Study Guide The Constitution and its Ratification
(Ch. 2-3, 2-4, 3-3, 4-2, and Notes)
Vocabulary
Bicameral
Block Grant
Categorical Grant
Concurrent Power
Confederation
Elastic Clause
Expressed Power
Extradition
Full Faith and Credit
Implied Power
Inherent Power
Interstate Commerce
Interstate Compacts
Judicial Activism
Judicial Restraint
Logrolling Politics
Pork barrel Politics
Ratification
Unicameral
Major Concepts – Chapter 2
Section 3…
· Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
o There were 8 that we held a mock tournament to decide which was the most crippling to the Articles government.
· I stated in class that the Articles document was one written out of fear. I listed 4 ideas on the board that drove the Founders in creating such a weak government. What were they?
· The economic situation created by the Articles government
· The importance of Shay’s Rebellion
Section 4…
· The provisions of the Virginia Plan
· The provisions of the New Jersey Plan
· Comparing the two plans
o How can the debate over the plans be framed in terms of “All Men are Created Equal” versus “Protection from Tyranny”?
· Provisions of the Connecticut Compromise
· Provisions of the Three-Fifths Compromise
o How did the “Free” states benefit?
o How did the “Slave” states benefit?
· Provisions of the Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise
o How did the industrial north benefit?
o What concern of the agricultural south did this compromise seek to address?
§ “The power to tax is the power to destroy”
· How many states were needed to ratify?
· Which states’ ratification were the most important to the success of the Constitution? Why?
Federalists and Anti-Federalists Reading/Notes…
· What were the basic problems the Anti-federalists had with the Constitution?
o Necessary and Proper clause
o Need for a Bill of Rights
o Other concerns
· What was the primary answer of the Federalists to the Anti-federalists’ concerns?
o Who’s interests was each branch of the government designed to protect?
o Why did the Federalist’s see a Bill of Rights as a danger?
· Recall that the debate over ratification can be seen as a question by the Anti-federalists and an answer by the Federalists. Be able to explain the specifics behind these two general statements:
o Anti-Federalists: “How can you be certain that new government would not use it’s powers to abuse the rights of its citizens?”
o Federalists: “Because of the way the government is organized”
· What general belief about human nature did the Federalists believe made a strong central government necessary?
· What were the Federalist Papers?
Six Principles of the Constitution
· Be able to identify (both definition of and an example of) the six major principles of the Constitution
Major Concepts – Chapter 3
Section 3…
· Describe the four methods of creating a formal amendment - remember that there are only 2 ways to propose an amendment and 2 ways to ratify it.
· How does the formal amendment process illustrate a commitment to federalism?
· Answer…Federalism is the idea that power should be divided between local and national governments. The process of creating an amendment is also divided into local and national control. An amendment must be proposed on a national level and ratified at a local (state) level.
· Why is ratification by convention thought to be more democratic than the other method?
· Be able to define and provide/recognize examples of the following ways the Constitution has be informally amended:
Custom Legislation Executive Action
Court Decisions Political Parties
Federalism – Major Concepts – Chapter 4-2 and Notes
· Basic definition of Federalism
· Basic definition of Fiscal Federalism
· Establishing the Supremacy of National law over State law
o Supremacy Clause (Article 6, section 2)
o Necessary and Proper Clause
o McCulloch v Maryland (The court case about the National Bank. Established the constitutionality of Implied Powers)
o Gibbons v Ogden (The steamboat case. Established the idea that the Commerce Power could be used to regulate areas only loosely connected to business)
· Powers of the government
o Implied Powers derived from expressed: Expressed Power + Elastic Clause = Implied Power
o States’ reserved powers
· Pros of Federalism / Cons of Federalism
· Reasons for the Growth of National government’s powers
Daily Desktop Lesson terms
· Scope of “landmine problems”
· Multi-polar v uni-polar world
· North Korea
· Mexican frustrations with US
· Debt Ceiling
· Fiscal Cliff