1. Road to the Constitution

2. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
State governments were too powerful
Had the power to: tax, regulate trade, dictate policy to the national gov., & raise a militia
Large states taking advantage of small states

3. What event showed things needed to change?
Shay’s Rebellion – farmers protesting the unfair taxation of the states

4. Where was the Constitutional Convention held?
Philadelphia

5. Who was in charge?
George Washington

6. What was needed for an issue to pass?
A majority vote

7. What were major issues needing to be addressed?
Small and large states could not agree on representation
Northern and Southern states could not agree on the issue of slavery and commerce
Federalist & Anti-Federalists could not agree on the power of the National Government

8. What are the key parts to the Virginia Plan?
Proposed by Edmund Randolf
Bicameral (two houses)
Both houses based on state’s population
Equal number of representatives in each house
3 branches (president, legislature, & court system)
The chief executive chosen by the legislature and the courts
Favored by large states

9. What are the key parts to the New Jersey Plan?
Proposed by William Patterson
Unicameral (1 house)
Representation would be equal for all states
Same as Articles of Confederation but Congress could tax and regulate trade

10. What was the Great Compromise?
Proposed by Roger Sherman
Bicameral legislature (2 houses)
House of Representatives – based on population & elected by the people
Senate – equal for all states (2 & elected by the state legislatures)

11. What was the Commerce Compromise?
Allowed Congress to regulate interstate and foreign trade
Tax imports (not exports)
Could not restrict importing slaves but could tax it
Slaves were not considered free if they ran away – they had to be returned

12. What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?
Southern states wanted slaves counted as population but not for taxation purposes
Northern states thought it was wrong to count for one and not the other
Finally – every 5 slaves would be counted as 3 free persons for both taxation and population

13. What are some of problems that still existed & how did they solve them?
Anti-Federalist – needed more protection for the rights of individuals
Same ones that were mentioned in the Declaration of Independence
Wanted the Bill of Rights added
9 or 13 states needed to approve it before it would take affect

14. What did the Federalists do to get it ratified?
Wrote the Federalist Papers to convince people to support the Constitution

15. When did the new government begin?
March 4, 1789