Chapter 6 Flashcards
Mixed Government
Theory which called for three branches of gov’t each representing one function: executive, legislative, and judicial.
Sig: It created a balance of power authority and ensured the legitimacy of governmental rules.
Pennsylvania Constitution (1776)
A constitution that granted all taxpaying men the right to vote and hold office and created a unicameral (one-house) legislature with complete power.
Sig: Alarmed patriots who wanted to restrict office holding to “men of learning, leisure and easy circumstances” and warned of oppression under majority rule.
Articles of Confederation (1777)
The written document defining the gov’t at that time under which the Union was a confederation of equal states, with no executive and limited powers, existing mainly to foster a common defense.
Sig: The first constitution of the states before being replaced by the Constitution of 1788.
Northwest Ordinance (1787)
A land act that provided for orderly settlement and established a process by which settled territories would become the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Sig: Provided for orderly settlement, slave-free, caused territory tensions with the Indians eventually leading to war.
Shay’s Rebellion
A revolt against taxes imposed by an unresponsive government. Similar to the Stamp Act.
Sig: Showed that many middling Patriot families felt that american oppressors had replaced British tyrants.
Philadelphia Convention
Fifty-five delegates arrived in Philadelphia where the legislature opposed increasing central authority.
Sig:The absence of experienced leaders and opposed delegates allowed capable younger nationalists to set the agenda.
Virginia Plan
A plan by James Madison that designed a powerful three-branch government, with representation in both houses of the congress tied to population.
Sig: This plan would have hid the voice of small states in the national government.
New Jersey Plan
Drafted by delegates from small states, retaining the confederation’s single-house congress with one vote per state.
Sig: This decision raised the odds that the convention would create a more powerful national government.
Federalist
Nationalists that called themselves federalists, suggesting that they supported a federal union.
Sig: They launched a coordinated campaign in pamphlets and newspapers to explain and justify the Philadelphia constitution.
Antifederalists
Opponents of ratification of the Constitution.
Sig: Complained that it failed to guarantee individual liberties in a bill of rights.
Federalists No. 10
An essay by James Madison that argued that a geographically expansive national government would better protect republican liberty.
Sig: Challenged the view that republican governments only worked in small polities.
Judith Sargent Murray
Judith Sargent Murray was perhaps the most accomplished female essayist of the Revolutionary era.
Sig: He advocated for economic independence and better educational opportunities for women.
James Maddison
American statesman, political theorist and the fourth President of the United States.
Sig: He played a major part in creating the U.S. Constitution and devised the Virginia Plan.
