Short Answer Questions (Origins of American Government)

From where did the Framers get many of their ideas concerning liberty and individual rights?

From where did the Framers get many of their ideas concerning liberty and individual rights?

The Framers got many of their ideas from the Enlightenment, an intellectual movement that took place in Europe in the 18th century.

How was the first national government organized under the Articles of Confederation?

Each state held one vote and to pass any major legislation nine states had to agree. However, any change to the Articles required approval from all 13 states.

What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

13 states were needed to approve any major changes to the Articles. To pass major legislation 9 states needed to agree. Articles placed limits on Congress that kept it from effectively enforcing its laws and policies. Articles denied congress to tax. Congress also lacked the authority to regulate commerce, or trade, between the states.

What was the Northwest ordinance and why was it important?

The ordinance established a plan for settling the Northwest Territory, which included areas that are now in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. This territory included the disputed western lands that had delayed ratification of the Articles.

What was the purpose of the meeting at Mount Vernon and Annapolis?

The purpose was to discuss resolving a trade dispute between the two states.

What was the major way in which both the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plans were similar?

They both wanted the new government to be separated into 3 branches with each branch having a separation of powers and the ability to balance each other out.

What were the compromises on key issues of the convention? How did the New Jersey Plan and Virginia Plan help in the process of making the compromises?

The three major compromises were the Great Compromise, the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Electoral College. They both advocated for all states to have equal representation, leading to the compromise of a lower house based on population and an upper house with each state having equal representation. → The Great Compromise.

Why did certain states not want to ratify the Constitution?

They feared that the new national government would be too powerful and threaten individual liberties.

What were some of the arguments that the federalist and Anti-Federalist use to either support or oppose the Constitution?

The Anti-Federalists argued against the expansion of national power. They favored small localized governments with limited national authority as was exercised under the Articles of Confederation. The Federalists believed that establishing a large national government was not only possible but necessary to "create a more perfect union" by improving the relationship among the states.