Constitutional Convention Slideshow

What was the Articles of Confederation?

the document that established the weak union of the states and the weak central government after the Revolutionary War

What was the main weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

The central government had limited power while the state governments had most of the power, so the central government had no power in managing taxes and the economy

Why did the people create a weak central government under the Articles of Confederation?

People were afraid of creating a strong central government like Britain.

What was Shay’s Rebellion?

an armed uprising by farmers and Revolutionary War soldiers in Masssachusetts

What caused Shay’s Rebellion?

The state government overtaxed farmers and took their land to pay state war debt.

What happened in Shay’s Rebellion?

Rebels used weapons to close down courthouses to prevent the state government from taking their farms and forced debtors’ prisons to close.

What was the impact of Shay’s Rebllion?

The issues of the Articles of Confederation had to be addressed, leading to the Constitutional Convention, which resulted in the Constitution.

What was the significance of having George Washington and Benjamin Franklin at the Constitional Convention?

This guaranteed that the public would trust and support the final decision.

List 3 facts about the Federalists.

supported the Constitution, believed that too much democracy was the greatest threat, wanted to give more power to the central government and remove some power from state governments

List 3 facts about the Anti-Fedralists.

opposed the Constitution, feared a strong central government would take away their freedom, wanted state government to be more powerful than the central government

Why did the Federalists win in the Constitutional Convention?

George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were on their side, they used pamphlets, and they were better organized and funded.

What does it mean that the Constitution was the “supreme law of the land.”

No law could be made against the Constitution.

What did the Virginia Plan propose?

representation based on population

What states did the Virginia Plan favor?

large states

What did the New Jersey Plan propose?

equal representation for each state

What states did the New Jersey Plan favor?

small states

What was the Great Compromise?

The Senate would have two members per state and the House of Representatives would be based on population.

What did the Southern states want that led to the Three-Fifths Compromise?

to count slaves as part of their population to increase representation in Congress

What didn’t the Southern states like that led to the Three-Fifths Compromise?

Increasing Southern states’ population would increase taxes because taxes were based on population.

Did the North support or oppose adding slaves to the Southern states’ population?

oppose

What is the system of checks and balances?

Each branch of the government can check (limit) the power of the other branches, creating a balance in the power of all three branches.

What is a consequence of the separation of powers?

Decisions take a long time to process.

The Constitution created a federal republic. What does federal mean?

central and state governments share power

The Constitution created a federal republic. What does republic mean?

people elect representatives

Why is the Constitution considered a “living” document?

because it adapts to the ever-changing world

What is the purpose of the Amendment Process?

to allow the government to change the Constitution as needed e.g. nuclear power, space exploration

What was the strongest criticism of the Constitution, which prevented some states from ratifying it?

The Anti-Federalists believed that the separation of powers alone was not enough to prevent tyranny and protect people’s rights.

Why did the new Congress create the Bill of Rights?

because Anti-Federalists believed that the separation of powers was not enough to prevent tyranny