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| a legislature consisting of two parts, or houses |
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| Articles of Confederation |
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| The Articles established a plan for government. They were a plan for establishing a system for cooperation or "league of friendship" among independent states. |
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The most significant achievement under the Articles of Confederation. The NW Ordinance laid the basis for organization of new territorial governments and set a precedent for the method of admitting new states to the Union. The NW Ordinance also included a specific provision outlawing slavery: "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in said territory." |
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| Daniel Shay's was a farmer who had fallen into debt because of heavy state taxes. Massachusetts courts threatened to take his farm. Shay's believed that they had no right to take his farm for something they had caused. He led a riot of about 1,200 farmers on a federal arsenal. This was a wake up call that we needed to revise the Articles and have a stronger national governement. |
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| Constitutional Convention |
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| meeting of state delegates in 1787 leading to adoption of new Constitution |
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| This plan outlined a system similar to the one we have today with a president, courts, and a congress with two houses.Representation in each house of congress would be based on each state's population.This plan appealed to the more heavily populated states like Virginia,Massachusetts,etc. Small states feared this plan because they thought the larger, more populated states would ignore their interests. |
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| This plan was submitted by smaller states by William Patterson. It included a one-house congress in which states would have equal representation and therefore equal votes. Under this plan, Congress could set taxes and regulate trade-powers it did not have under the Articles. Small states like Delaware wanted this plan but larger states would not accept it. |
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| Roger Sherman came up with a plan to settle the representation argument in Congress. It was proposed that Congress have two houses-a Senate and a House of Representatives. Each state would have equal representation in the Senate. Small states loved this part. In the House, representation would be based on population. Large states loved this. |
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| The Southern states wanted to count their 550,000 slaves as population for representation purposes. Delgates agreed that every five slaves would count as three slaves for representation purposes. So, three fifths of the slave population in each state would be used in determining representation in Congress. |
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| Strong supporters of the Constitution. They believed in a form of governent in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states. This group was primarily large land owners. |
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| This group opposed the Constitution. They feared that a strong national government would ignore the the states, the people, and favor the wealthy few over the common people. They feared losing their rights. |
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| the lawmaking branch of government |
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| the branch of government that carries out laws |
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| the branch of government that interprets the laws |
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| Necessary & Proper Clause |
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| This clause as stated in Article I allows Congress to exercise powers not specifically listed in the Constitution. It is known as the "implied clause". Examples of using this clause would be from licensing television stations to regulating air pollution. |
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| the notion that power lies with the people |
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| principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern |
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| the split of authority among the legislative, executive, and the judicial branches |
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| a system in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of the others |
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| powers that Congress has that are specifically listed in the Constitution |
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| powers that the Constitution does not give to the national government that are kept by the states |
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powers shared by the state and federal governments |
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| This is found in Article VI and states that the Constitution, other laws, treaties made by the national government "shall be the supreme law of the land." The Constitution is the highest law. |
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| freedoms to think and act without government interference or fear of unfair legal treatment |
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| He was a publisher who was arrested and imprisoned for criticizing the govenor of New York. His attorney argued that a press free to criticize the government could prevent that government from abusing its power. This landmark case is linked to free press in America (1733). |
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| a formal charge by a grand jury |
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| putting someone on trial for a crime of which he or she was previously acquitted |
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| the right of government to take private property for public use |
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| programs intended to make up for past discrimination by helping minority groups and women gain access to jobs and opportunities |
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| George Washington summoned troops to put down this rebellion in 1794. The rebellion reflected tension between federal and regional interests. This had to do with a tax placed on whiskey and it hurt small frontier farmers. Farmers in western Pennsylvania refused to pay the tax and beat up federal marshals. |
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