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 _________________(1628), which had limited the _______________________.
D. The English also had an ___________________ that had been passed by Parliament in 1688.
E. The English were used to _______________________ since they elected members of the __________________
F. The political philosophy of famous Englishmen such as _______________ influenced the colonists.
I. An English Political Heritage
A. The English colonists brought with them a ________________and _________________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 (salutary neglect)
B. Written plans of government were a key feature of the colonial period (colonial constitutions such as the _____________________or the ____________________)
C. The colonies had ____________________that were elected by the people starting with the ___________________ in _________ in ______
D. The principle 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. _______________and _____________________during the English Civil War
B. The______________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 _______________________was held in Philadelphia in The main topic of debate was what the colonies should do about their relationship with Britain.
When the ______________________ met in _______, fighting had begun at _____________and _______________ (“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 ___________________which sent petitions to the king.

7. III: Independence D. The Declaration had 3 parts: 1. 2. 3.
A. Thomas Paine’s _____________________strengthened the independence movement.
B. A committee of delegates sent to the Philadelphia Congress drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776 based on ____________________.
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 Articles
A. The nation’s first govt had a ___________________Congress with ___________________.
B. Each state had one________________; there was no ________________or national ____________system.
II: weaknesses of the Articles
A. Congress depended on _____________ for ___________. It couldn’t __________, regulate trade or _______________ (no $)
B. Amending the Articles had to be _____________.
No executive branch; the central govt carried out its work through congressional committees.
State courts enforced and interpreted national laws (why is this a problem?)

10. III: Achievements
A. The Confederation government prevented ________________by coming up with a fair way to handle developing western lands.
B. The Confederation govt ___________________with _____________.
C. Set up several _________________that became the basis for the cabinet departments we have today.

11. IV: The Need for Stronger Government
C. An ___________after the war led to an uprising called ___________________.
D. Political leaders who thought these problems showed that the govt should be stronger met at the Annapolis Convention in 1786, and __________________ 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 ________________.

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 ______________&
______________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. Ben Franklin needed a chaperone to protect the secrets!
C. The delegates decided to _________the AOC and _______________________.

14. II: Decisions and Compromises
The New Jersey Plan
Featured a ________ executive made up of __________elected by Congress, a national judiciary with limited power, and a __________________(one-house) legislature in which each state got one vote. This plan favored________ states. (why?)
A. The Virginia Plan
Featured a strong __________, national __________, two-house legislature (________), in which the people choose the ________ house and the ________house members are chosen by the members of the lower house. The VA Plan favored states with _______ populations. (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 executive & a _____year 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. Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
The Federalists supported a _____________national government (hence the name) to solve the problems the country faced under the weak AOC.
C.The Anti-federalists opposed the new document because. . .

17. Anti-Federalists’ Objections
1. The new constitution had been written ___________and without approval of the ___________or the ______________ who sent delegates.
2. They thought the stronger _____________came at the expense of the ________.
3. They wanted a ___________________added to prevent the new stronger central government from having _____________. 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 _________________
Defects of __________
Arguments for the ________________set up by the new constitution
Explanations of how _____________would __________ 1. 2. 3. 4.

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?