Chapter 2 Flashcards
(37 cards)
Representative government
Public policies are made by officials selected by the voters and held accountable in periodic elections
Limited government
Basic principle of government which states that government. Is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that the government cannot take away
Magna Carta
Or the great charter, king john was forced to sign in 1215 the Magna Carta was created as protection against the arbitrary acts by the king
Petition of right
Limited the kings power, mainly demanded he no longer imprison people based on personal preference but allow the actual law to carry out justice when needed
English bill of rights
Prohibited a standing army In peace time, except with the consent of parliament, and required all parliamentary elections be free, also included right to a fair trial as well as freedom from excessive bail and from cruel and unusual punishment
Charter
A written grant of authority from the king
Bicameral
The lower house of a bicameral two house legislature was elected by those property owners qualified to vote, the laws passed had to be approved by the governor and the crown
Proprietary
By 1775 there were three proprietary colonies, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Organized by a proprietor, a person who the king had made a grant of land.
Unicameral
Consists of only one house of government
Confederation
A joining of several groups for a common purpose
Albany plan of union
Joined to discuss the problems of colonial trade and the danger of the attacks by the French and their Native American allies
Delegates
One person from each of the 13 colonies to be a representative and together the group would make major decisions
Popular sovereignty
The people are the source of any and all governmental power, and government can exist only with the consent of the governed
Articles of confederation
Established a firm league of friendship among the states
Our first constitution, first official government
Written 1777 took effect in 1781 after all 13 ratified
Only legislative branch
Articles contained to many weaknesses to be an effective government.
Weaknesses in the articles of confederation
No judicial or executive branches
Congress could not tax or regulate trade
9/13 to pass laws 13/13 to amend articles
4. Friends of states, and states got one vote regardless of size.
Ratification
Form of approval
Governmental structure
Set up by the articles, it was simple
Had no executive or judicial branch
It was unicameral
Powers of congress
War and peace Send and receive ambassadors Make treaties Borrow money Set up a money system Establish post offices Build a navy Raise an army by asking the states for troops Fix uniform standards of weights and measures Settle disputes among states
State obligations
States agreed to
Provide funds and troops requested by congress
Treat citizens of states fairly
Give full faith and credit to public acts
Records, and judicial proceedings or every other state
Surrender fugitives
Submit their disputes to congress For settlement
And allow open travel
Critical period 1780s
Economic troubles
States could not solve their own problems by working together to solve them
Lack of respect by foreign nations
Needed to change national government or states may not survive
Mount Vernon
Maryland and Virginia were having bitter trade disputed so the Virginia general assembly called for a joint meeting of all the states to consider a federal plan for regulating commerce
Annapolis
The joint meeting opened, and after that another meeting was called in Philadelphia
The Philadelphia meeting
Turned into the constitutional convention, what began as an assembly to revise the articles of confederation, soon turned into a meeting to create a whole new government, the government would derive it’s power from a constitution
The Philadelphia convention
Summer 1787 to amend or revise the articles of confederation
12/13 states participated
Delegates agree to abolish articles of confederation
