| A | B |
|---|
| Shay's Rebellion | shocked Congress into revising Articles of Confederation |
| republic | a government in which people elect representatives to govern them |
| Articles of Confederation | a document, adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777 and finally approved by the states in 1781, that outlined the form of government of the new United States |
| Territory | region designated by Congress & organized under a governor; could become a state when large enough |
| Northwest Territory | territory covered by the Land Ordinance of 1785. which included land that formed the states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota |
| Northwest Ordinance of 1787 | it described how the Northwest Territory was to be governed and set conditions for settlement and settlers' rights |
| Shay's Rebellion | an uprising of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers in 1787 |
| Constitutional Convention | a meeting held in 1787 to consider changes to the Articles of Confederation; resulted in the drafting of the Constitution |
| James Madison | delegate at Constitutional Convention; known as Father of the Constitution |
| Virginia Plan | a plan proposed by Edward Randolph, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, that proposed a government with three branches and a two-housed legislature in which representation would be based on a state's population or wealth |
| New Jersey Plan | a plan of government proposed at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that called for a one-house legislature in which each state would have one vote |
| Great Compromise | the Constitutional Convention's agreement to establish a two-house national legislature, with all states having equal representation in one house and each state having representation based on its population in the other house |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | the Constitutional Convention's agreement to count three-fifths of a state's slaves as population for purposes of representation and taxation |
| federalism | a system of government where power is shared among the central (or federal) government and the states |
| Federalists | supporters of the Constititution and a strong federal government |
| Antifederalists | those complained Constitution did not list the rights of the people |
| The Federalist papers | a series of essays defending and explaining the Constitution |
| George Mason | most influential Virginian aside from Washington, opposed to the Constitution |
| Bill of Rights | the first 10 ammendments to the U.S. Constitution, added in 1791, and consisting of a formal list of citizens' rights and freedoms |
| arsenal | a place where weapons and ammunition are stored |
| delegates | "well-bred, well-fed, well-read, and well-wed" |
| rule of secrecy | allowed delegates to express opinions without alarming public |
| legislative branch | makes laws |
| executive branch | carry out laws |
| judicial branch | apply & interpret laws |
| compromise | an agreement in which both sides in a dispute agree to give up something they want in order to achieve a settlement |
| 1808 | date agreed upon by delegates before ongress could not interfere with slave trade |
| weakness of Articles of Confederation | national govt could not collect taxes or settle disputes between states |
| strength of Articles of Confederation | did get states to agree on how to develop the western lands acquired by the Treaty of Paris |
| power to make war and peace | given to Congress by Articles of Confederation |
| Electoral College | group established by Constitution to elect president and vice president - chosen by voters in each state |
| ratify | to formally approve a plan or agreement |
| balance interests of large and small states | important challenge facing Constitutional Convent |
| Virginia Plan | called for three branches of government, two houses in Congress both dependent upon population |
| New Jersey Plan | called for 3 branches of government, one house in Congress where each state would have equal vote |
| Northerners | did not want slaves counted as part of population of state |
| Southerners | wanted slaves counted the same as free men in population of state |
