DCUSH Unit 3: Chapter 6 & 7 (part 1)

Articles of Confederation

weak national gov. ; limited power ; diplomacy (relation w/ foreign nations), printing money, controversies between different states, and coordinating a war effort (declare war)

Why did the Articles of Confederation have limited power?

founders feared tyranny as they just fought against a centralized monarchy

What were the problems with the Articles of Confederation?

1) national gov. couldn’t raise taxes for revenue (had to ask the states for money & there wasn’t any consequence)

2) majority votes were needed to amend (gridlock meaning nothing changed bcs states didn’t fully agree)

3) more voting issues as state legislatures limited voting to white males who owned land & some states also had religious requirements

What were the causes of Shay’s Rebellion?

1) High state taxes & debt —> more property tax —> no cash to pay tax —> farmers lost land (many were revolutionary war rebellions who didn’t get their promised war dues)

2) Weak Articles of Confederation (no power to tax or to maintain army)

T/F: Shay’s Rebellion was the last straw that pointed out that the gov. is failing

true

What was Shay’s Rebellion?

a rebellion led by Daniel Shays ; farmers shut down courts to stop foreclosures & tried to seize Springfield Armory —> stopped by militia

What were the effects of Shay’s Rebellion?

1) exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

2) scared leaders —> fear of mob rule (ppl took control)

3) sparked a call for a stronger national gov.

What did Shay’s Rebellion lead to?

The Constitutional Convention

Where was the Constitutional Convention?

Philadelphia

What was the purpose of the Constitutional Convention?

was to revise the Articles of Confederation

Who was one of the key figures of the Constitutional Convention?

James Madison

Who was James Madison also called?

Father of the Constitution

Which state did not send delegates for the Constitutional Convention?

Rhode Island (they didn’t want to give up their power)

What were the 2 major plans proposed?

VA plan & NJ plan

What was the VA plan & did it favor big or small states?

The VA plan was proposed by Madison who opted for a bicameral legislature (2 houses) w/ representation based on population ; favored big states (more pop.) & favored a strong national gov.

What was the NJ plan & did it favor big or small states?

The NJ plan opted for a unicameral legislature (one house), equal representation for each state (state power) ; favored small states

The Great Compromise (AKA Connecticut Compromise)

compromised by mixing some parts of both plans; bicameral congress (two-house)

1) House of Representatives (based on pop, to favor big states)

2) Senate (2 senators from each state; total 50)

Who were the Federalists?

ppl that supported the Constitution & wanted a strong central gov.

Who were the Anti-Federalists?

ppl who opposed the Constitution & feared too much federal power ; demanded Bill of Rights

Who was one of the Anti-Federalists?

Thomas Jefferson

What were the Federalists Papers?

persuasive essays written to make everyone on board for the constitution

What 3 people wrote the Federalist Papers?

Hamilton wrote 51, Madison wrote 29, John Jay wrote 5 (total of 85 papers)

What was the Three-Fifth’s Compromise

3/5 of enslaved people counted for representation & taxation (Southerners didn’t want them to be counted for taxation (more money for them to pay) but wanted them to be counted for political representation (more political power))

Slave Trade Compromise

Congress couldn’t ban the importation of slaves until 1808 (will be active)

T/F: After Congress banned the importation of slaves, slavery stopped completely in the U.S

false; slavery still continued & grew bcs slavery was matrilineal

What was the Fugitive Slave Trade?

if slaves ran to a free state, the free state will return slaves back to the other state

Republic gov.

type of gov. where ppl elect representatives to govern on their behalf

Democracy gov.

type of gov. where ppl hold power

What are the 2 types of democracy & what do they mean?

1) direct democracy ; ppl vote directly

2) representative democracy ; ppl elect officials

Federlism

power that is divided between the national & state gov.

What does the national gov. do vs. what the state gov. can do

• National gov. : defense, foreign policy, currency (all the big stuff)

• State gov. : education, infrastructure, elections

What do both the national & state gov. do?

taxation, law enforcement, courts

How many terms did Washington serve?

2 terms

What were the 4 key cabinet positions and who were in charge of each?

1) Secretary of State (manages foreign affairs) - Thomas Jefferson

2) Secretary of Treasury (money) - Alexander Hamilton

3) Secretary of War (defense & military) - Henry Knox

4) Attorney General (chief legal advisor) - Edmund Randolph

Major polices/events during Washington’s presidency

• Judiciary Act of 1789 (established federal courts)

• Bill of Rights 1791 (1st 10 amendments protecting individual liberties)

• Compromise of 1790

What was Hamilton’s plan?

wanted federal gov. to take/assume state debts to increase federal power ( this increase in power would help countries likely lend U.S. money bcs the economic authority was to the federal gov.)

What was Jefferson & Madison’s idea/plan?

They wanted to locate the capital in the South (it would be geographically closer to them helping them get rid of their fear of a strong national gov. (antifederalist), mainly get rid of Jefferson’s fear)

Compromise of 1790

result of the plans made by Hamilton and by Jefferson and Madison ; national debt plan passes & capital is moved (helped strengthen federal authority)

What was Hamilton’s Financial Plan?

pays off war debts, create a national bank (run by federal gov.), raise revenue through tariffs & taxes (inc. income for U.S.)

T/F: The Whiskey Rebellion was a direct consequence of Hamilton’s Financial Plan

True

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Farmers rebelled against the federal whiskey tax (production tax) ; Washington ended up using the militia which showed the federal gov. strength (showed that the Constitution was working)

Which state did the Whiskey Rebellion mostly affect?

affected Pennsylvania the most as they used wheat (their cash crop) to make whiskey which was widely popular among the states

what was the difference between the Federalists & the Democratic Republicans?

• Federalists (Hamilton) wanted a strong gov., commerce, trade, & had a broad interpretation of the Constitution, Pro British

• Democratic Republicans (Jefferson) wanted a weak gov., more of state’s rights, agriculture, strict interpretation of Constitution, pro French

Jay’s Treaty (1794)

was a treaty w/ Britain to avoid war, Britain agreed to leave forts in the Northwest Territory, this treaty was unpopular as it was seen as favoring Britain (treaty didn’t stop impressment (kidnapping & making ppl join their army/side)), Britain became America’s #1 trader

T/F: Washington was neutral during global war (French vs. British, & others(

True, he wanted to trade with everyone

Haitian Revolution (1791-1804)

• Successful slave revolt in French colony of Saint Domingue

• Inspired debates about slavery in the U.S. (Jefferson & Banneker’s reading)