Questions-2

Questions- Chapter 3- Section 2

5. Checks and Balances- In what ways can the states restrain the power of Congress in the amendment process?

The states can restrain the power of Congress in the amendment process because the states can request a national convention to approve the amendment, also, the states must ratify amendments and get a three-fourths approval if it is passed by Congress.

6. Federalism- How does the amendment process in the United States Constitution demonstrate that the United States has a federal system of government?

There is an equal balance between national powers and state powers to amend the Constitution.

7. Identifying Central Issues- What is the connection between the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the drive for the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s?

The connection between these two is that they both wanted equal rights, 1960s were a time of civil unrest and the 1970s was a time when women wanted equal rights.

8. Predicting Consequences- Why do you think that Congress has established deadlines for ratifying amendments?

I think Congress has established deadlines for ratifying amendments so that states can’t take an absurd amount of time to ratify amendments. Seven years or so should be plenty.

Questions-1

1) Who were some important individuals at the convention.
George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris, and James Madison.
2) Who were the delegates?  What did they have in common?
Wealthy, white, politicians.
3)  What were the key agreements?
Key agreements were the idea of limited and representative government, the powers should be divided into the legislative, the executive, and the judicial branch, they needed to limit the states coining money, limit the interference of creditors rights, and all agreed that they needed to strengthen the national government.
4) Compromises - briefly outline or explain the following compromises:
A) The Virginia Plan
A government based on three ideas. They would have a strong national legislature with two chamber, the lower on to be chosen by the people and the upper one to be chosen by the lower. They would have the power to bar any laws deemed unconstitutional. They would also have a strong national executive that would be chosen by the legislature. They would also have a national judiciary that was appointed by the legislature. Large states favored this due to population sizes.
B) The New Jersey Plan
The New Jersey plan kept major features of the Articles of Confederation. The legislature would have one vote per state while Congress would be strengthened because they would be able to impose taxes and regulate trade. They would have a weak executive that had more than one person elected by Congress. The national judiciary would have limited powers and would be chosen by the executive.
C) The Connecticut Compromise
The Compromise had the idea of having a House of Representatives where the states would be elected by population size. This is where taxes and spending concerns were started. They also would have a Senate where each state would have two representatives from each state. States would elect their senators.
D) The 3/5 Compromise
The three-fifths compromise was made for southern slave owners that lived in states made up mostly of slaves. It stated that only three-fifths of the slaves counted for taxes and for representation.
E) The Slave-Trade Compromise
This was another compromise that stated that the slave-trade could not be banned until 1808. In 1808, Congress was given power over interstate commerce (trade among the states) and foreign commerce.
F) The Slavery Question
The Slavery Question was answered by the fact that while the North states were willing and had rid themselves of slavery they knew the Southern states would never accept the Constitution if it affected slavery.
G) The Electoral College and Presidential Term
The Electoral College was designed so that the votes would not be from the people but instead by the officials elected by the state. The Presidential Term originated as another compromise between the people who wanted longer terms and those who wanted shorter.
5) What was the Anti-Federalists strongest argument?
The Anti-Federalists strongest argument was that the Constitution lacked a Bill of Rights.
6) Who wrote the Federalist papers?
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison wrote the Federalist papers.

Questions

1) List the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
They were able to create treaties and somewhat created a bond between states. Some weaknesses included not being able to tax citizens, they had no central court system, they had no president or executive branch, they couldn't regulate trade, they were allowed to raise a navy if they were able to muster the funds, they had to have 9/13ths majority to pass a law, and they had to have unanimous vote to make any amendments to the confederation.
2) Describe how the government was organized under the Articles of Confederation.
Each state had one vote regardless of their population size and they had no central court system to enforce laws or to punish people.
3) What problems did Shay's rebellion bring to light?
Shay's Rebellion brought to light that farmers were losing their farms and the farmers could not use the paper money that government gave them.
4) Cite the event that many Americans to consider creating a strong national government.
Shay's Rebellion- Massachusetts freaked out

Outline of Declaration

I. Intro
   a. Equality for all men
   b. People have the right to a proper government
   c. The governments job is to protect its citizens rights
II. Reasons
   a. Forbid passing of necessary laws
   b. Quartered large amounts of troops
   c. Cut off trade
   d. Waged war against them
   e. Destroyed colonists resources
III. Conclusions
   a. Declared themselves free and independent
   b. Pledged their lives to protect the Declaration

Short Essay- Colonists and Self Government

            In the early English government the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights were created. These two documents are very close to each other. The Magna Carta limited the rights of the king using limited government. The Magna Carta applied to only the wealthy nobility at first but over time other groups gained liberties to it. The English Bill of Rights gave civil liberties to the American colonists and the people in England. The English Bill of Rights used influences from the Magna Carta in its creation. The main points of the English Bill of Rights are that monarchs do not have the divine right to rule, they are now elected to Parliament; the Parliament must give the monarch permission to create taxes, maintain the army, and to suspend laws; The Parliament’s elections and debates were not allowed to be interfered with at all by the monarch. It also gave the people the right to a fair and speedy trial and to petition the government and made it law that people would not be unjustly tortured and punished or excessively fined or bailed. These two documents are very closely related.

            John Locke was an English philosopher who first said that people are born free, equal, and independent, they also possess rights to life, liberty, and property. He and his philosophy were widely known throughout England and the American colonies. He said many revolutionary things for his time, such as that if a government is not benefitting its people it can be changed for the better. He also claimed that people had not been born with an obligation to obey their ruler or tyrant. John Locke was very innovative for his time period.

            Early governments in the colonies sprouted from the colonists from England believing that they retained their citizens rights that they had been granted through the English Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta. The colonists were forced to come up with a way to govern themselves that everyone in the colony agreed with. Eventually majority if not all of the colonies had created their own democracies. All white males and anyone who owned property could vote. They came up with their own laws for their colonies and their own constitution, a legislature, and the separation of powers.

            Colonists felt that they deserved their rights as mush as the English citizens did. Due to the creation of the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and John Locke’s philosophies they had the idea of a working and fair government and believed that was what they should be given. In the end, they made their own governments and took care of themselves.

Checks and Balances/The Branches

• Legislative Branch-Senate, House of Representatives, Congress
• Executive Branch-President
• Judicial Branch-Supreme Court

Checks and Balances

• Supreme court can veto any laws that they view as unconstitutional
• Senate can override the Presidents veto with a 2/3 vote in both houses
• President can veto any laws passed by him