| A | B |
|---|
| Constitutional Convention | 1787 in Philadelphia; intended to revise Articles of Confederation; goal: to create stronger central government and still allow states' rights |
| Virginia Plan | proposed by James Madison; called for strong central government with two house legislature all based on population; large states liked it; small states didn't |
| New Jersey Plan | Each state would get one vote, because we're a nation of states. Big states said No Way! |
| Great Compromise | Roger Sherman's idea: two house Congress, with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate with two states each; also known as the Connecticut Compromise |
| 3/5th Compromise | Counted each person who was a slave as three fifths of a free person. A gain for the South, giving them more seats in the House of Representatives. It made slavery a more permanent part of the US government. |
| Slavery Compromise of the Convention | Ships would be allowed to bring slaves for 20 years; after 1808, Congress would ban transportation of slaves into states, but trade within states would not be affected. |
| Roger Sherman | Although he created the Great Compromise, he also believed house members should be elected by legislatures because voters could be misled. |
| Federalists | wanted stronger central government |
| Anti-Federalists | afraid Constitution would weaken states' rights; concerned the Constitution had no Bill of Rights |
| bicameral | two houses; the US Congress is made up of two houses/chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives |
| Senate representation | The state legislatures named the US Senators. This was changed to regular elections in 1912. |
| House of Reps representation | Elected by the people, both then and now. |
| Fugitive Slave Clause | Article 4, Section 2 of the US Constitution said that escaped slaves must be returned to their enslavers. |
| federalism (lower case "f") | the idea that power should be shared by the federal/national government and the state governments |
