification of the Constitution, published anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name, Publius, in 1787 and 1788.

4th Amendment (Bill of Rights)

Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure

1st Amendment (Bill of Rights)

Freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition from the government.

Treaty of Greenville

Gave America all of Ohio after General Mad Anthony Wayne battled and defeated the Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. 1795 Allowed Americans to explore the area with peace of mind that the land belonged to America and added size and very fertile land to America.

How did the idea of citizenship change in the first half of the nineteenth century.

It changed when America purchased land - like the Louisiana territory — residents of that territory could choose to become an American citizen or not. There was no commonly agreed upon understanding of the rights that went with being a citizen or how the federal government guaranteed these rights.

8th Amendment (Bill of Rights)

No cruel and unusual punishment

3rd Amendment (Bill of Rights)

No quartering of troops: written based on the Intolerable Acts.

Article 5 of the Constitution

Outlines the process for amending or changing the Constitution - if 2/3 of both houses agree.

Article 7 of the Constitution

Outlines the process for ratification of the Constitution - saying that at the time only 9 states were needed to ratify the Constitution.

Article 4 of the Constitution

Outlines the rights and expectations for all states and citizens including the adding of new states. It says public records shall be shared between states, people will be tried for their crimes in the state they were committed in, it allows Congress to admit new states, and it gives each of the states protection from foreign invasion.

10th Amendment (Bill of Rights)

Powers Reserved to the States

Notes on the State of Virginia

Published by Thomas Jefferson in 1785, the book compared the white and black races, claiming that blacks lacked the qualities that made freedom and loyalty to the nation possible—the capacity for self-control, reason, and devotion to the larger community.

6th Amendment (Bill of Rights)

Right to a speedy and public trial

7th Amendment (Bill of Rights)

Right to a trial by jury in civil cases

9th Amendment (Bill of Rights)

Rights reserved for the people; says that citizens have rights not mentioned in the Constitution

Article 2 of the Constitution

Section of the Constitution lays out powers and responsibilities of the Executive Branch - gives power to the President and Vice-President

Article 3 of the Constitution

Section of the Constitution lays out powers and responsibilities of the Judicial Branch - the Supreme Court and all the courts underneath the Supreme Court. It establishes the judicial court of the federal government and introduces the powers of the court.

What segment of the population made up the Anti-Federalists, and why did they oppose the ratification of the Constitution? Why did Federalists like Madison argue that a Constitution was necessary? Why were the Federalists successful?

State politicians and small farmers made up the Anti-Federalists. They opposed the ratification of the Constitution because they felt that the constitution protected slavery (meaning they did not support slavery) and they wanted power to be in the state - as they were worried that the common people would be dominated by the well-borne. They also wanted limited government and a Bill of Rights. Federalists like Madison argued that a Constitution was necessary because they needed the division of powers (between the national government and the state government) and a system of checks and balances between the different branches of the national government. The Federalists were successful because they were able to make many pamphlets to spread their message that their liberties would not be in danger. They were able to communicate this through the Federalist essays, because of its checks and balances and division of power saying their liberties would not be in danger — saying that the Constitution would make tyranny in the United States almost impossible. Anti-Federalists were not able to spread their word as easily because they did not have the same funding.

Article 6 of the Constitution

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

annuity system

System of yearly payments to Native American tribes by which the federal government justified and institutionalized its interference in Indian tribal affairs.

What events and ideas led to the belief in 1786 and 1787 that the Articles of Confederation were not working well?

The Ordinance of 1784, 1785, and the North-West Ordinance of 1787, and Shay's Rebellion all led to the belief that the Articles of Confederation were not working well because the government realized that they had no means of regulating or imposing taxes and commerce, and its revenue only came from contributions from individual states and they were falling into debt and couldn't change anything in The Articles of Confederation without the unanimous consent of all the states.

Explain how the Ordinances of 1784, 1785, and 1787 and Shays' Rebellion all contributed to the commonly held view that a stronger central government was necessary.

The Ordinances of 1784, 1785, and 1787 and Shays' Rebellion all contributed to the commonly held view that a stronger central government was necessary They needed a specific guide for the settlement and division of the territories - that is why they created all these ordinances, to basically create a systematic subdivision of the land on a grid system. The basic unit of land was the town-ship. They thought that a stronger central government was necessary because it would then allow the federal government to have the ability to create the systematic subdivisions of land, and bring different lands together into the creation of a state.

How did the Constitution address the status of American slavery?

The constitution did not mention the word "slave" or "slavery" at all, however it did address slavery. The constitution prohibited the importation of slavery until 1808 in the Slave Trade Clause and Fugitive Slave Clause - mentioning if a slave has run away from their owner, they are to be sent back to their owner.

empire of liberty

The idea, expressed by Jefferson, that the United States would not rule its new territories as colonies, but rather would eventually admit them as full member states.

How did the limited central government created by the Articles of Confederation reflect the issues behind the Revolution and fears for individual liberties?

The limited central government that was created by the Articles of Confederation reflected the issues of trying to protect their liberty and they (the people) were trying to have a strong central government that was not based on the European monarchies. And find a balance of both liberty and power.

What were the major arguments in support of the Constitution given by the Federalists?

The major arguments in support of the Constitution given by the Federalists was the document called "The Federalist" which composed of 85 essays all in favor of Federalism, which said that the checks and balances and the division of power would mean that tyranny would be almost impossible. They argued that they had created a government with the perfect balance between liberty and power. They had a new vision of the relationship between government and society, which was much different than that of the European societies.

The Constitution has been described as a "bundle of compromises." Which compromises were the most significant in shaping the direction of the new nation and why?

The most significant compromise that the Constitution created in shaping the direction of the new nation embodies two basic political principles: division of power and checks and balances. The creation of checks and balances kept any branch from having more power than the other. Virginia plan wanted a 2 house legislature but the number of votes was determined by the size of the state, while the New Jersey Plan wanted a one-house legislature with one vote per state. they had to compromise about what the people of the united states would do and they made a two House Congress: composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the Senate had two delegates per state to represent them, and the House of Representatives was based on a state's population.

New Jersey Plan

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population.

What was the purpose of the Articles of Confederation? Why did many federalists view them as inadequate over time? Use evidence to support your answer.

The purpose of Articles of Confederation was to create a centralized government and help let the states know that a centralized power did not pose a threat to liberty. Federalists viewed them as inadequate over time because it only had power to declare war, conduct foreign affairs, make treaties with other governments — and it (congress) had no real financial resources. It could make money but lacked the power to levy taxes or regulate commerce, its revenue came mainly from the contributions of states. It also required unanimous consent from every state to make a change in the Articles of Confederation.

How did the Constitution address the question of who is an American citizen?

The word citizen appears in the Constitution many times but is not given any definition. One provision known as the comity clause says that states cant discriminate between "privileges and immunities" of citizens and their sates, meaning each "citizen" had equal rights no matter what state you lived in. The president also has to be a "natural-born" citizen (born in the US) suggesting that one must be born in the United States to become a citizen.

What were the major arguments against the Constitution put forth by the Anti-Federalists?

They believed that the balance between liberty and power was too focused on power. They wanted more power to be given to the states, and wanted less of that of the federal government. They were worried that the Constitution protected slavery (allowing slavery to continue)- anti-federalists were probably abolitionists in the North. They wanted a self-government which flourished in small communities (like state governments). They feared that the well-borne would dominate the common people.

Federalism

a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states

Gradual Emancipation

a method of abolishing slavery slowly so that the transition from a slave to a wage labor system is less disruptive.

division of powers

the principle that sovereignty should be divided between the federal government and the states especially as expressed by the Constitution of the U.S.