1. Chapter 2: Origins of American Government
Section 1: The Colonial Period
Section 2: Uniting for Independence
Section 3: Articles of Confederation
Section 4: The Constitutional Convention

2. Section 1: The colonial period
C. The English also had the ________ of ______ (1628), which had limited ____________.
D. The English also had an English ___________ that had been passed by Parliament in _______.
E. The English were used to __________ government since they ________ members of the House of ______
F. The political philosophy of famous Englishmen such as _______ and ____influenced the colonists.
I. An English Political Heritage
A. The English colonists brought with them a ______________ and principles of govt that helped shape the development of the US
B. One of these ideas was the concept of __________, which the English were familiar with from the _____________ (1215)

3. II: Government in the colonies
A. The present system of American govt evolved from colonial governments (_________ neglect)
B. _________ plans of government were a key feature of the colonial period (colonial ________ such as the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut or the Mayflower Compact)
C. The colonies had ________ assemblies that were elected by the people starting with the House of ______ in ______ in ______
D. The principle of _______ of _____ also developed in the colonial period; the governor, the colonial legislatures and colonial courts shared power.

4. Discussion questions for section 1
1. Why were John Locke’s ideas considered revolutionary?
2. How did democracy in the colonies differ from democracy in the U.S. today?

5. Section 2: Uniting for Independence
I. The colonies on their own
A. mercantilism and salutary neglect during the English Civil War
B. The French & Indian Wars (7 years’ war in Europe) changed England’s attitude toward the colonies
C. King George III and his ministers looked to the colonies to help pay for the war effort

6. II: Colonial Unity
C. The First ________ Congress was held in Philadelphia in ____. The main topic of debate was what the colonies should do about their relationship with Britain.
D. When the ________ Continental Congress met in ______, fighting had begun at Lexington and Concord (“shot heard ‘round the world”) This was the government in place during the Revolution.
A. Harsh British policies and ___________ helped unite the colonists
B. The colonists organized their protests by setting up ________ of _________ which sent ________ to the king.

7. III: Independence
A. Thomas Paine’s _______ Sense strengthened the independence movement.
B. A committee of delegates sent to the Philadelphia Congress drafted the ______________ in 1776 based on Lee’s Resolution.
C. The Declaration set forth the argument the colonists were making for why they were justified in breaking away from Britain
D. The Declaration had 3 parts: 1. 2. 3.

8. Discussion Questions for section 2
1. Why did the British government allow its American colonies to develop representatives?
2. When did the Second Continental Congress become the colonies’ acting government?
3. Why did Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence stir the hearts and minds of the American people?

9. Section 3: The Articles of Confederation
I. Government under the ___________
A. The nation’s first govt had a _______ chamber Congress with ________ powers.
B. Each state had _____ vote in Congress; there was no ______branch or national ______ system.
II: ________ of the Articles
A. Congress depended on the states for _____. It couldn’t collect ______, regulate ______ or ________laws (no $)
B. __________ the Articles had to be ____________.
No ______ branch; the central govt carried out its work through congressional committees.
State courts ______ and ________ national laws (why is this a problem?)

10. III: Achievements
A. The Confederation government prevented civil war by coming up with a fair way to ________________.
B. The Confederation govt _____________with England.
C. Set up several departments that became the basis for the ________ _______ we have today.

11. IV: The Need for Stronger Government
C. An ________ ______ after the war led to an uprising called _______ Rebellion.
D. Political leaders who thought these problems showed that the govt should be _________ met at the Annapolis Convention in 1786, and agreed to meet again in Philadelphia that summer to revise the AOC.
A. Several states had disputes with each other over ______________
B. the government couldn’t afford to ______________for serving in the war.

12. Discussion Questions for Section 3
1. Why did the delegates who planned the Confederation government give nearly all powers to the central government (Congress) instead of to a strong executive?
2. What do you consider the biggest weakness of the Articles? Why?
3. How did the Confederation government provide for the future growth of the nation?
4. How did Shays’ Rebellion show the need for a stronger government?

13. Section 4: The Constitutional Convention
I. The Convention Begins
A. The delegates to the convention included well-known politicians and ________ of the Declaration of Independence.
B. The delegates held their meetings ________. They elected _________ as secretary and agreed not to discuss the convention outside of their meetings. ____________ needed a chaperone to protect the secrets!
C. The delegates decided to ____________and __________________.

14. II: Decisions and Compromises
A. The _________ Plan
Featured a strong ________, national judiciary, two-house legislature (________), in which the people choose the lower house and the upper house members are chosen by the members of the lower house. The VA Plan favored states with _________ populations. (why?)
The _____ _____ Plan
Featured a _____ executive made up of ___________ elected by Congress, a national judiciary with limited power, and a unicameral (one-house) legislature in which each state got one vote. This plan favored small states. (why?)

15. II: continued A. What were the key points of debate at the Convention?1. 2. 3.
B. How were these debates resolved?
1. The _______ Compromise a.k.a. the ________ Compromise.
2. The _________ Compromise
3. Set up the ______ ____ to select the ______ & a ________term.

16. III: Ratifying the Constitution
A. The delegates returned home to the job of getting the new constitution adopted. Why would some people have been opposed to the Constitution?
B. _______ vs. Anti-__________
The Federalists supported a _______ national government (hence the name) to ______________ the country faced under the weak AOC.
C.The Anti-federalists _________ the new document because. . .

17. Anti-Federalists’ __________
1. The new constitution had been ___________ and without approval of the ________ or the _________________ who sent delegates.
2. They thought the stronger national government came at the _______ of the _________.
3. They wanted a _____________ added to prevent the new stronger central government from having ____________power. Remember that most of the colonial/state constitutions had bills of rights

18. The Federalist Papers ___________ ________________________________
Here are the key ideas from the Federalist Papers:
The importance of ________
_______ of the Articles
Arguments for the type of govt set up by the new constitution
________ of how each ________ would work
___________
________________________________
________ ________

19. Discussion questions for section 4
1. Why were the delegates able to work out their disagreements?
2. Why does the word slave not appear in the Constitution?
3. Why did ratification of the Constitution cause great debate among people in the various states?