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Declaration of Independece
In 1776 a group of men came together and wrote a document declaring their independence from Great Britain. The document was called the Declaration of Independence. The document consisted an intro, important ideals, a list of grievances, and a declaration separating them from Great Britain. -
Articles of Confederation
In 1777, once our freedom from Great Britain became official we needed a form of government. So we wrote the Articles of Confederation. There were few pro’s and many cons with this form of government. -
Land ordinance of 1785
The land ordinance of 1785 set up a system for surveying at settling the Northwest Territory. It organized the westward expansion. As well as being organized they made sure to set aside land for public schools. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays Rebellion was an armed uprising that took place in Massachusetts during 1786 and 1787 when the farmers wouldn’t pay their taxes. It was led by Daniel Shays. It altered the course of United States’ history. -
The Constitutional Convention
The constitutional convention, also known as the Philadelphia convention, the federal convention or the grand convention at Philadelphia took place may 25th to Sept. 17, 1787 to address problems in governing the United States but instead they ended up creating a new form of government. -
Post constitution signing
After the constitution was signed in 1787 nine of thirteen states would have to endorse it and then it would go into effect. -
The Virginia Plan
the Virginia Plan also known as the Randolph Plan was a proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch, the plan was drafted by James Madison. The Virginia Plan based on the three branches of government and the legislature was based on population. It happened May 29th 1787 -
The New Jersey Plan
the New Jersey plan, also known as the small state plan or the Paterson Plan was a proposal for the structure of the United States government by William Paterson on June 15th 1787 at the constitutional convention. It had 3 branches of government and one house in the legislature with one vote per state. -
The 3/5ths compromise
The agreement over slavery came after the 3/5ths compromise. The agreement was that the congress couldn’t outlaw the slave trade for 20 years but after, the congress could regulate the slave trade if they wanted. -
The Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance, also known as the ordinance of 1787, was an act of the congress of the confederation of the United States, passed July 13, 1787. A law organizing who gets what land in the northwest. -
The Great Compromise
The Great Compromise took place in 1787 and it was an agreement that large and small states reached during the constitutional convention also in 1787 that defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution. -
The Ratifacation Process
Delaware was the first state to ratify in 1787. New Hampshire became the ninth in 1788 and then it could go into effect. New York and Virginia, two big states didn’t ratify until mid-1788. Then North Carolina ratified in 1789 and last to ratify was Rhode Island who finally ratified in 1790. -
The Federalist position
The people in the federalist position wanted the constitution to be ratified. Some of the main people in the federalist position were James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. -
The Anti-Federalist position
The people in the anti-federalist position didn’t want the constitution to be ratified. Some of the main people in the anti-federalist position were Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. -
The amendment process
To start the amendment process and amendment must be proposed by either 2/3rds of both houses of congress can voting to propose an amendment or 2/3rds of the states can request special conventions to propose amendments. Next the amendments must be ratified. Last 3/4ths of the states must approve the amendment before it can become a part of the constitution. -
The Bill of Rights
the Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Proposed to assuage the fears of Anti-Federalists who had opposed Constitutional ratification, these amendments guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserve some powers to the states and the public.
