midterm Flashcards
what was the result of the seven years war and how did it affect the relationship between the parliament and the North American colonies?
British were the victors
the war was expensive and because of this the parliament charged the North American colonies a lot of money in taxes such as the stamp and sugar act which the colonists did not find fair because they did not have representation
what sort of policies did the British government adopt after the seven years war?
they have taxes like the stamp act which charged printed goods, the revenue act which prevented merchants from evading trade duties, and the sugar act which all was to help pay for the debts
why did the colonists feel the new taxes imposed on them by parliament was unfair?
they did not have representation in parliament: no taxation without representation
how did parliament justify the taxes on the colonists?
parliament thought that the British and the colonists were the same, englishmen, therefore they said there was a theory of virtual representation with the British empire
the declaratory act affirmed that parliament had the right to impose taxes on the colonists
what was the theory of virtual representation?
the parliament had the right to represent all of the British subjects even if they were in different districts because they were all apart of the British empire
what global empire event led to the tea act?
the Boston massacre and reveres over exaggeration
what was the significance of local committees of safety?
they were groups of colonists who were meant to intimidate those who were loyal to the king
how was the local committees of safety a laboratory for democracy?
by disrupting the all powerful rule of parliament they decided to follow parliament with stipulations that they decided and if they were not accepted they were ready for war
who was Thomas Paine and what did he argue?
he wrote Common Sense which was a book most colonists could read that pointed out of flaws of tyranny within parliament bc the rich were those in charge stepping on the backs of the poor
he argued for free elections and was against war
he drew on Lockes ideas of individuals possessing inalienable rights to life liberty and property that the government must always protect
what was the intellectual basis for the declaration of independence?
common sense by Paine, enlightenment themes of self evident truths, peoples right to govern themselves, separation of powers, and Lockes life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness
all men created equal, the government gets its power form the people
how did the declaration of independence redefine American liberty?
it defined them as an independent new nation as well as the idea of popular sovereignty
what was the first written constitution of the US? and how were the powers divided? how did the national congress function under it?
the articles of confederation
national power was weak because centralized power was feared there was a loose union and each state had one vote regardless of size
the national congress needed 9 out of 13 states to agree to pass important laws and changes to the AOC required unanimous votes
what were written constitutions and parliament based on and what did this lead to?
popular sovereignty and the rise of the centralized nation state
how did the British view parliament and how did the colonists?
the colonists saw it as a system of unequal parts while the British thought they were all the same
what was the sons of liberty and why did they come about?
they were colonists who revolted against the rule of the parliament by attacking those loyal to the British rule and they came about in response to what the colonists felt was unfair rule by parliament
how did the colonists oppose the stamp act?
they did not trade with Britain which led to the repeal of the act
what was the declaratory act?
parliament saying that they had the right to rule over the colonists
what was the Boston massacre?
British troops went to the colonies to enforce the laws and a few people were murdered because of the accidental fire of a weapon, it was not a massacre, it was blown out of proportion
what was the Boston tea party?
American merchants did not agree with the east India company tea exploit so they dumped it into the harbor
what were the intolerable acts?
parliament trying to stop the colonists from disobeying after the Boston tea party
what were the Townsend duties?
new taxes some of which involved quartering British troops
what was the olive branch petition?
the last attempt of the colonists to be on the British side by stating their rules and if they were not followed they were ready for war
How did Anti-Federalist concerns raised during the ratification process lead to the creation of the Bill of Rights?
Anti-Federalist concerns raised during the ratification process lead to the Bill of Rights because they wanted to change the government, which they did not like. And the Bill of Rights gave them freedom of speech and the press it gave them protection of their rights.
what did the first written constitution of the us hope to do and what were its strengths and weaknesses
strengths were they could declare war make treaties with foreign nations, mediate issues between states, get funds from the states, and print and borrow money
weaknesses were no executive branch, couldn’t enforce treaties, couldn’t tax the state or the people
what was the most significant accomplishment of the national government under it ?
the articles of confederation provided a unified government during the revolution, it also helped americans to see flaws within the system which gave life to the constitution, established a process where new territories could be admitted into the united states
who were the most vocal leaders for a strong national government?
Madison Hamilton and mason and their allies were the federalists because they also believed in a strong national government
what did they hope to create by building a powerful national government
Federalists argued for a strong national government and the protection of the people’s rights. Therefore, they wanted a strong central government so that the country could be more stable and could have an economic climate that was more suited to the creation of businesses and economic growth.
what groups were the leaders for a strong national government’s allies
the federalists
What was the Virginia Plan and what was the compromise given to smaller states who feared being gobbled up by the bigger states?
they proposed that they create a 3 branch system with checks and balances and that the states were represented based upon their population, but each state also had equivalent representation in congress no matter the population
What were the two basic political principles embodied by the US Constitution? How do those principles dictate how the government should be structured?
federalism also known as a division of powers and checks and balances known as separation of power
it showed that the government had different divisions of power within itself and it would be unlikely to become tyrannical because the power was separated and checked by those in different branches
How did slavery affect each state’s representation in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College after the Constitutional Convention? What other concessions did the southern slave owners receive from the convention?
there was the 3/5ths compromise which accounted for the slave population which gave slave states more of a population although the slaves were not counted as full people
Explain the arguments made by Federalists in support of the Constitution.
they wanted a loose representation of the constitution
required to safeguard the liberty and justice of the American people
What were the main arguments made by Anti-Federalists against the Constitution?
they were scared that the government would become corrupt and turn into a tyranny and create political corruption
they thought the rise of the national government would deplete the state governments there was also a lack of protection for individual liberties
How did Anti-Federalist concerns raised during the ratification process lead to the creation of the Bill of Rights?
this fear of not having individual liberties was silenced with the bill of rights because some of the abstract concepts in the constitution were specifically stated and laid out the rules
what were the three compromises needed to be reached at the constitutional convention?
3/5ths compromise: slave state representation
electoral college: how the president is elected
the great compromise: federal gov’t representation
