APUSH: Constitution

Period 3

What were common feature of new state constitutions following the

Revolution?

1) Popular sovereignty - government exists only with the consent of the governed, the people hold the power

2) Limited government - the powers of the government are limited 3) Separation of powers and checks and balancesbetween branches of government

4) Civil rights and liberties - people had certain rights that the government must respect at all times, some state constitutions had a bill of rights

Characteristics of Article of Confederation

Unicameral (1 house, 13 members)

each state retained its sovereignty

Congress’ powers: interact with Native Americans and other nations, postal service, make coins, settle disputes

could not levy taxes, regulate trade, enforce laws

no executive/legislative branches

could not raise money

amendments require unanimous votes

What did the Confederation Congress (one who drew up the Articles of Confederation) accomplish?

1) Won the Revolutionary War and made the Treaty with Britain

2) Land Ordinances of 1784 and 1785 and Northwest Ordinance of 1787

What are the effects of the Shay’s Rebellion?

Helped bring about the Constitution

The rebellion showed that the Articles of Confederation was not enough because the feds were too weak

At the beginning of the country what would Hamilton (Federalist) and Jefferson (anti-Federalist) most closely agree about?

the principles in the Declaration of Independence, in individual rights (freedom of speech, press, religion, etc), in a republic (power held by the people, government by election, not a monarch), that the Articles of Confederation were too weak to govern, and both would always put the country’s needs first before his own needs.

What was main idea of the Federalist Papers?

The Federalist Papers is a collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay to promote the ratification of the U.S. Constitution (agree to pass)

Why did we need the Bill of Rights 1791?

It was a compromise in order to get the Constitution ratified. Federalists argued that the Constitution did not need a bill of rights, because the people and the states kept any powers not given to the federal government. Anti-Federalists worried that the federal government would be too powerful and a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty.

What is the Great Compromise/Connecticut Compromise?

The key agreement during the 1787 Constitutional Convention to establish bicameral (2 house) legislature.
House of Representatives (based on population) for the large states
Senate - every state has 2 members (for the small states)

What was the Fed/Anti-fed compromise?

Constitution would be amended to include a Bill of Rights. (to limit the feds)

This quote from the Declaration of Independences:”The present King of Great Britain . . . has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws.”
The “constitution” is…

the principles the colonists believed had traditionally regulated British government, and long been part of the British constitutional system, particularly those drawn from English common law and documents like the Magna Carta.

This quote from the Declaration: “The present King of Great Britain . . . has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws.”

The protest that the king had "combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution" referred to George III's…

approval of parliamentary laws impinging on colonial self-government
Parliamentary laws passed without colonial representation.

What is the Bill of Rights?

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution

Try to remember all the amendments but here are some to remember:
3rd Amendment

Antiquartering act (3’s a crowd, too many people)

9th Amendment

Nein! No! the people have other rights that may not be listed, but they can’t be violated

10th Amendment

Stop federal govt (to impose on state rights) any powers not given to the federal government belongs to the people or the states

13th Amendment

Unlucky number: prohibits slavery or involuntary servitude

19th Amendment

Women have a right to vote

18th and 21st

18-prohibits alchohol (18 years old)
21-alcohol prohibition repealed