HistoryC7Dunbar Flashcards
from Mr. Tier's Quizlet group, created by Mrs. Dunbar
constitution
plan of government
bicameral
two house
republic
government in which citizens rule through elected representatives
Articles of Confederation
America’s first constitution that created a weak central government and strong state governments
weaknesses of Articles of Confederation
Congress could not: regulate trade, force citizens to join the army, impose taxes
depression
period of slow economic activity and high unemployment
Shays’s Rebellion
angry farmers in Massachusetts fought against state government’s tax on and taking of land; farmers lost, but people realized the states were too powerful and so they started to call for a stronger central government
Constitutional Convention
1787 meeting held in Philadelphia to rewrite the Articles of Confederation to include a stronger central government, but ended in the writing of a new Constititution
James Madison
Virginia planter who took careful notes during the Constitutional Convention; known as the “Father of the Constitution” because he authored the basic plan of government the Convention adopted, the Virginia Plan
Virginia Plan
James Madison’s plan to replace the Articles of Confederation with a strong national government with a two-house legislature made of representatives based on a state’s population
New Jersey Plan
William Patterson’s plan to revise the Articles of Confederation by making the national government stronger and by creating a one-house legislature based on equal representation
equal representation
the number of representatives would be the same for each state
representation based on population
the more people a state has, the more representatives, which means more voice in government and more power
compromise
an agreement between two or more sides in which each side gives up some of what it wants
Great Compromise
each state would get equal representation in the Upper House (Senate) AND representation based on population in the Lower House (House of Representatives)
Three-Fifths Compromise
three-fifths of the slave population (three out of every five slaves) would count in determining a state’s representation
Federalism
sharing of power between federal (central) and state governments
powers that the Constitution gives to the federal government
control trade, control currency, raise an army, declare war
powers kept by the states
regulate trade within their borders, establish local governments and schools, set marriage and divorce laws
powers shared by the federal government and the state governments
power to tax, power to administer criminal justice
Supremacy Clause
Federal laws are supreme to state laws (Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution)
separation of powers
powers within the federal government are divided into three branches and each branch as a separate job; prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful
Legislative Branch
(a.k.a. Congress); includes the House of Representatives and the Senate; main job is to make laws
Executive Branch
headed by the President, and includes the Vice President; main job is to make sure the laws are followed
