Notes

~Civics~ **The United States Constitution**
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~The Articles of Confederation provided for a weak central government. As a result, the nation consisted of a loose alliance
(union) of independent states.
~This alliance- was called a “league of friendship” among states.
~Levy- is a term generally used to refer to taxes. To levy taxes means to impose or collect the taxes.
~In 1786, a bankrupt farmer named Daniel Shays led an uprising in Massachusetts. The incident is called Shays Rebellion.
~A tariff- is a tax on goods that one nation (or state) buys from another nation (or state).
~Interstate trade- refers to trade from one state to another. New York sending cheese into New Jersey is an example of
interstate trade.
~An export- is a product taken from one country to another for the purpose of trade.
~In January of 1786, a group of Virginians called a meeting in Annapolis, Maryland. They wanted to have a national convention
to discuss problems with the Articles of Confederation.
~A delegate- is a person who represents others at a meeting.
~James Madison of Virginia presented to the convention a proposal called the Virginia Plan. Madison’s plan called for a strong
central government with three branches, or divisions—an executive branch (president), a legislative branch (Congress), and a
judicial branch (a federal court system)
~William Paterson of New Jersey was the leading spokesman for the New Jersey Plan. He offered it to the convention in response
to Madison’s Virginia Plan.
^^^Supporters of the Virginia Plan debated with supporters of the New Jersey Plan. The two main areas of disagreement were:
1. Representation
2. Slavery
~The Constitution was completed in September 1787.
~Ratification- is the process of approving something by a vote.
~As people in the states began to examine the Constitution, they became divided into two groups:
1. The Federalists supported the Constitution.
2. The Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution.
~On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution.
~~Ratification of the United States Constitution~~
State: Date Ratified:
Delaware December 7, 1787
Pennsylvania December 12, 1787
New Jersey December 18, 1787
Georgia January 2, 1788
Connecticut January 9, 1788
Massachusetts February 6, 1788
Maryland April 28, 1788
South Carolina May 23, 1788
New Hampshire June 21, 1788
Virginia June 25, 1788
New York July 26, 1788
North Carolina November 21, 1789
Rhode Island May 29, 1790
~The Constitution is called the “supreme law of the land.” This means that no state can make any laws that contradict the
Constitution. If they do, those laws have no effect.
~A pseudonym- is a false, or fictitious name
~James Madison- is often called the “Father of the Constitution.” He was a Virginian and a wealthy landowner
~Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania- was the most active debater of the convention. He delivered 173 speeches during the
course of the convention.
~While 55 delegates assembled in Philadelphia, only 39 of them actually signed the Constitution.
~Alexander Hamilton- served on the style committee with Morris.
~William Paterson- led the Anti-Federalists by proposing the New Jersey Plan. His ideas helped to force the compromises needed
to adopt the Constitution. The city of Paterson, New Jersey, is named after him.
~Roger Sherman of Connecticut- was the delegate who proposed the ideas for compromise that were eventually adopted.
~The Preamble is the introduction to the Constitution of the United States. It presents the six general purposes:
1. A more perfect union
2. Justice
3. Domestic tranquility
4. General welfare
5. The common defense
6. Liberty
~The legislative branch of a government- is that part which makes the laws of the country or state.
~Pro tempore is Latin meaning “for a time allotted.” This is typically the most senior member—the person who has been in the
Senate longest-of the majority power.
~A quorum- is the number of members that must be present to conduct business.
~A bill- is a proposal for a law. Bills may be proposed, debated, and either passed or defeated in either house.
~A Veto- A president who doesn’t want to sign a bill can pass it back, unsigned, to the house where it originated.
~Powers of Congress - According to article I of the Constitution, Congress has the power to
1. Levy and collect taxes.
2. Borrow money
3. Control commerce between states
4. Determine citizenship
5. Print and coin money
6.Punish people for counterfeiting money
7. Set up post offices and mail delivery routes
8. Promote the arts and sciences by issuing copyrights and patents
9. Create a system of lower courts
10. Declare war
11. Create and pay for an army
12. Call up the militia (National Guard)
~Electoral college- the electors meet in their states and cast their votes for president and vice president.
~the qualifications for a candidate for president of the United States. That person must be:
1. A natural-born citizen. That is, he or she must have been born in the United States and must be a citizen of this country.
2. At least 35 years old
3. A resident for at least 14 years within the United States
~Impeachment is the process by which a government leader is charged with a crime.
~Judicial power- is the power to interpret laws
~Congress- passes laws and the president enforces them
~Original jurisdiction- which means that it has the authority to hear cases that haven’t already been tried by lower courts.
~Appellate jurisdiction- The world appellate is a form of the word appeal. Appeal is the process by which a party in a lawsuit
asks a higher court to review the decision of a lower court.
~The Constitution had to be ratified by nine states in a convention held for that purpose. It was ratified on June 21, 1788, and
Congress first convened under its provisions in 1789. In that same year, George Washington became the first president of the
United States.
~On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments that covered these issues of the
rights of citizens. Only 10 of these amendments were ratified by the state legislatures. These became the first 10 amendments
to the Constitution, which are known as the Bill of Rights.

~The First Amendment grants five freedoms:
1. Religion
2. Speech
3. Press
4. Assembly
5. Petition
~Freedom of religion- is one of these basic freedoms.
~Freedom of speech- assures United States citizens that they have a right to voice their opinions.
~Freedom of the press- is vital to democracy. A free press means exercising freedom of speech through print or images, such as
political cartoons.
~Freedom of assembly- means that people have the right to gather peacefully to demonstrate or march for something they
believe in.
~The right to petition- gives Americans the freedom to attempt to influence members of the government.
~A petition- a letter or a statement signed by many people
~The Second Amendment to the Constitution- says that every state has the right to a well-armed militia.
~The Third Amendment- declares that in time of peace, no citizen shall have to quarter soldiers unless they agree to do so.
~The Fourth Amendment- states that people have a right to be safe from police searches and arrests in their homes.
~The Fifth Amendment contains several important principles:
1. No person can be charged with a capital crime or other serious crime unless a charge is brought by a grand jury.
2. No person tried by a jury and found innocent can be tried again for the same offense. This is called the double jeopardy
rule.
3. No person can be forced to speak against or to produce evidence that would in any way incriminate the individual.
4. All persons are guaranteed due process under law, which means that above all, a person must be treated fairly by the
police and the courts.
5. The government must pay a fair price to the owners of property if that property is claimed for public use. This right to
take property for public use is called eminent domain.
~A capital crime- is one that’s punishable by death.
~Repeal- To end or remove a law
~Great Seal of the Republic- Used to authenticate certain documents issued by the US federal government
~Three Main Sections of the Constitution- Preamble, articles, and amendments
~The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution- specifies many of the basic principles of due process.
~The Seventh Amendment- guarantees an individual’s right to a jury trial in civil cases that involve at least $20 in value
~The Eighth Amendment- speaks for itself. Here’s what it says: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed,
nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
~Bail- is an amount set by a judge, which allows an accused person to remain free until his or her trial takes place.
~A fine- may be the form of punishment declared by a judge.
~The Ninth Amendment- is about rights not enumerated in the Constitution. It states that rights specified in the Constitution
don’t deny or reject other rights held by the people.
~The Tenth Amendment- states that all powers not given to the federal government are reserved to the states or to the people.

^^The Fourth through the Eighth Amendments provide basic legal rights. Along with the Fourteenth Amendment passed in
1868, they outline what’s meant by equal justice under law.

~The Thirteenth Amendment, passed in 1865, abolished slavery.
~The Fourteenth Amendment, passed in 1868, made former slave's citizens of the United States, overturned the Three-Fifths
Compromise, and extended and explained many rights of American citizens.
~The Fifteenth Amendment, passed in 1870, proclaims that no male citizen can be denied the right to vote based on race, color,
or previous condition of servitude (slavery).
~The Eighteenth Amendment, passed in 1919, established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.
~The Nineteenth Amendment, passed in 1920, gave the right to vote to women.
~The Twenty-Sixth Amendment, passed in 1971, lowered the voting age to 18.

~Checks and balances- are controls given to one branch of government to limit the power of another branch.
~The word federalism- comes from the Latin word fidere, which means “to trust.” The basic idea of federalism in American
government is that power is shared between a central government and state governments.
~Popular sovereignty, or rule by the people- is the principle that the people in a state can determine the laws within that state.
~Abolitionists—people who wanted to do away with slavery.

~Amending the Constitution requires two steps:
1. Proposal
2. Ratification
~A proposal for a new amendment can be introduced in two ways:
1. By two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress
2. By two-thirds vote of the state legislatures to have a national convention
This second method has never been used to propose an amendment.
~Once a proposal has been made, it must be ratified to become an amendment. It can be ratified in one of two ways:
1. By approval of three-fourths of the state legislatures
2. By approval of conventions in three-fourths of the states

~The term judicial review refers to the Supreme Court’s power to interpret the Constitution.
~The principle of judicial review isn’t spelled out in the Constitution; it’s only implied. Judicial review became established for the Supreme Court through the legal case of Marbury v. Madison in 1803.
~Since the time of Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court has overturned more than 100 federal laws and more than 1,000 state laws.
~The Great Seal of the Republic is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the US federal government.
~The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1909.
~Chief Justice Warren overturned the separate but equal principle, thus making the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson unconstitutional.
~In 1964, the Supreme Court interpreted the Tenth Amendment rights differently. In the case Heart of Atlanta Hotel v. United States, the Court ruled that racial discrimination in hotels harmed interstate commerce.
~Brown v. Education- Made school segregation illegal