Studied by 14 peoplelimited government
magna carta 215
When was the petition of right?
1625
When was the English Bill of Rights?
1688
What was the English Parlement
representative government
Who was John Locke?
17th century English philosopher who wrote 2 treaties on government (1690)
written constitutions
mayflower compact (1620)
How long has colonial legislatures been operating by the mid 1700’s?
more than 100 years
What are the three Separation of Powers?
executive, legislature, and judicial/courts
What were colonial legislatures training ground for?
the writers of the U.S. Constitution
When did the British government let the colonies govern themselves?
prior to the 1760’s
Who incurred debt from the French and Indian War (1754-1763)?
the british
After the French and Indian War when King George III took the throne, what did he decide to do about the debt?
make the colonists pay the debt; he levied taxes on the colonists
Before the mid-1770’s what did most colonists think of themselves as?
British
Before the mid-1770’s where the colonies united?
no → they had Virginians, New Yorkers, etc.
What did the intolerable act lead to?
the first continental congress
What did the battle of Lexington lead to?
the second continental congress
What grew rapidly?
the independence movement
What did Thomas Pain argue in “Common Sense” that influenced many colonies?
that monarchies were corrupt and that King George III was an enemy to liberty
Who was considered a patriot?
Samuel Adams
What did Samuel Adams think about America?
that it’s already independent so why not declare it
Who was Richard Henery Lee?
a delegate of the continental congress (Virginia)
What did Richard Henery Lee introduce?
a resolution calling for independence
Who was the declaration of independence written by?
Thomas Jefferson
How many paragraphs listed specific complaints against King George in the Deceleration of Independence?
27
What was the main purpose of the declaration of indpendence?
a statement of the colonist’s determination to separate from Great Britain
What does the deceleration of independence begin with?
a statement of purpose and a description of basic human rights
When did they begin to work on the articles of confederation and when were they ratified?
1777, ratified in march 1781
What did the articles of confederation mainly do?
continued the structure and operations of the government (established under the second continental congress)
What power did the States have in the articles of confederation?
all power
regulate foreign and interstate commerce
enforce or impede national government
control state militia
withhold or grant revenues to national government
power to veto amendments to the articles
What was the national government dependent on the states for?
revenue, soldiers, and law enforcement (national government had limited/no power)
What happened between the states because of the articles of confederation?
they began to quarrel over boundaries and tarrifs
What were the federal financial woes?
they owed 40 million to foreign governments (1787)
american revolution war soldiers still unpaid
What were the state financial woes?
economic depression (1786)
left farmers and merchants angry and in debt
What did Shays’ rebellion show?
that there needed to be a change with the government
What happened in Shays’ rebellion?
100 farmers and merchants wanted to prevent the courts from taking away their farms and businesses (led by Daniel shays (former captain in revolution army))
Who put down Shays’ rebellion?
Massachusetts militia
Since George Washington met with Maryland and Virginia to settle disputes and was successful what happened?
the success led to Annapolis convention
How many states sent delegates for the Annapolis convention?
5
What did Hamilton and Madison do?
persuaded the other delegates to call for the Philadelphia convention
What did the Annapolis convention lead to? i.e. Why was the Annapolis convention important?
the Philadelphia convention
How many delegates attended the constitutional convention? When was it? Who presided?
may 15 1787, 55 delegates from 12 states (no Rhode island), George Washington presided
What were the rules of the constitutional convention?
each stat only got one vote so it was simple majority decisions, and there was no public or press
What came of the Constitutional convention?
the delegates agreed to abandon the articles and start over
What did the delegates all agree on?
limited and representative government
government should be divided between legislative, executive, and judicial branches
strengthen the national government
Who drafted the Virginia plan?
James madison (basis for the new convention)
What was the basis for the new convention?
the Virginia plan
Who supported the constitution?
the federalists
What fueled the debate between the federalists and the anti-federalists?
ratifying the constitution
What appeased the Anti-federalists?
the Bill of Rights
Which states were the first and last to ratify the constitution?
Delaware → first on December 7th 1787
Rhode Island → last on May 29th 1790
popular sovereignty
rule by the people
federalism
power is divided between nation and stat governments
checks and balances
each branch has some control over the others
judicial review
power to declare a law unconstitutional
limited government
limits the actions of the government
Article 1
the legislative branch
Article 2
the executive branch
Article 3
the judicial branch
Article 4
the states
Article 5
amendment
Article 6
debts, supremacy, oaths
Article 7
Ratification
Note
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