Term
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What did Congress ask the delegates to do during the Philadelphia Convention? Did the delegates accomplish what Congress asked them to do? Explain
The delegates were supposed to help fix and reinforce the Articles of Confederation. Congress asked the delegates to improve the Articles of Confederation. They were to submit a plan to Congress for approval. Congress wanted the delegates to serve in an advisory capacity only, but the Framers agreed that they would discard the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution. They thought that the issues were too serious to fix, therefore they thought that it was easier to create a new constitution. |
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Definition
| The delegates were supposed to help fix and reinforce the Articles of Confederation. Congress asked the delegates to improve the Articles of Confederation. They were to submit a plan to Congress for approval. Congress wanted the delegates to serve in an advisory capacity only, but the Framers agreed that they would discard the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution. They thought that the issues were too serious to fix, therefore they thought that it was easier to create a new constitution. |
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Term
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In what ways were the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention representative of the American people? In what ways weren’t they?
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Definition
| The delegates were mostly young men who had participated in the American Revolution. Most had served in Congress. Most were not rich, but none of the delegates were not poor. The delegates shared the basic ideas about government that were held by most Americans. Many Americans were not represented, including women, African Americans, poor farmers, and American Indians. The representation wasn’t equal. |
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Term
| What rules did the Framers establish for the Convention? What was the purpose of these rules? |
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Definition
| After deciding that George Washington would overlook the meetings, the Framers agreed to keep the record of what was said at the convention a secret for thirty years and to give each state one vote in the convention proceedings. The Framers made these rules because they believed that the problems with the Articles were too serious to be corrected. They thought that secrecy was important because it would ensure that the delegates expressed and stated their opinions freely. The Framers also believed that the Constitution would be accepted quicker if people were oblivious to the many arguments that happened during the convention. They decided to give each state one vote, regardless of the state’s population, because this would ensure the cooperation of the small states. |
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Term
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What basic ideas about government did the Framers agree should be included in a new constitution?
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Definition
| The Framers agreed that the national government should be a constitutional government and that the purpose of government should be to protect basic rights and promote the common good. They also decided that a strong national government was needed to protect the fundamental rights of the people and that the country needed a republican government made of elected representatives. They also believed that the government should include a system of separation of powers and checks and balances to ensure the prevention of abuse of power. |
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