Unit 5 Flashcards
(51 cards)
What is a Constitution?
Documents that set out the basic laws, principles, organization, and processes of a government.
What is a Confederation?
Alliance of independent states.
What is an Economic depression?
A period when business activity slows, prices and wages fall, and unemployment rises.
Why did each of the 13 states create a constitution?
To spell out rights of the citizens and set limits on the power of the government.
What is the Bill of Rights?
List of freedoms that the government promises to protect.
Virginia’s bill of rights guaranteed trial by jury, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press.
What were the voting requirements for each state?
White, male, and over the age of 21, own property and pay taxes.
For a short time, women could vote in New Jersey.
What were the Articles of Confederation?
The first constitution or set of rules for the USA, creating 13 separate countries loosely connected in times of war.
What powers did the federal government have under the Articles of Confederation?
The federal government was weak with little power; states had all power.
What problems did the new nation face?
States fought over land, owed money to foreign nations and private citizens, and Congress had no power to tax.
British would not leave forts in Ohio, and Spain closed New Orleans to the U.S.
What was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?
Established new states in Ohio; once an area had 60,000 people, they could become a state, set up public schools, and slavery was not allowed.
What was Shays’ Rebellion?
A rebellion in Massachusetts caused by raised taxes, leading to land loss for many.
It caused all states to agree to meet in Philadelphia in 1787.
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
States had too much power, and the federal government could not tax or raise an army.
What is a Compromise?
A solution in which each side gives up some of its demands to reach an agreement.
Who is James Madison?
Delegate from Virginia at the Constitutional Convention, known as the ‘Father of the Constitution.’
Who is Alexander Hamilton?
Delegate from New York at the Constitutional Convention who wanted a strong federal government.
Who was the president of the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington.
What are the 3 branches of the Federal government?
Executive branch (President), Legislative branch (Congress), Judicial branch (Supreme Court).
According to the Virginia Plan, how would the legislature be set up?
Consisted of two houses with representatives based on population.
Who wrote the New Jersey Plan and how did it differ from the Virginia Plan?
William Paterson wrote it; it had only one house in the legislature.
Who wrote the Great Compromise and what did it establish?
Roger Sherman wrote it; it established the current government structure with 3 branches and a bicameral legislature.
What was the disagreement between northern and southern states?
How slaves would be counted towards the population for the House of Representatives.
What did the ⅗ Compromise say?
If a state had 5,000 enslaved residents, 3,000 would be included in the state’s population count.
When was the Constitution ratified?
September 17, 1787.
