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American Constitution & Early Republic

60 cards · 🇺🇸 English

The Constitutional Convention, the Bill of Rights and the young United States.

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When was the U.S. Constitution signed?

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  1. 1When was the U.S. Constitution signed?
    September 17, 1787
  2. 2When did the Constitution become operational?
    March 4, 1789
  3. 3Where was the Constitutional Convention held?
    Independence Hall in Philadelphia, from May 25 to September 17, 1787
  4. 4What document did the Constitution supersede?
    The Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution
  5. 5How many articles does the Constitution originally contain?
    Seven articles
  6. 6How many delegates signed the Constitution?
    39 of the 55 delegates
  7. 7Who wrote the official engrossed copy of the Constitution?
    Jacob Shallus, handwritten on five pages of parchment
  8. 8How many amendments have been made to the Constitution?
    27 amendments (first 10 being the Bill of Rights)
  9. 9What are the first ten amendments called?
    The Bill of Rights
  10. 10What are Amendments 13-15 known as?
    The Reconstruction Amendments
  11. 11When was the Constitution ratified by the states?
    June 21, 1788 (when 9 of 13 states ratified it)
  12. 12How many states were required to ratify the Constitution?
    Nine of the 13 states (a two-thirds majority)
  13. 13What was the first permanent constitution?
    The U.S. Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world
  14. 14What was the Articles of Confederation?
    The first constitution of the United States, adopted in mid-November 1777 and ratified March 1, 1781
  15. 15What was the main problem with the Articles of Confederation?
    It gave little power to the central government and lacked enforcement powers
  16. 16According to George Washington, what was the chief problem?
    'No money' - the Confederated Congress could print money but it was worthless and couldn't pay back debts
  17. 17What rebellion demonstrated the weakness of the Articles?
    Shays' Rebellion (August 1786–June 1787) in Massachusetts, where Congress couldn't provide funds to support the state
  18. 18When did Congress call for the Constitutional Convention?
    February 21, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation
  19. 19What was the Virginia Plan?
    A proposal for a bicameral Congress elected proportionally by population, an elected executive, and appointed judiciary, favoring populous states
  20. 20What was the New Jersey Plan?
    An alternative plan retaining unicameral Congress where all states had one vote, favoring less-populous states
  21. 21When was the New Jersey Plan rejected?
    June 19, 1787, with three states for, seven against, and one divided
  22. 22What was the Connecticut Compromise?
    Also called the Great Compromise, it established proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate
  23. 23What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?
    States could count three-fifths of their slaves for purposes of representation in the federal government
  24. 24How long was the slave trade protected?
    For 20 years, as agreed by delegates to satisfy Southern interests
  25. 25What was the Committee of Detail?
    Elected July 24, 1787, to draft a detailed constitution reflecting convention resolutions (Rutledge, Randolph, Gorham, Ellsworth, Wilson)
  26. 26What was the Committee of Style and Arrangement?
    Appointed September 8, 1787, to distill the final draft (Hamilton, Johnson, King, Madison, Morris)
  27. 27Who was the primary author of the final draft?
    Gouverneur Morris, who presented the final seven-article constitution on September 12
  28. 28What did Benjamin Franklin say at the Constitution signing?
    'I expect no better and because I am not sure that it is not the best' - accepting it despite disapproving some parts
  29. 29What was the closing endorsement formula?
    'Done in Convention, by the unanimous consent of the States present' - ambiguous wording to appear unanimous
  30. 30When was the Constitution submitted to Congress?
    Within three days of signing (September 1787), forwarded to states on September 28

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