Government Unit 2

Articles of Confederation

was the first attempt to establish a permanent government as a new country

articles of confederation

when was the articles of confederation approved?

november 15th, 1777

when were the articles of confederation ratified?

march 1st, 1781

what were the articles of confederation referred to as?

league of friendship

in the articles of confederation, what was legal authority to the states unless otherwise specified?

jurisdiction

in unicameral congress, how many votes did each state have?

1 vote

in unicameral congress, congress would choose how many of its members to be Presiding Officer annually?

1 member

who was the first presiding officer? what state?

John Hanson (maryland)

in the powers of congress, what did they do?

make war and peace, treaties, establish diplomatic relations, post offices, raise an army by asking states for troops, built a navy, borrow money

in the powers of congress, was there an executive or judicial branch?

no

in the articles of confederation, did they have the power to tax?

no

in the articles of confederation, they got into debt over what?

american revolution

in the articles of confederation, they lacked what to regulate trade amongst states

trade

in the articles of confederation, no authority force states to obey the articles of confederation or ?

federal government decisions

in the articles of confederation, articles could only be changed with approval of ?

all 13 states

in the articles of confederation, could states coin their own currency?

yes

did we win the american revolution?

yes

in the articles of confederation, they dealt with the ?

northwest territory land issue

positives of articles of confederation (all used in constitution)

popular sovereignty, limited government, civil rights/liberties, separation of powers, checks and balances

when was the constitutional convention called?

may 25, 1787

why was the constitutional convention called?

to adress problems

in the constitutional convention, all states except ? sent delegates

rhode island

how many total delegates were at the constitutional convention

55

who was the father of the constitution? also known as the author of the basic plan?

james madison

who unanimously chose to preside

george washington

in the constitutional convention, ?/13 states needed to be present to meet

7

did members eventually agree to a new constitution

yes

did the virginia plan propose a strong executive branch?

yes

did the virginia plan have a national judiciary

yes

which plan had a Strong Bicameral (Two-house) Legislature

virginia plan

which plan states, Representation of legislature based on population

virginia plan

did the new jersey plan propose a strong executive branch?

no

which plan had a national judiciary with limited powers

new jersey plan

which plan had a unicameral legislature with one vote for each state

new jersey plan

what is also known as the Connecticut compromise

the great compromise

did the Connecticut compromise have a bicameral legislative branch (two parts?)

yes

Each enslaved African counts as 3/5 of a person for representation and taxation.

three-fifths compromise

Slavery is not mentioned in the Constitution, however they decided the foreign slave trade could not be banned for

20 years

For the Constitution to become law ? of 13 states had to ratify it.

9

what are the 2 groups of people?

federalists and anti-federalists

what did federalists do?

favor the constitution, anarchy without strong gov., need national army, no bill of rights was needed

what did anti-federalists do

oppose constitution, feared strong gov, wanted bill of rights, ratification process was illegal

process towards ratification: A series of essays called ? were written to help win debate.

the federalist papers

when did the constitution go into effect?

june 21, 1788

when did the constitution debate last till?

may 29, 1790

when was the bill of rights adopted?

1791

when at the time was the nations capital

new york city

congress had approved ? amendments to the constitution

12

the states ratified ?, which became known as the bill of rights

10

People are the source of the government’s power.

popular sovereignty

Each of the three government branches has its own responsibilities.

separation of powers

Each government branch holds some control over the other two branches.

checks and balances

Courts have the power to declare laws and actions of Congress and the President unconstitutional.

judicial review

The Constitution limits the powers of government by making explicit (specific) grants of authority.

limited government

The first ten amendments to the Constitution shield people from an overly powerful government. These amendments are called the Bill of Rights.

individual freedoms

which 2 states would not sign the new constitution until the bill of rights were put in?

new york and virginia

Republicanism is based on the belief that people exercise their power by voting for their political representatives.

republicanism

constitution is divided into 3 parts

preamble, articles, amendments

which article establishes the legislative branch, creates laws in the US, and has the house of reps and senate

article 1

what is the main power given to the legislative branch?

to make laws

This clause gave Congress broad power to make any laws necessary to carry out its powers.

elastic clause

what does article 2 do?

creates an executive branch, enforce the laws passed by congress

what is the main power in the executive branch?

to enforce the laws

what does article 3 do?

establishes supreme court, gives power to national gov to create lower federal courts

? is the head of the judicial branch

supreme court

the united states has two levels of court, ?

federal and state

Explains the relationship of the states to the national government, States must respect the laws of other states, federalism

article 4

Gives procedure for how to change (or amend) the Constitution.

article 5

* Proposed by Congress by 2/3 vote in each house
* Ratified by ¾ of the States

amendment process method 1

* Proposed at a national convention called by Congress when requested by 2/3 of the States
* Ratified by ¾ of the States

amendment process method 2

The supreme laws of the land
The Constitution – Highest legal document
Congressional Law- Laws passed by congress.
Treaties – Deals made with other countries.

article 6

* Article VII addresses ratification.
* 9 of 13 states needed to confirm Constitution.

article 7

what is the purpose of the bill of rights

limit government powers and protect the rights of americans

over time in the bill of rights, limits have been applied to the ? governments too

state

the protections in the bill of rights are/aren’t absolute

are not

how many amendments are there

27

an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide for future and similar circumstances.

precedent

the ? uses precedents to rule on the constitutionality of a law or action

supreme court

Allowed the Supreme Court to review and declare cases constitutional/unconstitutional

marbury v. madison

established judicial review

marbury v. madison

* Established Supremacy Clause and Elastic Clause
* National law is supreme over any state or local law (Supremacy Clause)

mcculloch v. maryland

Congress has implied powers (meaning powers that are not directly written in the Constitution, but are assumed powers to be held) (present day example...nuclear weapons applies to war)

elastic clause

National government given certain specified powers (all other powers given to states/people)

constitution

Specifically denied some powers to each level of government

checks and balances

what are states guaranteed

representative democracy, protection from violence, respect for their territorial integrity

what federal powers?

maintain an army/navy, declare war, coin money, regulate trade between states and countries, make treaties

shared (concurrent) powers are??

make/enforce laws, establish courts, borrow money, secure population, build infrastructure, collect taxes

state powers (denied to federal)

conduct elections, establish schools, regulate business, establish local gov., regulate marriage/divorce, assume other powers not given to federal gov.

how many members in senate?

100

how many members in house of representatives

435

how is it determined many per state? senate and house of reps

every state has two, depends on state population

senate and house of reps length of term

6 years, 2 years

senate elected or appointed? house of reps?

appointed, elected

age requirements for senate and house

30, 25

citizenship requirement in senate and house

9 years, 7 years

leader of the house in senate and house

kamala harris, kevin mccarthy

name 5 jobs for the congress

make impeachments, introduce bills, examine issues, declare war, approve treaties

how is president elected

electoral college

citizenship requirement for president

14 years

presidential powers/duties name 3

commander of army/navy, veto and pass laws, make treaties