Untitled Flashcards Set

 In 1776 the continental congress began to develop a plan for national government. Congress agreed that the government should be a republic.

The continental congress eventually arrived at a final plan, called the articles of confederation.

National government was run by a confederation Congress. Each state had only one vote in congress. The national government has the power to wage war, make peace, sign treaties, and issue money.

But the articles left the most important powers to the states. These powers included the authority to set taxes and enforce national laws. The articles proposed to leave the states in control of the lands west of the Appalachian mountains.

By July 1718, eight states had ratified those articles, but some of the small states that did not have western land refused to sign.

Over the next three years all the states gave up their claims to western lands. This led the small states to ratify the articles. In 1781, Maryland, became the 13th state to accept the articles. As a result, The United States finally had an official government.

Debt was a critical problem for the government.

Much of that money was owed to soldiers of its own army

Congress did not have the power to levy taxes. The national government depended on the states to send money to congress.

Amending the articles of confederation was what they had in mind. Fearing that a rebellion might spead. 12 states sent delegates to Philadelphia in summer of 1787. Rhode Island refused to go.

The 55 delegates to the constitutional convention, at the Philadelphia meeting became know in 1787

Convention did not reflect the diverse U.S population of the 1780s. There were no Native Americans, African Americans or women among the delegates.

The first order of business was to elect a president for the convention. Robert Morris of Pennsylvania nominated George Washington. Every delegate voted for him.

The Virginia Plan proposed a government that would have three branches. The first branch of government was the legislature. Which made the laws. The second branch was the executive. Which enforced the laws. The third branch was the judiciary, which interpreted the laws.

The virginia plan proposed a legislature with two houses in both houses, the number of representatives would be based on population or its wealth. The legislature would have the power to levy taxes, regulate commerce, and make laws.

The New Jersey plan called for a legislature with only one house. In it, each state would have one vote. In providing equal representation to each state, the new jersey plan was similar to the articles of confederation.

To satisfy the smaller states. Each state would have an equal number of votes in the senate. To satisfy the larger states. The committee set representation in the house of representatives according to state population.

On this issue, the delegates reached another compromise. Known as the three fifths compromise. Under this compromise, three fifths of the slave population would continue to be counted when setting direct taxes on the states. This three-fiths ratio also would be used to determine representation in the legislature.

Again, the delegates settled on compromise. On August 29, they agreed that congress could not ban the slave trade in 1808.

Federalism is a system of government in which power is shared between the central (or federal) government and the states.

The people who supported the constitution took the name federalists. The people who opposed the constitution took the name antifederalists.

Antifederalists published their views about the constitution in newspapers and pamphlets.

James madison was the chief architec of the constitution. Madison is known as the “father of the constitution”. New york and vrginia wanted the bill of rights added to the constitution.