APUSH Constitution/Federalist Document Quiz Prep

Declaration of Independence (Core Democratic Concepts)

1776 foundational document asserting natural rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness), popular sovereignty, and the social contract justifying political separation from Great Britain.

Articles of Confederation (Key Weaknesses)

First governing framework of the U.S. that created a weak central government lacking powers to tax, regulate interstate commerce, enforce laws, or maintain a standing army without state approval.

Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787)

Armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers protesting debt foreclosures that highlighted the central government's inability to maintain order under the Articles of Confederation, fueling momentum for a new constitution.

Constitutional Convention of 1787

Assembly of delegates in Philadelphia originally tasked with revising the Articles of Confederation that ultimately abandoned them to draft a new federal Constitution.

Virginia Plan vs. New Jersey Plan

Convention debate over state representation: the Virginia Plan proposed proportional representation based on population, while the New Jersey Plan proposed equal representation for every state.

Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

Agreement creating a bicameral legislature featuring representation by state population in the House of Representatives and equal representation (two senators per state) in the Senate.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement counting three-fifths of the enslaved population for both legislative representation in the House of Representatives and direct federal tax allocation.

Slave Trade Compromise

Agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention prohibiting Congress from banning the international slave trade until 1808.

Electoral College Compromise

System established to select the President that balanced concerns between direct popular election by citizens and election by Congress.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Debate over constitutional ratification: Federalists favored a strong national government and constitutional flexibility, whereas Anti-Federalists demanded state sovereignty, strict limits on national power, and a Bill of Rights.

Judiciary Act of 1789

One of the first landmark legislative acts passed by Congress, organizing the federal court system by establishing district courts, circuit courts, and the structure of the Supreme Court.

Hamilton's Financial Plan & Constitutional Disagreements

Early political conflict over federal power triggered by proposals to assume state debts and establish a National Bank, creating a rift between strict constructionists (Jefferson) and loose constructionists (Hamilton).

Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798

Four controversial laws passed by a Federalist-led Congress that restricted foreign nationals and criminalized speech critical of the government, provoking state resistance through the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments added to the Constitution in 1791 to fulfill a compromise with Anti-Federalists, explicitly listing individual rights protected from national government interference.

Federalist No. 10

Essay by James Madison arguing that the dangerous effects of factions are best controlled by establishing a large, extended republic rather than a direct democracy.

Brutus No. 1

Anti-Federalist essay warning that a large, centralized republic leads to tyranny and that clauses like Necessary and Proper and the Taxing Clause will erase state powers.

Federalist No. 51

Essay by James Madison explaining that separation of powers and checks and balances ("ambition must be made to counteract ambition") protect against government tyranny and legislative supremacy.

Federalist No. 70

Essay by Alexander Hamilton arguing for a single, energetic executive (President) capable of swift action, decisiveness, and clear accountability to the public.

Federalist No. 78

Essay by Alexander Hamilton characterizing the judiciary as the least dangerous branch, advocating for life tenure for federal judges, and establishing the rationale for judicial review.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

1963 document by Martin Luther King Jr. asserting that nonviolent civil disobedience is necessary against unjust laws, demanding that constitutional promises like the 14th Amendment apply to all citizens immediately.