The Constitutional Era

1. The Constitutional Era (1781-1789)

2. What is a republic? • A representative democracy

3. What is the basic principle of republican government? • The people elect representatives who make the laws.

4. What was the first attempt at workable government in the United States? • The Articles of Confederation

5. What was wrong with the government under the Articles of Confederation? • It was tooweak!

6. What does a constitution provide? • The basic framework of a government.

7. Name 5 factors that made the national government under the Articles weak? • 1) only a legislative branch; 2) Congress had no power to tax; 3) no national currency; 4) each state had 1 vote in the Confederation Congress; 5) no executive and no judicial branch

8. What does the legislative branch of a government do? • Makes the laws

9. What does the judicial branch of a government do? • Interprets or explains the meaning of the laws

10. What does the executive branch do? • Enforces the laws

11. What is a compromise? • An agreement in which both sides get part of what they want, but neither side gets all of what it wants.

12. Where did the Constitutional Convention meet? • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

13. What was the Great Compromise or Connecticut Compromise? • A plan providing for a two-houseCongress in which the people would be represented in a House ofRepresentatives and the states in the Senate. In other words, the House ofRep. would be based on population, while each state would have 2 U.S. senators.

14. What was the Virginia Plan? • A framework proposed by the Virginia delegation to the Constitutional Convention under which the national government would have a legislature consisting of two houses. Representation in both houses would be based on population. Big states would have more representatives.

15. What was the New Jersey Plan? • A framework proposed by the New Jersey delegation to the Constitutional Convention under which the national government would have a legislature consisting of one house. Under the New Jersey Plan each state had onevote. This plan benefited small states.

16. Which one became part of the Constitution: the Va. Plan, the N.J. Plan, or the Great Compromise? • The Great Compromise

17. What was the Great Compromise or Connecticut Compromise? • A plan providing for a two-houseCongress in which the people would be represented in a House ofRepresentatives and the states in the Senate. In other words, the House ofRep. would be based on population, while each state would have 2 U.S. senators.

18. What is federalism? • The division of power in the United States between the national government and the state governments.

19. Who served as chairman of the Constitutional Convention? • George Washington

20. Who is considered the “Father of the Constitution”? • James Madison

21. When federal law and state law conflict, which law is supreme? • Federal Law

22. Who leads the executive branch of the federal government? • The President

23. Who leads the judicial branch of the federal government? • The Supreme Court

24. What is the name of the legislative branch of the federal government? • Congress

25. What are the two houses of Congress? • The House of Representatives • The United States Senate

26. How is a state’s membership in the Senate decided? • Two senators from each state

27. How is a state’s membership in the House of Rep. Decided? • By Population; States with large populations have more representatives than states with small populations.

28. What was the three-fifths compromise? • A compromise between the northern and southern states • Slaves would count as 3/5 of a person in figuring the slave states’ population for representation in the House of Representatives

29. What is separation of powers? • The division of power among different branches of government.

30. What is the checks and balances system? • A system of government by which each branch of government can check or stop the actions of the other branches

31. How many states had to ratify or approve the Constitution before it could take effect? • 9

32. Who were the Federalists during the Constitutional era? • People who supported the Constitution.

33. Who were the Anti-Federalists during the Constitutional era? • People who opposed the Constitution

34. What does interstate commerce mean? • Trade between states

35. What is the Bill of Rights? • The first ten amendments to the Constitution

36. What was the basic idea of the Virginia Declaration of Rights? • That government should not violate basic human rights.

37. Who wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights? • George Mason

38. Who wrote the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom? • Thomas Jefferson

39. What two documents did Madison consult when he was working on the Bill of Rights? • The Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom

40. What did the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom do? • Outlawed the established church in Virginia • Supported the idea of freedom of religion

41. What rights does the First Amendment guarantee? • Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and the right of petition

42. What church was the established church in colonial Virginia? • The Anglican church or Church of England

43. What does the term ratify mean? • Approve

44. To what did the phrase “ratification of the Constitution” refer? • 9 of the states approving the Constitution so that it would take effect

45. What First Amendment freedom allows people to gather at public meetings? • Freedom of Assembly

46. What First Amendment freedom allows Americans to make written requests to make changes in the government? • Freedom of Petition

47. On what document was the Bill of Rights based? • The Virginia Declaration of Rights

48. What is a constitutional amendment? • An addition to the Constitution

49. During the state ratifying conventions, what did the Anti-Federalists force the Federalists to promise to adopt? • A Bill of Rights