17.1 - The Origins of the Constitution Flashcards
(39 cards)
What is a constitution?
A collection of rules, principles and conventions which outlines a political system.
What is the federal government?
The national government of the USA.
What are the three branches of federal government in the USA?
Congress, presidency and the judiciary.
What is federalism?
A system of government in which power and sovereignty are shared between the federal government and individual states.
How old is the US Constitution?
More than 230 years old.
What does the US constitution form the basis of?
Supreme Court rulings
Constraining power of governmental branches
When did the US colonies go into war with the British?
After the Declaration of Independence 1776.
How many US states went into war with the British in 1776?
13.
What article established sovereignty of the states and a weak federal government?
The Articles of Confederation.
Why did the Articles of Confederation come under fire?
Rebellions against the new government.
The weakness of the federal government caused debates for a stronger central government.
What was the Boston Tea Party?
American rebels against British rule.
‘No taxation without representation’
When was the Boston Tea Party?
1773.
What was the First Continental Congress?
A petition to King George III for a redress of its grievances.
What happened after the First Continental Congress?
British goods were boycotted.
When was the First Continental Congress?
1774.
What was the Second Continental Congress?
A congress that established support for the war of independence.
When was the Second Continental Congress?
1775.
What was the Declaration of Independence?
The article that established the 13 colonies as sovereign and legally independent from Great Britain.
When was the Declaration of Independence signed?
1776
When was the federal government first established and at what event?
1777, Second Continental Congress.
How long was the American War of Independence?
1775 - 1783.
What was the Annapolis Convention?
The political gathering which recommended a review to the Articles of Confederation.
Why was the Annapolis Convention called?
Shay’s Rebellion.
What was the Philadelphia Convention?
A replacement for the Articles of Confederation was drafted.
