Government Quiz 2

Constitution: a state of fundamental principles that govern a nation or an organization

Six Primary Reasons Colonists Rebelled:

1. Salutary Neglect - too far to receive aid from Britain

2. Colonists elected own legislators - firm grasp on political representation

3. Indentured Servants - even as someone with a contract of working seven years was given opportunities of the New World

4. Established social hierarchy/social structures independent of Parliament

5. Freedom of Religion - became other freedoms/rights

6. Fluid colonial borders - needed strong government to secure borders

7 Years War/French Indian War

• 1754-1763

• Fighting over land to grow tobacco in western Pennsylvania borders

• Fighting over Fort Duquesne - major French fort (British needed waterways)

• The Virginians caught a patrol of French soldiers out from their Fort and fired upon them. The French responded by destroying Fort Necessity, and Washington was forced to surrender, but not before 1/3 of his men were killed

• Local/1st Phase

  • North American conflict between colonists

    • The Native Americans and the French launched a series of raids against the English colonists, forcing them to retreat east of the
      Allegheny Mountains or be killed

• Global/2nd Phase

  • Fighting between the West Indies, India, and Europe

  • Most fighting in America

  • 1757 - British Secretary of State - William Pitt took direct control of the War, planning military strategy, appointing commanders, and
    instituting what was known as impressment (or forcibly enlisting colonists into the army. Later on this will be done primarily for the Navy).

• Montreal/3rd Phase

  • 1758 - Pitt relaxed the restrictions on the colonists

  • By mid-1758 the British and colonial forces began seizing forts until they finally took Fort Montreal in 1760 and the French surrendered

• Ended with Peace of Paris in 1763

• Colonists had to pay for expensive war

  • 1764 Currency Act

    • The colonists had to pay for everything in gold or silver instead of the local colonial paper money (parliament was in control of money)

  • 1764 Sugar Act

    • Lowered the tax on molasses and raised the tax on sugar

  • 1765 Stamp Act

    • was a direct tax on all printed documents, newspapers, almanacs, deeds, and wills

    • Angered Colonists:

      • 1. Impossible to avoid tax

      • 2. Tax went to England, not colonists tax collectors

  • 1765 Quartering Act

    • stated that the colonists were responsible for provisioning and maintaining the British Army.

  • Intolerable Acts

    • 1. Closing Boston Harbor

    • 2. Dissolving the Boston legislature (no self-governing)

    • 3. All British officers (army/navy) accused of a crime would be tried in England, not the colonies. This would bypass any bias of the juries in the colonies.

    • 4. New Quartering restrictions. Now instead of occupying your home, they own it.

• First Continental Congress

  • Meets in September 1774

  • Calls for end of Intolerable Acts, boycott on British goods, and to meet again next year

• Ideals of Declaration of Independence

  • Part 1

    • All people are equal under the law

    • All people are granted rights by their creator that cannot be taken away

    • Expressed rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

    • People form government to protect themselves from these rights

    • Governments derive their power from the people

  • Part 2

    • Violations of the rights of representation. The British Constitution states clearly that only representatives whom the British citizens vote upon may tax them. Parliament violated this constitutional right in the colonies.

    • A standing army in the colonies not under civilian control. These soldiers in the colonies were under direct control of the king, violating the sovereignty of the colonial governments.

    • Loss of an independent court. As British citizens, they are allowed jury trials with their peers on the jury. With laws passed allowing British officers to be tried in London instead of the colonies, they
      violated the basic tenants of British law.

• Initial State Constitutions agreed on these three things:

  • A written down constitution was essential

  • Weak executive branch (governor) & limited power

  • Executive is separate branch of government

• Confederation: a group of independent states or nations that yield some power to national government

• National government/Constitution began with Articles of Confederation

• Northwest Ordinance of 1785 (State Division of Land)

  • 36 plots of 640 acres each, $1 per acre

• Population grew to 60k = applying to statehood

• Shay’s Rebellion: farmers fighting against foreclosures in Massachusetts, occurred throughout the nation

• Virginia Plan: James Madison proposed this plan, which planned the three branches of federal government: legislative, judicial, and executive

• Great Compromise: his compromise would allow the government to have a two house legislature, lower based upon population with slaves counting as 3/5 of a person for the census in relation to representation and taxation. The upper would
  only have two representatives for each state.

• Who drafted most of our Constitution?

  • James Madison

• Federalism: all power flowed from the people, not the State or
  the Federal Government. Federalism allows for the federal government to share power with the independent states.

  • Defends against monarchy

  • Majority rule can easily overpower minority
    rights

• George Washington would be elected President unanimously, the only time in history. John Adams would be his Vice President.

• Federalists: Supported the Constitution and anti-democracy

• Anti-Federalists: Did not support the Constitution and feared rich ruling government

• 1788, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution. Fully ratified June 21st, 1788, with New Hampshire being the 9th state to vote for it out of the 13.

• 1789, Judiciary Act - creates six supreme court judges

• The Bill of Rights constitutes the first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

• Originalism: idea of reading Constitution as is

• Pragmatism: Constitution is living and breathing