The Constitutional Era

(1781-1789)

•What is a republic?•A representative democracy

•What is the basic principle of republican government?

•The people elect representatives who make the laws.

•What was the first attempt at workable government in the United States?

•The Articles of Confederation

•What was wrong with the government under the Articles of Confederation?

•It was too weak!

•What does a constitution provide?

•The basic framework of a government.

• 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

•What does the legislative branch of a government do?

•Makes the laws

•What does the judicial branch of a government do?

•Interprets or explains the meaning of the laws

•What does the executive branch do?

•Enforces the laws

•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.

•Where did the Constitutional Convention meet?

•Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

What was the Great Compromise or Connecticut Compromise?

• A plan providing for a two-house Congress in which the people would be represented in a House of Representatives and the states in the Senate. In other words, the House of Rep. would be based on population, while each state would have 2 U.S. senators.

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.

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 one vote. This plan benefited small states.

Which one became part of the Constitution: the Va.

Plan, the N.J. Plan, or the Great Compromise?

•The Great Compromise

What was the Great Compromise or Connecticut Compromise?

• A plan providing for a two-house Congress in which the people would be represented in a House of Representatives and the states in the Senate. In other words, the House of Rep. would be based on population, while each state would have 2 U.S. senators.

What is federalism?

•The division of power in the United States between the national government and the state governments.

Who served as chairman of the Constitutional

Convention?

•George Washington

Who is considered the “Father of the Constitution”?

•James Madison

When federal law and state law conflict,

which law is supreme?

•Federal Law

Who leads the executive branch of the federal

government?

•The President

Who leads the judicial branch of the federal

government?

•The Supreme Court

What is the name of the legislative branch of the

federal government?

•Congress

What are the two houses of Congress?

• The House of Representatives

• The United States Senate

How is a state’s membership in the

Senate decided?

•Two senators from each state

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.

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

What is separation of powers?

•The division of power among different branches of government.

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

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

•9

Who were the Federalists during the Constitutional era?

•People who supported the Constitution.

Who were the Anti-Federalists during the

Constitutional era?

•People who opposed the Constitution

What does interstate commerce mean?

•Trade between states

What is the Bill of Rights?

•The first ten amendments to the Constitution

What was the basic idea of the Virginia

Declaration of Rights?

•That government should not violate basic human rights.

Who wrote the Virginia Declaration of

Rights?

•George Mason

Who wrote the Virginia Statute of

Religious Freedom?

•Thomas Jefferson

• 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

What did the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom do?

•Outlawed the established church in Virginia

•Supported the idea of freedom of religion

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

What church was the established church in

colonial Virginia?

•The Anglican church or Church of England

What does the term ratify mean?

•Approve

To what did the phrase “ratification of the

Constitution” refer?• 9 of the states approving

the Constitution so that it would take effect

What First Amendment freedom allows people to

gather at public meetings?

•Freedom of Assembly

What First Amendment freedom allows Americans to

make written requests to make changes in the

government?

•Freedom of Petition

On what document was the Bill of Rights

based?

•The Virginia Declaration of Rights

What is a constitutional amendment?

•An addition to the Constitution

During the state ratifying conventions, what did the Anti-Federalists force the Federalists to promise to

adopt?

•A Bill of Rights