1. The Writing of the U.S. Constitution

2. confederation
An agreement of friendship between states

3. national
Having to do with a whole nation or country

4. trade
Doing business between states or countries

5. Federal government A form/type of government with two parts –
a national government and
A state government

6. union
The joining of states into one U.S. government

7. Constitutional Convention
The meeting in 1787 in Philadelphia to write a new plan for a U.S. government

8. compromise
The making of an agreement where both sides give up something

9. slave
A person who could be bought, sold and owned by another person

10. export
Any product sent from one country to another to trade it or sell it

11. amendment
A change or correction to a written document

12. 5 things common in all individual state constitutions
Rule by the people
Limited government
Rights and freedoms
Separation of powers
Checks and balances

13. Rule by the people
the government’s power is in the control of the people

14. Limited government The government must only have a few powers
All powers the government gets must be approved by the people

15. Rights and freedoms
All people have certain rights and freedoms that the government cannot take away

16. Separation of powers
The government was divided into three branches/parts
Power to pass laws
Power to carry out the laws
Power to judge the laws

17. Checks and balances
Each branch of government could check the other branches
You can hold back or make sure the other branches were doing the right thing
Checks help to balance the power and make sure no one branch took all the
power or did the wrong thing

18. States Joining Together
The states were against a strong government that would have power over the states
The Second Continental Congress wrote a plan for government that made a confederation between the states – This plan was
called the Articles of Confederation

19. The Articles of Confederation
The first plan for the US government
Set up the first national government for the US
Was ratified [approved] by the states in 1781

20. The Articles of Confederation
States would be just a group of “friends”
Representatives went to congress from each state
Congress had only a few powers:
Could make war and peace
Could deal with other countries
Could borrow money
Could ask the states for money or soldiers

21. The Articles of Confederation
Problems with Congress:
No power to tax
No power to carry out laws
Had no power to make rules about trade between states

22. The Articles of Confederation
Problems with the states
States started to act like 13 independent countries
Each state had their own different money
Each state set up different armies & navies
Some states became enemies with other states

23. The Articles of Confederation
Realized the Articles of Confederation government was too weak

24. New Meeting in Philadelphia
Need to change the government
The federal government needed more powers (authority)