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22 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Articles of Confederation |
-First American constitution (1777) - established the US as a loose confederation of states under a weak national Congress (not granted the power to regulate commerce or collect taxes) - replaced by a more efficient Constitution in 1789 |
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Old Northwest |
-Territories acquired by the federal government from the states ( land northwest of the Ohio River, east of the Mississippi River, and south of the Great Lakes) -well-organized management/sale of the land under the land ordinances of 1785 and 1787 established a precedent for handling future land acquisitions |
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Land Ordinance of 1785 |
-Provided for the sale of land in the Old Northwest - earmarked the proceeds toward repaying the national debt |
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Northwest Ordinance |
-Created a policy for administering the Northwest Territories -included a path to statehood and forbade the expansion of slavery into the territories |
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Shay’s Rebellion |
-Armed uprising of western Massachusetts debtors seeking lower taxes and an end to property foreclosures -led by Daniel Shay - the insurrection inspired fears of “mob rule” among leading Revolutionaries rebellion raised the specter of mob rule, precipitating calls for a stronger national government. |
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Virginia Plan |
“Large state” proposal for the new constitution - proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress - favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation. |
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New Jersey Plan |
“Small-state plan” for the new Constitution - equal representation by state, regardless of population, in a unicameral legislature - Small states feared that the more populous states would dominate the agenda under a proportional system. |
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Great Compromise |
-Popular term for the measure that reconciled the New Jersey and Virginia Plans at the Constitutional Convention -gave states proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate - broke the stalemate at the convention and paved the way for subsequent compromises over slavery and the Electoral College. |
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common law |
-Laws that originate from court rulings and customs, as opposed to legislative statutes - The United States Constitution grew out of the Anglo-American common law tradition and thus provided only a general organizational framework for the new federal government |
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civil law |
-Body of written law enacted through legislative statutes or constitutional provisions -In countries where civil law prevails, judges must apply the statutes precisely as written. |
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three-fifths compromise |
-Determined that each slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person - to apportion taxes and representation - granted disproportionate political power to southern slave states |
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Electoral College |
-A mechanism for electing presidents of the United States -"indirect presidential elections" -Each state has a # of electors equal to its total # of senators/representatives -These electors are chosen by the voters, and they in turn select the president |
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Antifederalists |
-Opponents of the 1787 Constitution -cast the Constitution as antidemocratic, objected to central government's primary power -feared encroachment on individuals’ liberties in the absence of a bill of rights |
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Federalists |
-those who favored a strong national government -argued that the checks and balances in the new Constitution would safeguard the people’s liberties |
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The Federalist |
-Collection of essays written by John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton -published during the ratification debate in New York to lay out the federalists’ arguments in favor of the new Constitution. - served as an important source for constitutional interpretation |
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Society of Cincinnati |
-Exclusive, hereditary organization of former officers in the Continental Army -resented the pretentiousness of the order, viewing it as a vestige of pre-Revolutionary traditions |
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Disestablished |
-To separate an official state church from its connection with the government -after Revolution, all states disestablished the Anglican Church ( though some New England states maintained established Congregational Churches well into the nineteenth century) |
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Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom |
-Measure enacted by the Virginia legislature prohibiting state support for religious institutions and recognizing freedom of worship - Served as a model for the religion clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution |
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civic virtue |
-Willingness on the part of citizens to sacrifice personal self-interest for the public good - a necessary component of a successful republic |
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republican motherhood |
-Ideal of family organization and female behavior after the American Revolution -stressed the role of women in guiding family members toward republican virtue |
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Daniel Shay |
(1747-1825) - Revolutionary War veteran who led a group of debtors and impoverished backcountry farmers in a rebellion against the Massachusetts government in 1786 -called for paper money, lighter taxes, and an end to property seizures for debt - rebellion raised the specter of mob rule, precipitating calls for a stronger national government. |
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Patrick Henry |
(1736-1799) -American revolutionary and champion of states’ rights -became a prominent antifederalist during the ratification debate - opposed what he saw as despotic tendencies in the new national constitution |
