Terms : Hide Images
| 7587968228 | Articles of Confederation (1781) | First American constitution that established the United States as a loose confederation of states under a weak national Congress, which was not granted the power to regulate commerce or collect taxes. The Articles were replaced by a more efficient Constitution in 1789. | 0 | |
| 7587968229 | Land Ordinance of 1785 | Provided for the sale of land in the Old Northwest and earmarked the proceeds toward repaying the national debt. | 1 | |
| 7587968230 | Northwest Ordinance (1787) | Created a policy for administering the Northwest Territories. It included a path to statehood and forbade the expansion of slavery into the territories. | 2 | |
| 7587968231 | Shay's Rebellion (1786) | Armed uprising of Western Massachusetts debaters seeking lower taxes and an end to property foreclosure. Though quickly put down, the insurrection inspired fears of "mob rule" among leading Revolutionaries. | 3 | |
| 7587968232 | Virginia Plan | "large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation. | 4 | |
| 7587968233 | New Jersey Plan (1787) | "small state plan" put forth at the Philadelphia convention, proposing 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. | 5 | |
| 7587968234 | Great Compromise (1787) | Popular term for the measure that reconciled the New Jersey and Virginia Plans at the Constitutional Convention, giving states proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate. The compromise broke the stalemate at the convention and paved the way for subsequent compromises over slavery and the Electoral College | 6 | |
| 7587968235 | three fifths compromise (1787) | determined that each slave would be counted as 3/5 of a person for the purpose of apportioning taxes and representation. The compromise granted disproportionate political power to southern slave states. | 7 | |
| 7587968236 | federalists | proponents of the 1787 Constitution, they favored a strong national government, arguing that the checks and balances in the new Constitution would safeguard the people's liberties. | 8 | |
| 7587968237 | antifederalists | opponents of the 1787 Constitution, they cast the document and antidemocratic, objected to the subordination of the states to the central government, and feared encroachment on individuals' liberties in the absence of a bill of rights. | 9 | |
| 7587968238 | The Federalist papers | collection of essays written by John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton and published during the ratification debate in new York to lay out the federalists' arguments in favor of the new Constitution. Since their publication, these influential essays have served as an important source for constitutional interpretation. | 10 | |
| 7587968239 | disestablished | to separate an official state church from its connection with the government. Following the Revolution, all states disestablished the Anglican Church, thought some New England states maintained established Congregational Churches well into the 19th century. | 11 | |
| 7587968240 | Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786) | measure enacted by the Virginia legislature prohibiting state support for religious institutions and recognizing freedom of worship. Served as a model for the religious clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution. | 12 | |
| 7587968241 | Civic Virtue | Willingness on the part of citizens to sacrifice personal self-interest for the public good. Deemed a necessary component of a successful republic. | 13 | |
| 7587968242 | Republican motherhood | ideal of family organization and female behavior after the American Revolution that stressed the role of women in guiding family members toward republican virtue. | 14 | |
| 7588018584 | 2nd continental congress | called the colonies to draft new constitutions and appointed a committee to draft a written constitution for the new nation | 15 | |
| 7588173981 | convention of demigods | In 1786, Virginia called for a convention at Annapolis, Maryland to deal with the issue of interstate commerce. Alexander Hamilton saved the convention from collapsing (delegates from only 5 states showed up). He called Congress to meet in Philadelphia the next year to fix entire fabric of the Articles of Confederation. | 16 | |
| 7588214145 | constitutional convention | On May 25, 1787, 55 representatives from every state except for Rhode Island were sent to Philadelphia to discuss how the government should operate, led by George Washington | 17 | |
| 7588405903 | federalist argument | argued for a strong national government | 18 | |
| 7588425868 | federalist strategy | strategy was to stress the weaknesses of the articles of confederation | 19 | |
| 7588453482 | federalist leaders | George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin and James Madison were leaders of what political party | 20 | |
| 7588488499 | anti-federalist leaders | Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, Patrick Henry, John Hancock were leaders of this political party | 21 | |
| 7588635070 | anti-federalist argument | Their argument was that a strong national government would destroy the work of the revolution and take away states rights | 22 | |
| 7588654916 | anti-federalist strategy | strategy was to say that the constitution has no bill of rights and the government has more power than the British did | 23 |
