Articles of Confederation

• Politics involves the struggle over resources

• Determines who gets what, when, and how

• Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence

• Amendment proposals require a 2/3rd vote in both the House and Senate

• Shay's Rebellion involved farmers protesting debt and taxation

• It highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

• The Constitutional Convention's purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation

• The 3/5ths Compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person

• This was for representation and taxation purposes

• Under the Articles of Confederation, each state had one vote

Articles of Confederation

• Functioned as a league of independent states from 1781-1789

• It used a unicameral legislature where each state had one vote

• Passing laws required 9 of 13 states; amendments required 13 of 13

• It lacked an independent executive or national judicial branch

• Most power was retained by the states

• The national government could not tax, raise an army, or regulate commerce/currency

• The New Jersey Plan proposed a unicameral legislature

• It provided equal state representation, favoring smaller states

• The Virginia Plan proposed a bicameral legislature

• Representation was based on state population, which favored larger states

• Concurrent powers are shared by national and state governments, like taxation

• Reserved powers are specifically given to the states

• The 10th Amendment outlines this

• Eminent domain is the government's power to take private property for public use

• Harold Laswell studies who gets what, when, and how

• The divine right theory asserts that God chooses certain people to rule

• Thomas Hobbes described life as poor, nasty, brutish, and short

• Democracy is rule by the people

• Direct democracy involves citizens voting directly for laws and policies

• Representative democracy involves electing officials to represent citizens

• The Supreme Court was created by the Constitution

• Amendment language requires a two-thirds vote from Senate and House of Representatives.

• Expressed powers are explicitly listed in the Constitution

• James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers

• Implied powers are reasonably suggested by the Constitution's written powers

• These are found in Article 1, Section 8

• Inherent powers are held by a government because it is a nation

• Federalism divides governmental power between a national and state/regional governments

• Dual federalism and cooperative federalism are the two types of federalism

• Dual federalism existed during the time of ratification to the New Deal

• John Locke argued for natural rights

• These include life, liberty, and property

• Anarchists believe there should be no government

• The Full Faith and Credit Clause (Article IV, Section 1) requires states to honor other states' public acts/legal decisions

• The Supremacy Clause states that federal law takes precedence over state law when they conflict

• The Tenth Amendment is known as the reserved power clause

• The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures

• The First Amendment prohibits Congress from establishing a religion or restricting free exercise

• Ratifying the new Constitution required 9 of 13 states

• Delegated power is also known as expressed or enumerated power

• The USA, Canada, and Switzerland have a federal system of government

• The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to an attorney

• The Necessary and Proper Clause (Article 1, Section 8) allows Congress to make laws needed to use its powers

• The Privileges and Immunities Clause (Article IV, Section 2) ensures that citizens of each state have the same rights as citizens of other states

• Patrick Henry is known for saying, "Give me liberty or give me death!"

• James Madison is considered the Father of the Constitution

• The three branches of government are legislative, judicial, and executive

• The U.S. uses the electoral college

• Electors from each state vote based on the state's popular vote to elect the President

• A unitary system concentrates most/all governing power in a centralized government

• A confederation is a league of independent states

• Government is the process for determining public policy and the machinery to carry it out

• A dictatorship means one person/small group holds absolute power

• Federalists supported the Constitution and a stronger national republic

• Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution

• They feared a strong national government and wanted more power for the states

• Ex post facto refers to a law passed afterward

• Rhode Island did not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention

• A bill of attainder is a law that finds someone guilty and punishes them without a trial

• The Commerce Clause (Article 1, Section 8) grants Congress control over trade

• This includes foreign, interstate, and trade with Native American tribes

• Marble cake federalism, also known as cooperative federalism, is the blurring of lines in a federalist system

The Articles of Confederation functioned as a league of independent states. It featured a unicameral legislature and lacked a strong central authority. Most power was retained by the states.