GOV

Limited Government

Basic principal of American government which states that government is restricted in what it may do and each individual has rights that the government cannot take away. This principle ensures the protection of individual liberties and prevents abuse of power.

Popular Sovereignty

Basic principle of the American system of government which asserts that the people are the source of any and all governmental power and that government exists only with the consent of the governed.

New Jersey Plan

Plan presented as an alternative to the Virginia Plan at the Constitutional Convention; called for a unicameral legislature in which each state would be equally represented

Representative Government

System of government in which public policies are made by officials selected by voters and held accountable in periodic elections

Articles of Confederation

Plan of government adopted by the Constitutional Congress after the American revolution; established a “firm league of friendship” among the States, but allowed few important powers to the central government

Ratification

Formal approval, final consent to the effectiveness of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty

Bicameral

An adjective describing a legislative body composed of two chambers

Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

An agreement for forbidding Congress from taxing state exports or interfering with the slave trade for at least 20 years

English Bill of Rights

Outlined specific constitutional and civil rights and ultimately gave Parliament power over the monarchy

Unicameral

An adjective describing a legislative body with one chamber

Connecticut Compromise

Agreement during the Constitutional Convention that Congress should be composed of a Senate, in which States would be represented equally, and a House, in which representation would be based on a State’s population

Federalists

The persons who supported the ratification of Constitution in 1787-1788

Confederation

A joining of several groups for a common purpose

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement at the Constitutional Convention to count a slave at three-fifths of a person when determining the population of a State

Anti-Federalists

Those persons who opposed the ratification of the Constitution in 1787-1788

Virginia Plan

Proposal by James Madison to the Constitutional Convention for the creation of a supreme national government with three branches and a bicameral legislature

Delegate

One authorized to act as a representative or agent for another

Framers

Group of delegates who drafted the United States Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787

Where did most of the U.S. government basics come from?

England

When was this after?

The French and Indian War (1756 - 1763)

What from the British changed for the colonies and what rose to make the colonies angry and where did violence finally break out?

British Policy changed and they rose taxes and violence broke out in Boston

What fractions of the population were what?

1/3 was pro-independence , 1/3 was loyal to the crown, 1/3 was not sure or didn’t care

What were the problems of the Articles of Confederation?

No power to tax, needed 9/13 states for ANY law, all states needed to agree for amendments, no power to regulate interstate or foreign commerce, no executive, no judicial

What were things discussed during the Philadelphia Convention?

Large vs. Small, City vs. Country, North vs. South, Free vs. Slave, State Rights vs. Federal Authority, Limited Power vs. Carte Blanche (complete freedom)

What would choose the president?

The Electoral College

How many states did the Constitution need for ratification?

9 States

First four states to sign immediately

Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia

Anti-Federalists people

Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George Mason

Next states to sign the constitution

Connecticut, Maryland, South Carolina, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island

In order for Virginia and New York to ratify, what was promised?

A Bill of Rights

After Congress convenes for the first time on what date, who did they elect president first?

George Washington on March 5th, 1789