Plan of Government That Gave the States a Lot of Power

1. What were the Articles of Confederation? What motivated the writers to create a weak central government? What weaknesses with the Articles of Confederation did the Constitutional Convention work to resolve?  Plan of government that gave the states a lot of power  Motivated by fears of a strong central government  Debt, weak central government, could not enforce laws or impose taxes

2. What was a Federalist? What was an Anti-federalist?  Federalist: supported the states to be united under a central government  Anti-federalists: wanted to ensure individual rights were protected

3. What are the three branches of government? What are their responsibilities?  Executive – President – enforces laws, head of foreign policy  Legislative – Congress – writes laws  Judicial – Supreme Court – interprets laws and determines them to be constitutional

4. What is a republic? Federalism? Checks and balances?  Republic – people elect representatives  Federalism – power is shared between state and central governments  Checks and Balances – system where three branches of government split powers

5. What is an amendment? What is its purpose?  A change to the constitution  To ensure the changing needs of the country are met

6. What are the Bill of Rights? What is their purpose? What protections does the First Amendment provide?  First 10 amendments of the Constitution  To protect individual rights and liberties  Rights of self-expression: religion, speech, the press, petition government, to assemble

7. Who did we purchase the Louisiana territory from? What were the consequences of purchasing the Louisiana Territory?  France  Doubled the size of the US, acquired the Mississippi River, acquired New Orleans, discovered new species of plants and animals, encouraged westward expansion

8. What was the Monroe doctrine?  Foreign policy that stated attempts to colonize in the Americas would be considered a means of aggression

9. Why was Andrew Jackson so controversial?  He was liked by the common man but disliked by many in government

10. What is Manifest destiny? How was it realized?  Belief that Americans deserved to settle westward  When all western lands were settled from “sea to shining sea”

11. What was the Trail of Tears? Describe it in detail.  Forced removal of Native Americans by the US government when gold was discovered on tribal lands

12. What was an abolitionist? What means did they use to fight slavery?  Someone who fought to end slavery  Speeches, writing news articles and pamphlets, rebellions, petitioning the government

13. How did the North and South differ before the war?  North – developed industry, had a lot of railways and canals for trade, many abolitionists, cold winters and warm summers etc.  South – agriculture society, relied on slavery, grew cotton, mild winters and hot summers etc.

14. Know the following causes of the Civil War in detail:

a. Missouri Compromise – 1820, admitted Missouri as a slave state & Maine as a free state, established the Missouri Compromise line (30 36’) b. Dred Scott – US Supreme Court decision that declared African Americans were property and not US citizens c. Uncle Tom’s Cabin – book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that highlighted the cruelties of slavery d. Compromise of 1850 – admitted California as a free state and included the Fugitive Slave Act e. Kansas-Nebraska Act – Created Kansas territory and Nebraska territory, allowed the territories to vote on the slavery issue (popular sovereignty) f. Bleeding Kansas – conflicts between pro – and anti- slavery groups that led to a lot of violence g. Fugitive Slave Act – Law that required run away slaves to be returned to their masters h. John Brown/ Harper’s Ferry – John Brown’s attack on the Federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry i. Election of 1860 – Abraham Lincoln is elected the 16th president j. Secession- southern states formerly withdraw from the Union