| A | B |
|---|
| What was the name of the first U.S. Constitution? | The Articles of Confederation |
| Under the Articles of Confederation how many votes did each state have? | one |
| Why did the writers of the Articles of Confederation purposely create a weak central government? | Fear of a strong central government abusing its power like Britain did |
| What were the five weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation | 1) No power to tax 2) No Power to print money 3) Could not regulate interstate commerce 4) Each state had one regardless of size/population 5) Only one branch of government - legislative |
| List 3 successess of Articles of Confederation | 1) Won Revolutionary War 2) Negotiated Treaty of Paris 3) Northwest Ordinance--way to bring new states into the Union. |
| What was the purpose of the Constitutional Constitution? What did it really do? | To revise (make better) the Articles of Confederation. Actually threw out Articles and started on a new Constitution. |
| Who was the President (Chairman) of the Constitutional Convention? | George Washington |
| Who was known as the Father of the Constitution and why is he called that? | James Madison – he knew a lot about government, took great notes, contributed the Virginia Plan |
| Which plan favored creating a strong central government with three branches? | Virginia Plan |
| How did small states want congressional representation to be determined? | Equal Representation |
| How did large states want congressional representation to be determined? | Population |
| How did The Great Compromise settle the disagreement over representation in the legislature? | The legislative branch would be formed into two branches – The House of Representatives where representation would be based on a state’s population and the Senate where each state would have equal representation with each state having two senators. |
| In regards to representation in Congress why were slaves an issue? | The south wanted to count slaves for representation in Congress, the north did not want them to |
| How was the slave issue resolved in regards to representation in Congress? | The Three-Fifths Compromise where 3 of every 5 slaves would be counted for representation |
| Why did the writers of the Constitution split the government into three branches and what are the names of the three branches? | Another attempt to limit the power of the government – Executive, Legislative, and Judicial |
| What are checks and balances? | Each of the three branches have a certain amount of power over the other two. Example – The President can veto a bill, Congress can override the veto, Judicial Branch can determine a law is unconstitutional |
| The U.S. Constitution created a Federal government. What is Federalism? | Where the national and state governments share power |
| Are the powers of the federal (national) government limited to what it is given in the U.S. Constitution or is the power of the federal government unlimited over the states? | It is limited to what it is given in the U.S. Constitution |
| What did Federalists support? (a strong or weak central government)? | A strong central government |
| Did Federalists support or oppose ratifying the Constitution? | support |
| Today the Federalist tradition is carried on by people who believe in what ideas? | those who see a primary role for the federal government in solving national |
| Which political parties today would have agreed with the Federalists about the role of government? | Democrats |
| Who were some of the Virginia Federalists? | George Washington, James Madison |
| What did Anti-Federalists support? (a strong or weak central government)? | Weak central government |
| 25. Did Anti-Federalists support or oppose ratifying the Constitution? | oppose |
| 26. Today the Anti-Federalist tradition is carried on by people who believe in what ideas? | conservative thinkers who are concerned the government will violate rights and these thinkers champion liberty, individual initiative, and free markets. |
| Which political parties today would have agreed with the Anti-Federalists about the role of government? | Republicans |
| 28. Who were some of the Virginia Anti-Federalists? | Patrick Henry and George Mason |
| 29. What were the Federalist Papers? | They were 85 essays published in New York newspapers supporting the Constitution. These essays helped convince New Yorkers to ratify the Constitution |
| 30. Who were the three men who wrote the Federalist Papers? | The newspaper identified the author as Publius but were actually written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. |
| 31. What convinced the Anti-Federalists to agree to ratify the Constitution? | The promise by Federalists to add a Bill of Rights |
| 32. Who drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights? | George Mason |
| 33. What did the Virginia Declaration of Rights guarantee to all Virginians? | that basic human rights could not be violated by governments |
| 34. Who drafted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom? | Thomas Jefferson |
| 35. What did the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom change in Virginia? | Outlawed the established church (that is, the practice of government support for one favored church) |
| 36. The Virginia Declaration of Rights and Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom influenced James Madison in his writing of which amendments to the Constitution? | Bill of Rights |
| 37. Which amendments are known as the Bill of Rights? | 1-10 |
| What is a tax? | A direct or indirect payment made by a citizen to his or her government |
| What is commerce? | Deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to consumer – |
| What does ratification mean? | The act of giving official approval to a formal document such as a treaty or constitution |
