the constitution and the early republic

Define Articles of Confederation.

• America’s first national government that formed a loose alliance of states with a weak central government.

• It gave most power to the states and very little to the national government.

• The national government could not tax or enforce laws.

Define Shay’s Rebellion.

• A 1786 uprising by Massachusetts farmers protesting high taxes and debt, which showed the national government was too weak to keep order.

• Farmers were upset about property loss and unpaid war debts.

• It convinced many leaders that a stronger central government was needed.

Define Constitutional Convention.

• A 1787 meeting in Philadelphia where delegates met to fix the Articles of Confederation and instead created the U.S. Constitution.

• It was held because the Articles of Confederation were too weak to run the country.

• Delegates from most states attended to discuss a stronger national government.

Define Federalists.

• Supported the idea of a strong central government.

• Made up mostly of wealthy urban merchants with property.

• Endorsed the Constititution but thought the Articles of Confederation were weak.

• Convinced that a strong central government was necessary to effectively govern the nation; believed checks and balances built in the Constitution were adequate to protect individual liberties.

• Believed including a Bill of Rights in the Consitution was unnecessary, since state governments protected individual rights.

Define Anti-Federalists.

• Supported the idea of a weaker central government.

• Made up moslty of lower-class rural farmers.

• Endorsed the Articles of Confederation but not the Constitution.

• Convinced that a strong central government would threaten liberty and individual rights.

• Wanted to include a Bill of Rights in the Constitution.

Define Virginia Plan.

• Tax and regulate commerce.

• James Madison introduced the three branches, legislative, executive, and judicial.

• Bicameral legislative with a House of Representatives and a senate.

• States with larger population would have more members.

• Strong president.

• Seven years in office, but could not be reelected.

Define New Jersey Plan.

• Modest changes to the Articles of Confederation.

• Favored small states.

• Proposed by William Paterson.

• Powers to regulate commerce and tax.

• Kept the three chief principles of the Articles of Confederation.

• Unicameral legislative.

• Representing the states as equals, no matter how large or small.

• Presented executive comittee rather than adopting one president.

• States remained sovereign except those few powers granted to the national government.

Define Great Compromise.

• Led by Roger Sherman.

• Delegates reached a compromise between Virginia and New Jersey Plan.

• Senate would equally represent every state.

• Two senates per state.

• House of Representatives would represent population, granting more power to larger states.

Define Three-Fifths Compromise.

• Counted each slave as three-fifths of a person to be added to a state’s free population in allocating representatives to the House of Representatives and electoral college votes.

Define Bill of Rights.

• The first ten amendments to the Constitution that protect individual freedoms.

• Freedom of speech.

• Freedom of press.

• Freedom of religion.

• Left open to option to give more rights later.

Define Checks and Balances.

• Prevents one branch from getting too much power.

• Created Seperation of Powers where each branch has seperate powers.

• Citizens elect House.

• State Legislator will elect senate.

• Electoral college elects president.

Define Judicial Review.

• The power of the Supreme Court to decide whether laws or government actions are constitutional.

What were two weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and their effects?

• Congress could not levy or collect taxes. → The government had no money to pay debts, support the army, or run the government.

• Each state had only one vote in Congress, regardless of its size. → Large states felt representation was unfair.

What were the main arguments of Anti-Federalists against the Constitution?

• The Constitution gave the federal government too much power.

• There was no Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms.

Give one example of how checks and balances work in the U.S government.

• Only Congress has the power to enact laws, but the President may veto those laws.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists (Essay Outline)

• The debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists played a key role in shaping the U.S. Constitution and protecting citizens’ rights.

• Federalists supported a strong national government to maintain order and unify the states, and they promoted the Constitution through the Federalist Papers written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay.

• Anti-Federalists, however, feared that a strong central government could become too powerful and wanted more power to remain with the states.

• They also demanded a Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties, with leaders like Patrick Henry and George Mason leading the cause.

• The compromise led to the Constitution being ratified while adding the Bill of Rights, balancing national power with protections for citizens.

Constitutional Convention (Essay Outline)

• The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was held to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and create a stronger national government.

• Delegates debated key issues, including representation in Congress, leading to the Great Compromise, which established a two-house legislature with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate giving equal representation to each state.

• They also settled the Three-Fifths Compromise for counting enslaved people for representation and taxes.

• The Convention created three branches of government with checks and balances to prevent abuse of power, strengthening the federal government while balancing state and national authority.

• This event laid the foundation for a stable and lasting U.S. government.

Federalists Papers

• “The Federalist”.

• 85 essays.

• Used to encourage support of the Constitution with examples.

Ratification

• The action of signing or giving formal consent to a treaty, contract, or agreement, making it officially valid.

• Only 9 states required.

• Special conventions to ratify.

Basic Principles

• Popular Sovereignty - (the people are the ultimate source of government power)

• Limited Government - (states powers that the government has)

• Seperation of Powers - (each branch has separate powers)

• Federalism - (division between state and nation)

• Checks and Balances - (prevents one branch from getting too much power)