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Constitution Study Guide
You may fill out this study guide in any way you would like (i.e. notecards, typed, hand-written)
Due: Thursday, April 2
Test: Friday, April 3
Know:
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Limited Government
o People should have the right to limit the power of their government
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Know the rights the different states’ constitutions shared
o Rights of Englishmen
o Freedom of speech
o Freedom of religion (believe as you wish)
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Second Continental Congress
o Ran the American Revolution
o Wrote the Articles of Confederation
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Articles of Confederation
o Gave central government little power
o Could start war but could not raise an army
o Had debt but could not tax
o 13 states had to agree for anything to pass
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Northwest Territory rights
o Same rights as the people in the 13 states
o Set up a process by which territories could become states
o Prohibited slavery within the territory
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Constitutional Convention of 1787
o Constitution = framework for government
o Called to recommend changes to the Articles of Confederation
o Washington’s presence gave people confidence
o Patrick Henry refused to go because he didn’t want to strengthen central
government
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Homeroom:
o Philadelphia, PA
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Virginia Plan
o Government should be able to provide for defense
o Protect Americans’ liberties
o Make laws about trade among states
o Provide for the general welfare
o People disagreed that central government should have higher powers than
states in certain areas
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Federal System
o A government system in which powers are divided between the central
government and the states
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Great Compromise
o The number of members in the House of Representatives would depend on a
state’s population; every state would have two senators
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Anti-Federalism
o Arguments against: Delegates had gone beyond what they were supposed to do.
The Constitution made the central government too powerful and it did not
contain a Bill of Rights.
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Bill of Rights
o Tells the national government that it cannot take away the rights of the people
o Madison led the fight for the Bill of Rights
o Rights include: free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, protection
against illegal searches, and the right to a fair trial
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Shared powers of national and state government
o Shared powers include the following: collect taxes, borrow money, set up courts,
make laws for the people’s health, safety, and welfare
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Vocabulary:
o Ambassador – an official of high rank sent by a country to represent it in another
county
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o Compromise – a settlement of differences between two or more sides reached
by each side giving up some of what it wanted
o Consent – approval or agreement
o Deliberate – to think about and discuss issues before reaching a decision
o Federal – describing a political organization which power is shared between a
central authority and a number of areas or states
o Ordinance – another word for law
o Planter – one who owns and runs a large farm and usually raises one important
crop
o Politics – the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing government
o Posterity – generations to come
o Right – something due to one by law, custom, or nature
o Term – a limited extent of time during which something may last