Unit two: Speech 2 Follow Up Questions

What were some achievements of the government under the Articles of Confederation?

Government signed a treaty of alliance with France in 1778. Government successfully waged a war for independence against the British. Government negotiated an end to the American Revolution in the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783. Government granted the free inhabitants of each state "all the privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several states." Government provided for the eventual admission of Canada into the Confederation. Government passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which allowed the Northwest Territories to organize their own governments. It allowed the eventual admission to the Union of no more than five states, and no fewer than three, "on an equal footing with the original states." The Ordinance also banned slavery from the region. Government established the Departments of Foreign Affairs, War, Marine, and Treasury

If a new Constitutional convention were to be called in America, what would be the major issues that would be debated?

Immigration, The economy, Gun Control, Health Care, and Government spending.

What made the NJ plan so objectionable to some at Philadelphia?

It was an alternative plan that would have kept the one-vote-per-state representation under one legislative body from the Articles of Confederation. The New Jersey Plan was opposed by James Madison and Edmund Randolph (the proponents of the Virginia state Plan). Keeping things this way would be redundant seeing that it wasn't effective before.

Why did the Framers fear a strong central government?

Many Anti-Federalists preferred a weak central government because they equated a strong government with British tyranny. Others wanted to encourage democracy and feared a strong government that would be dominated by the wealthy. They felt that the states were giving up too much power to the new federal government.

How does the Constitution balance state powers with powers granted to the national government?

The constitution of the united states distributed powers and responsibilities among national and state governments. The constitution delegated enumerated powers and implied powers to the national government. The Tenth-amendment, ratified by the states in 1791, reserved for the states and the people all powers that the constitution did not delegate to the national government. State governments created local governments with whom the shared their reserved powers.

What made the Virginia Plan so objectionable to some at Philadelphia?

The less populous states were adamantly opposed to giving most of the control of the national government to the more populous states

How did the rebellion led by a Daniel Shay indirectly lead to the demise of the Articles of Confederation

Although plans for a Constitutional Convention were already under way, the uprising in Massachusetts led to further calls for a stronger national government and influenced the ensuing debate in Philadelphia that led to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution in the summer of 1787.

What are the pros and cons of a confederate system of government?

Confederacies are a unified body of individual states or provincial units. These peripheral units are stronger than the union. They coexist, but maintain their separate identities. Each region, canton, or province is considered equal, and has a say in shaping the nature of central authority. Cooperation: Every state is an independent and sovereign unit of the federation. Agreement among these equals makes decisions over common issues easier. The flow of power is from the periphery to the center, which ultimately rests on the principle of cooperation among the confederates, at least over common concerns. Decentralization of Power: States being the decision makers, this governance is completely contrary to the unitary form of government. Thus, legislation and execution is divided among the provincial and local governments. Local governance minimizes the growth of the center, and reduces the risk of it turning into a dominant union or tyranny. Cons: If the central government derives its authority from the states, it is bound to become weak. The member states have majority of the legislative powers, thus, leaving the center with no right to make or enforce laws. Also, significant subjects of national interest, like international treaties, issue of currency, or maintenance of an army may not be handled by the center. Financial Powers: A major drawback of the confederate government style is that, the center does not enjoy any power regarding taxation. Levying of or appropriation of taxes in order to regulate the national revenue model is not the function of the central government. Regulation of the monetary system, budgeting, and monitoring the growth of the nation does not follow a uniform policy.

On what fundamental principles were the Framers in agreement?

Stronger national government, Fair Representation,

Why was the 3/5ths Compromise created?

The 3/5 Compromise was created to establish whether slaves would be counted towards the number of representatives in the House. Southerners considered their slaves the same as Northern freemen. But the Northerners opposes this idea because the south had more slaves therefore each space would be counted as 3/5 a person when computing direct taxes.

What instructions were given to the delegates? Did they have the right to ignore those instructions?

The Continental Congress were suppose "to devise such further provisions as shall appear to them necessary to render the constitution of the Federal Government adequate to the exigencies of the Union." They did have to right to ignore these instructions.

How did the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan differ? How did these plans reflect differences between states?

The Virginia Plan called for three branches of government and two houses of Congress. Representation in each house would be determined by population. The New Jersey Plan called for three branches of government and a single house of Congress. Each state would have an equal vote. Virginia Plan wanted Congress to be based on population, but certain states are bigger than others ex: Virginia to New Jersey

Describe some of the major problems the young nation faced during the period of the Articles of Confederation

Under the Articles of Confederation, states retained their freedom and independence. Each of the 13 states had a vote in the weak national Congress (appointed by the state governments), while a vote of 9 states was required in order to pass any laws and a unanimous vote of all 13 states was required for the Articles to be amended. The national Congress was also denied the power to tax, so it could not pay for the army and navy needed to defend the nation. The result of this decentralized approach was that each state functioned in many ways as an independent country. Several states negotiated their own trade agreements with those countries that the king had previously convinced not to have a relationship with the colonies, while other states established their own militaries. The result of these state actions was that the states did not function as a nation. Fears emerged that 13 states functioning as independent countries would make the nation vulnerable. Together the lack of powers held by the weak national Congress coupled with each state's independent and often conflicting actions, raised concerns that the Articles of Confederation were not designed in a way to protect the new nation

Does the Constitution secure the individuals right to vote?

Yet courts and citizens remain oddly am- bivalent about it; it is common to regard voting as a "privilege," an incident of citizenship granted to some but not all. ... In the Fifteenth Amendment, the right to vote is not to be "denied or abridged on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."