The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

What is a republic?

A government with elected representatives.

What was the main characteristic of the government established by the Articles of Confederation?

It established a weak central government, whereby the states retained most of the power.

What was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

A law passed that organized and facilitated the settlement of land located north of the Ohio River and east of the Appalachian Mountains. It allowed territories with 60,000 people to apply for statehood.

What was a significant problem faced by the country under the Articles of Confederation?

The country had outstanding debts, including payments owed to Revolutionary War soldiers for their military service.

What was Shay's Rebellion?

Farmers in Massachusetts demanded lower taxes; however, the state refused their requests, leading to a rebellion by the farmers.

What was the purpose of the Constitutional Convention?

A meeting convened to address the issues arising from the Articles of Confederation, ultimately producing a new constitution.

Describe the Virginia Plan.

It proposed a legislature with two houses, with the number of representatives based on the population of each state. This plan favored larger states.

Describe the New Jersey Plan.

It proposed a legislature with one house, where each state would have equal representation regardless of population. This plan favored smaller states and closely resembled the Articles of Confederation.

What was the Great Compromise?

It proposed a bicameral legislature with two houses: an Upper House (Senate) with two members per state, ensuring equal representation, and a Lower House (House of Representatives) with seats allocated according to population.

What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?

This compromise stipulated that any person who was not free would be counted as three-fifths of a free individual when determining congressional representation.

Who were the Federalists?

Individuals who supported the new Constitution.

Who were the Anti-Federalists?

Individuals who opposed the new Constitution.