Name: __________________
Date:_______Hour:________
Chapter 7 Study Guide
You will receive also a Constitution Study Guide as an addendum
VOCABULARY (Define the next 12 terms in your own words thoroughly.)
1. Bicameral: Two house legislature. (i.e. The Senate and House of Representatives.
2. Enlightenment: Philosophical movement in the 1600s that stressed equal rights, separation of powers, checks
N balances, limited government, social contract, right to rebel, natural rights, (John Locke, Montesqieu, Rosseau)
3. Popular Sovereignty: People Rule, People Power, We the People = Republic.
4. Republic: Government of the people where they choose elected representatives to make daily decisions.
5. Separation of Powers: The division of governments into various branches to divide the power and limit gov’t.
6. Checks and Balances: Practice of different branches of gov’t checking or stopping one branches action thereby
preventing one branch of government from getting all the power.
7. Proportional Representation: Determining the number of representatives in a legislative house by the
population of the state or area.
8. Depreciation: Money losing value.
9. Depression: 6 quarters of economic loss. When the economy fails and many are unemployed.
10. Manumission: Buying a slaves freedom one slave at a time.
11. Federalism: Those who supported the ratification of the Constitution such as G.Washington, J. Madison
12. Anti-Federalists: Those who were opposed to the adoption of the Constitution because it gave the Federal
Government too much power and it contained no Bill of Rights.
13. Summarize the strengths of the Articles of Confederation? It was a Republic
14. Summarize the many weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. Could not tax, could not regulated trade,
had no judicial branch, had no executive branch.
15. Summarize the accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation? Won the American Revolutionary war, passed
Land Ordinance of 1785 (survey/sale of Northwest Territory) and Northwest Ordinance (How to add a state.)
16. The Land Ordinance of 1785 did what? Created rules for the survey and sale of the Northwest Territory. (i.e.
ranges were divided into townships of 36 square miles with 36 sections of 640 acres. Land sold via lottery and
proceeds went to fund education.
17. The Northwest Ordinance provided for Statehood. What provisions must be met before statehood? Must have
60,000 people, sign a petition, write a constitution that provides for equal rights with no slavery.
18. What were the problems of the Articles of Confederation? Financial issues = Government was broke in debt,
Treaty issues with Britain about forts in Great Lakes, Treaty issues with Spain b/c they would not let us use the
Mississippi River.
19. Describe Daniel Shay's Rebellion? Daniel Shay was paid in paper money that had no value to pay is mortgage
or taxes so he was threated with jail and the loss of his farm so he led a rebellion to keep his farm that closed
courts and attacked arsenal in Springfield Massachusetts.
20. Describe how did Shay's Rebellion lead to the Constitutional Convention? It scared leaders into thinking that
the national government was too weak to protect them.
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21. What was the great controversy regarding slavery before the Constitutional Convention took place? More and
more slavery was being outlawed in the north while expanding the south. Contradiction= We are Fighting for
equal rights.
22. When did the Constitutional Convention take place? Summer of 1787 in Philadelphia.
23. Who attended the Constitutional Convention (several names)? George Washington, Ben Franklin, James
Madison, Roger Sherman, Governor Morris.
24. Who did not attend the Constitutional Convention and why (several names)? Thomas Jefferson was
ambassador to France, John Adams was ambassador to Britain, Sam Adams was sick.
25. Why was the Constitutional Convention closed to the public? So delegates could freely speak without fear.
26. Why did states with large populations want Proportional Representation? Because they would have more
representatives in Congress.
27. Why did states with small populations want equal representation? Because without it they would not have a
chance of competing in Congress with the big states.
28. What was the Virginia Plan for Representation? Bicameral Legistature of Proportional Representation with
lower house elected by the public and upper house elected by the lower house, with president chosen by the
upper house, and court system.
29. What was the New Jersey Plan for Representation? Unicameral Legislature of Equal Representation with
president chosen by the people, and court system with the power to levy taxes, and regulate commerce.
30. What was the 3/5s Compromise? For the purposes of taxation and representation slaves were to be counted
as follows: For every 5 slaves they would be counted as 3 people.
31. What was the Great Compromise? The Marriage of the Virginia Plan to the New Jersey Plan = Bicameral
Legislature , lower house elected by states (proportional), upper house (equal representation) chosen by the
state, presidents elected by the people, and court system, government could levy taxes and regulate
commerce.
32. What did Congress decide to do on the issue of slavery? Nothing. Wait till 1808 to fix the problem.
33. Why were George Mason and Patrick Henry strong anti-federalists? They were opposed to the ratification of
the Constitution because it gave the Federal Government too much power and it contained no Bill of Rights.
34. What is the Magna Carta? English law signed under duress by King John in 1215 that granted rights to fair trials
and No Taxation without Representation. Representation = Parliament.
35. What influence did the Magna Carta have on the Constitution? Part of the 5th, 6th,7th Amendments and why
our founding fathers created a strong legislative branch.
36. How did the enlightenment affect the Constitution? BE VERY DETAILED HERE! Locke's Natural Rights leads to
Bill of Rights, Locke's Social Contract leads us to create Republic, Locke's / Montesquieu's Popular
Soveriengnity is found in our Constitution with the words WE THE PEOPLE. Smith's Capitalism is the type of
economy our founding fathers advocated.
37. Why is the Constitution called the Supreme Law of the Land? Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution makes the
Constitution the top law of the land, no other state or Congressional law can surpass it.
38. How many branches of government did the Constitution create? 3
39. How does Separation of Powers limit the government? Divides the power of the government up so that no one
branch has all of the power.
40. Describe a (not the)legislative branch? In any country the law making branch of government. In England,
Canada it is parliament, in the U.S. it is Congress.
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41. Why is our Legislative branch bicameral? To further divide the power of the legislative branch.
42. What are the two parts of Congress? The Senate with 100 Senators, The House of Representatives with 435
Congressman for a total of 535 in Congress.
43. Describe an (not the) executive branch? In any nation the enforcer or executer of laws. In Britain, Canada it is
the Prime Minister, in America it is the President.
44. Who actually elects the President of the United States? The Electoral College on January 6.
45. Describe a (not the) judicial branch? In any nation the branch of government that studies, interprets, and rules
on the laws.
46. How does Checks n Balances prevent an abuse of power? One branch can cancel out the actions of another
branch, like when the President vetoes a law, or when Congress overrides it, or when the Supremes rule on it.
47. What does ratify mean? Approve . The Constitution needed 9/13 states to ratify, it got 13/13.
48. What was a Federalist or what did they support? They supported the ratification of the Constitution.
49. Why were Anti-Federalists opposed to the Constitution? They were opposed to the ratification of the
Constitution because it gave the Federal Government too much power and it contained no Bill of Rights.
50. Why did Patrick Henry and the other Virginia Anti-Federalists finally agreed to ratify the Constitution? Because
there was no other better alternative and a Bill of Rights was added.
51. When was the Constitution finally ratified? It got is 9th vote in March 1788, all 13 by 1790.
52. When were the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution (The Bill of Rights) added? 1791
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