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Questions and Answers
What was one of the political reasons for the colonists seeking independence?
According to John Locke, what is the primary basis of government power?
What does the social contract represent according to John Locke?
What would happen if a government abused its power, according to Locke?
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What was the primary purpose of the Constitutional Convention?
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Which of the following states did not attend the Constitutional Convention?
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Which group generally represented larger states during the Constitutional Convention?
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What was the main concern of the Anti-Federalists regarding the new Constitution?
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Which plan did Federalists support during the Constitutional debates?
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How many delegates attended the Constitutional Convention?
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What was the outcome of the Constitutional Convention?
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What document dissolved the colonial ties between the United States and Britain?
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Which philosophical principle underpinned the justification for independence in the Declaration of Independence?
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What was the primary government structure established by the Articles of Confederation?
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How many states needed to pass laws under the Articles of Confederation?
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What did the Articles of Confederation require for amendments to be passed?
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What term describes the people who can claim rights against the government?
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What concept did the Declaration of Independence ultimately assert regarding government?
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What was a common grievance listed against King George III in the Declaration of Independence?
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According to John Locke, what is the fundamental agreement between the government and the people called?
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Which of the following rights did John Locke consider natural rights?
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What concept did the Divine Right of Kings primarily support?
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What was a purpose of the Constitutional Convention held in 1787?
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Which state did not attend the Constitutional Convention in 1787?
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Which group sought a federal system of government during the Constitutional Convention?
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What plan did Anti-Federalists generally support during the Constitutional debates?
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What principle did the Declaration of Independence emphasize regarding people's rights?
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Which of the following statements best describes the Federalists?
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What was the relationship between the states under the Articles of Confederation?
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What characterizes the Anti-Federalists' view during the Constitutional Convention?
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How many states were required to agree in order to pass an amendment under the Articles of Confederation?
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What kind of government was formed under the Articles of Confederation?
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Which entity was primarily responsible for passing laws under the Articles of Confederation?
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What term describes the agreement that allowed people to claim rights against the government?
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What was a significant philosophical shift proposed by the social contract theory during the revolutionary era?
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Which delegates were primarily in favor of a federal system of government during the Constitutional Convention?
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Which concept was favored by Anti-Federalists in contrast to the Federalists during the debates over the Constitution?
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What was the main characteristic of the government established under the Articles of Confederation?
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Which political philosophy influenced the Founders' justification for independence?
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What term describes the relationship states had with each other under the Articles of Confederation?
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Study Notes
Reasons for Independence
- Colonists sought independence due to political, economic, and cultural reasons.
- Political reasons: Lack of representation in British Parliament.
- Economic reasons: Taxation without representation, England monopolized colonial trade profits.
- Cultural reasons: Illegitimacy of British rule.
- Divine Right of Kings: Dominant theory of government in 1700s. King holds power given by God, government formed by divine right. People have no retained power.
- Social Contract: New perspective on government. Power held by the people, given by natural rights. Government formed by consent of the people, citizens retain considerable power.
The Influence of John Locke
- John Locke's ideas significantly influenced the American Revolution.
- Locke argued for God-given rights to life, liberty, and property.
- He proposed a social contract where people sacrifice a small portion of their freedom in exchange for government protection of their natural rights.
- If the government violates these rights, the contract is broken, and people can revolt and form a new government.
Declaration of Independence
- The Declaration of Independence severed colonial ties with Britain.
- It justified the legitimacy of government based on "unalienable rights," which are inherent and cannot be taken away by governments.
- It created the notion of citizens who can claim rights against the government.
- It accused King George III of breaking the social contract and listed grievances.
- The Declaration was viewed as treason against Britain and God.
- The Founders justified independence based on Locke's philosophy.
Articles of Confederation
- First US Constitution, ratified in 1781.
- Established a "confederation" system where states retained sovereignty and viewed themselves as independent nations.
- The national government only had power delegated by the states.
- National government consisted of a single branch: Congress, with each state having equal vote.
- Required 9 out of 13 states to pass laws and unanimous agreement to pass amendments.
Weakness of the Articles of Confederation
- The Articles proved too weak to effectively govern.
- Congress lacked the power to:
- Draft soldiers
- Tax citizens
- Regulate interstate commerce
- Establish a central monetary system
Constitutional Convention
- Held in Philadelphia, May to September 1787.
- Purpose was to address the problems of a weak central government under the Articles of Confederation.
- 55 delegates attended, 39 signed the document.
- 12 out of 13 states were represented, Rhode Island refused to attend.
- Resulted in a new Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation.
Division at the Constitutional Convention
- Federalists: Generally from larger states, favored a strong national government with limits on power.
- Anti-Federalists: Generally from smaller states, favored a weak national government, granting more power to the states.
- Federalists supported the Virginia Plan while Anti-Federalists supported the New Jersey Plan.
Ratification of the Constitution
- The Anti-Federalists were reluctant to ratify the Constitution due to its bias towards larger states.
- The Federalist Papers, written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, were published to convince states to ratify the Constitution.
- Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the Constitution.
James Madison
- Known as the "Father of the Constitution."
- Believed government should be designed using internal mechanisms to prevent the corruption of power, based on human nature.
Principles of the Constitution
- Separation of Powers: Divides government vertically into branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
- Checks and Balances: Ensures each branch has sufficient power to prevent the overreach of the others.
- Federalism: Division of power between the federal and state governments.
Federalism
- Enumerated Powers: Congressional powers specifically outlined in the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8).
- Concurrent Powers: Powers shared by the federal and state governments.
- Reserved Powers: Powers reserved for the states (10th Amendment).
Concerns of the Anti-Federalists
- The Necessary and Proper Clause grants Congress the power to make laws required to carry out its enumerated powers.
- Anti-Federalists were concerned that this clause would give Congress unlimited power.
Reasons for Independence
- Political Reasons: Colonists lacked representation in British Parliament.
- Economic Reasons: England taxed colonists heavily and took all profits from trade.
- Cultural Reasons: Colonists believed British government was illegitimate.
Two Ideas on How Government Works
- Divine Right of Kings: Power held by monarch, given by God, government formed by divine right, king is God's representative, no power retained by the people, revolution against the king was a sin against God.
- Social Contract: Power held by the people, power given by nature (natural rights), government formed by consent of the people, people retain considerable power, citizens can revolt and form a new government.
The Influence of John Locke
- John Locke (1632-1704) was an English philosopher who greatly influenced the American Revolution.
- Locke believed in God-given rights to life, liberty, and property.
- The "social contract" is an implicit agreement between people and their government where people sacrifice a small portion of their freedom in exchange for government protection of their rights.
- If government abuses its power and deprives people of their rights, the contract is broken, and people can withdraw their consent and form a new government.
Declaration of Independence
- The Declaration of Independence dissolved colonial ties between the United States and Britain.
- People have unalienable rights (natural rights) that governments cannot establish or take away.
- The Declaration created the notion of citizens who can claim rights against the government.
- The Declaration blamed King George III for breaking the social contract and listed grievances.
- It was viewed as an act of treason against Britain and God.
Articles of Confederation
- The Articles of Confederation was the first US constitution, ratified in 1781.
- States viewed themselves as independent nations and wanted to retain sovereignty.
- The Articles established a "firm league of friendship" among the states, not a full union.
- The Articles established a confederation, meaning power resided with the states, not the central government.
- The national government only had power that the states granted it.
National Government under the Articles of Confederation
- The national government consisted of a single branch, Congress, where each state had an equal vote.
- It took nine states to pass laws and unanimous agreement to pass amendments.
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
- Congress lacked the power to draft soldiers, tax citizens, regulate interstate commerce, or establish a central monetary system.
Constitutional Convention
- Held in Philadelphia from May to September 1787.
- Purpose was to address problems of a weak central government under the Articles of Confederation.
- Fifty-five people attended, and thirty-nine signed the document.
- Twelve out of thirteen states were represented (Rhode Island refused to attend).
- Resulted in an entirely new Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation.
Division at the Constitutional Convention
- Federalists: Generally from larger states, wanted a stronger national government (but still limited), mostly represented larger states, sought a federal system where power is shared between states and the national government.
- Anti-Federalists: Generally from smaller states, preferred a weaker national government (wanted states to have more power), mostly represented smaller states, wanted a system like a confederation, believed a stronger national government would run over small states.
Ratification of the Constitution
- The Constitution favored the desires of Federalists, so Anti-Federalists were reluctant to ratify it.
- John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, writing under the pen name Publius, authored 85 essays called the Federalist Papers to convince states to ratify the Constitution.
- Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the Constitution.
James Madison (Father of the Constitution)
- Believed in harnessing human nature as it is, not as it should be (people are self-interested, greedy, and ambitious).
- Argued that government should be created using internal mechanisms based on human nature to prevent the corruption of power.
Separation of Powers
- Division of the government vertically into branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
Checks and Balances
- Each branch of government has enough power over the others to prevent overreach.
Federalism
- Division of power between federal and state governments.
Enumerated Powers
- Congressional powers specifically stated in the Constitution (Article 1 Section 8).
Concurrent Powers
- Powers shared by federal and state governments.
Reserved Powers
- Powers reserved for the states (10th Amendment).
Necessary and Proper Clause
- Constitutional authorization for Congress to make any law required to carry out its enumerated powers.
Reasons for Independence
- Colonists sought independence due to political, economic, and cultural reasons.
- Political Reasons: Lack of representation in Parliament.
- Economic Reasons: Taxation without representation, England took all profits from colonial trade.
- Cultural Reasons: Illegitimacy of British government.
Two Theories of Government
- Divine Right of Kings: Power held by monarchs, given by God.
- Social Contract: Power held by the people, given by nature. People retain considerable power; citizens can revolt and form new governments.
The Influence of John Locke
- John Locke (1632-1704) was a significant influence on the American Revolution.
- Locke's ideas emphasized the relationship between government and natural rights: life, liberty, and property.
- Locke believed that the social contract involved people sacrificing a small portion of their freedom in exchange for the government's protection of their rights.
- If the government abused its power, the people were no longer bound by the contract and could form a new government.
The Declaration of Independence
- The Declaration of Independence dissolved colonial ties with Britain and justified the legitimacy of the new government.
- It established the concept of unalienable rights, which are rights that cannot be taken away by governments.
- The Declaration created the notion of citizens who have rights against the government and blamed King George III for breaking the social contract.
The Articles of Confederation
- The first Constitution of the United States was the Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781.
- Under the Articles, states considered themselves independent nations retaining sovereignty.
- The national government had limited power, primarily determined by the states.
- The type of government under the Articles was a confederation, where power rested with the states over the central government.
- The national government consisted of one branch: Congress, where each state had an equal vote.
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
- The Articles were deemed too weak. They lacked the power to:
- Draft soldiers.
- Tax citizens.
- Regulate Interstate commerce.
- Establish a central monetary system.
The Constitutional Convention
- The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia from May to September 1787 to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
- 55 attendees representing 12 of the 13 states (Rhode Island refused to attend) participated.
- The convention ultimately produced a completely new Constitution to replace the Articles.
Division at the Convention: Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
- Federalists: Generally from larger states, favored a stronger national government (but still limited), and supported the Virginia Plan.
- Anti-Federalists: Generally from smaller states, preferred a weaker national government, granting more power to the states, and supported the New Jersey Plan.
Ratification of the Constitution
- The Anti-Federalists were hesitant to ratify the Constitution because it favored the Federalist perspective.
- To persuade states to ratify, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison wrote 85 newspaper editorials known as the Federalist Papers under the pen name Publius.
- Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the Constitution.
James Madison: Father of the Constitution
- James Madison advocated for harnessing human nature as it is, acknowledging self-interest, greed, and ambition.
- He proposed using internal mechanisms within government to prevent power corruption.
Core Principles of the Constitution:
- Separation of Powers: Divides government vertically into legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
- Checks and Balances: Each branch possesses enough power to check the others, preventing overreach.
- Federalism: Divides power horizontally between the federal and state governments.
Federalism: Power Allocation
- Enumerated Powers: Specific congressional powers listed in the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8).
- Concurrent Powers: Powers shared between the federal and state governments.
- Reserved Powers: Powers held exclusively by the states (10th Amendment).
The Necessary and Proper Clause
- This clause grants Congress the authority to make laws necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated powers.
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Description
Explore the key political, economic, and cultural reasons leading to the American Revolution. Understand John Locke's pivotal role and the concepts of social contract and divine right of kings. Discover how these ideas shaped the quest for independence.
