American Heritage Exam 2 | BYU Study
Guide & Key Concepts
Weaknesses of Articles of Confederation - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----Individual
states were sovereign, No executive, No power to enforce conflicts between
states, No power to tax, No common currency, exchange disputes, Not binding if
passed, No judiciary to resolve disputes, State wars (Penn-Con), Conflict between
state laws, State trade problems, States made own international treaties, states
were played off each other
Strenghts of Articles of Confederation - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----Experience
gained helped in the creation of the Constitution, States acted as experimental
labs, Led nation through the Revolutionary War, Ended disputes over western
lands, Was a product of the people
Virginia Plan - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----"Large state" proposal for the new
constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral
Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to
come back with their own plan for apportioning representation.
,New Jersey Plan - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----Small state plan. A constitutional
proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress
The Great compromise - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----1787; This compromise was
between the large and small states of the colonies. The Great Compromise
resolved that there would be representation by population in the House of
Representatives, and equal representation would exist in the Senate. Each state,
regardless of size, would have 2 senators. All tax bills and revenues would
originate in the House. This compromise combined the needs of both large and
small states and formed a fair and sensible resolution to their problems.
Compromise on Slavery - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----1. Slave trade could not be
abolished for 20 years
2. Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for taxation and representation
3. Fugitive slaves were to be returned to their owners
Three Structural devices - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----Bicameral Legislature,
Indirect Election, Enumeration of powers
Checks and Balances - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----A system that allows each
branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to
prevent abuse of power
, Articles of Confederation - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----A document outlining the
alliance of American colonies as a group of sovereign equal states for which the
Continental congress acted as a weak central government
auxiliary precautions - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----structures built into
government to check the concentration of power in any single person or group,
seen by the founders as a supplement to virtue. Madison discusses auxiliary
precautions in Federalist 51
bicameral legislature - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----a lawmaking body made up of
two chambers or parts
Confederation - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----A joining of several groups for a
common purpose.
Constitutional drift - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----when power in the government
does not remain where it was originally placed
constitutional mechanism - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----parts of the constitution
that help organize and control power
constitutional structure - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----The nature and
arrangement of mechanisms in a constitution that organize the government.
Guide & Key Concepts
Weaknesses of Articles of Confederation - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----Individual
states were sovereign, No executive, No power to enforce conflicts between
states, No power to tax, No common currency, exchange disputes, Not binding if
passed, No judiciary to resolve disputes, State wars (Penn-Con), Conflict between
state laws, State trade problems, States made own international treaties, states
were played off each other
Strenghts of Articles of Confederation - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----Experience
gained helped in the creation of the Constitution, States acted as experimental
labs, Led nation through the Revolutionary War, Ended disputes over western
lands, Was a product of the people
Virginia Plan - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----"Large state" proposal for the new
constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral
Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to
come back with their own plan for apportioning representation.
,New Jersey Plan - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----Small state plan. A constitutional
proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress
The Great compromise - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----1787; This compromise was
between the large and small states of the colonies. The Great Compromise
resolved that there would be representation by population in the House of
Representatives, and equal representation would exist in the Senate. Each state,
regardless of size, would have 2 senators. All tax bills and revenues would
originate in the House. This compromise combined the needs of both large and
small states and formed a fair and sensible resolution to their problems.
Compromise on Slavery - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----1. Slave trade could not be
abolished for 20 years
2. Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for taxation and representation
3. Fugitive slaves were to be returned to their owners
Three Structural devices - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----Bicameral Legislature,
Indirect Election, Enumeration of powers
Checks and Balances - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----A system that allows each
branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to
prevent abuse of power
, Articles of Confederation - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----A document outlining the
alliance of American colonies as a group of sovereign equal states for which the
Continental congress acted as a weak central government
auxiliary precautions - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----structures built into
government to check the concentration of power in any single person or group,
seen by the founders as a supplement to virtue. Madison discusses auxiliary
precautions in Federalist 51
bicameral legislature - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----a lawmaking body made up of
two chambers or parts
Confederation - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----A joining of several groups for a
common purpose.
Constitutional drift - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----when power in the government
does not remain where it was originally placed
constitutional mechanism - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----parts of the constitution
that help organize and control power
constitutional structure - ---✔✔✔ANSWER----The nature and
arrangement of mechanisms in a constitution that organize the government.
