AP US History AMSCO Guided Notes
3.9: The Constitution
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP US History Guided Notes
AMSCO 3.9 - The Constitution
Learning Objectives
- Explain the continuities and changes in the structure and functions of the government with the ratification of the Constitution.
I. The Constitutional Convention and Debates Over Ratification
A. The Annapolis Convention
1. What problems led George Washington to host a conference at Mount Vernon, and what was decided at the Annapolis Convention?
2. How did James Madison and Alexander Hamilton persuade delegates at Annapolis to call for a broader convention?
B. Drafting the Constitution at Philadelphia
1. What was Congress's stated purpose for calling the Philadelphia convention, and which state refused to send delegates?
C. The Delegates
1. What were the common characteristics of the 55 delegates who attended the Philadelphia convention?
2. Why did the delegates vote to conduct their meetings in secret, and who were the key leaders directing the convention's work?
3. Which major leaders of the American Revolution were absent from the convention and why?
D. Key Issues at the Convention
1. What was the fundamental disagreement between delegates who wanted to revise the Articles and the strong nationalists at the convention?
2. What did Madison and other delegates mean by separation of powers and checks and balances?
1. Representation
1. What was the main dispute between large and small states over representation in Congress?
2. How did the Connecticut Plan or Great Compromise resolve the representation dispute?
2. Slavery
1. What was the Three-Fifths Compromise and why did northern and southern delegates disagree on counting enslaved people?
2. What did the delegates decide regarding the slave trade, and when could Congress vote to abolish it?
3. Trade
1. Why did southern states fear federal regulation of commerce, and what did the Commercial Compromise allow?
4. The Presidency
1. What decisions did the delegates make about the president's term of office and method of election?
2. Why did the delegates create the Electoral College system instead of allowing direct popular election?
3. What powers did the delegates grant to the president?
5. Ratification Procedure
1. How many states were required to ratify the Constitution, and what process did the Framers establish for ratification?
E. Federalists and Anti-Federalists
1. Who were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and where did each group tend to have the most support?
2. What were the main arguments Federalists made in favor of the Constitution?
3. What were the main arguments Anti-Federalists made against the Constitution?
1. Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist Positions
1. What were the key advantages and disadvantages each side possessed in the ratification debate?
F. The Federalist Papers
1. What were The Federalist Papers and who wrote them?
2. What role did The Federalist Papers play in the campaign for ratification?
G. The Path to Ratification
1. Which states were the first to ratify the Constitution, and why were Federalists not confident of victory?
1. Debate on a Bill of Rights
1. What was the main Anti-Federalist objection regarding the Constitution, and why did they believe a bill of rights was necessary?
2. How did Federalists initially respond to the demand for a bill of rights, and what promise did they make to win support?
2. Ratification Achieved
1. Which state's ratification in June 1788 gave the Constitution the nine states needed for ratification?
2. Why was the ratification of Virginia and New York so important despite the Constitution already having nine states?
3. Final States
1. Who led the Anti-Federalist and Federalist forces in Virginia's ratification debate, and how did Virginia's vote influence New York?
2. Which states were the last to ratify the Constitution, and when did they do so?
II. The Constitution
1. What were the main goals of the Framers in writing the Constitution?
2. How did the Framers divide power to guard against tyranny?
A. Federalism
1. How did the Constitution divide power between the federal government and state governments?
2. What issues would be handled by the federal government and what issues would be handled by states?
3. How has the federal government's power changed since the Constitution was written?
B. Separation of Powers
1. What are the three branches of government and what are their main responsibilities?
2. How does the system of checks and balances limit the power of each branch?
C. The Bill of Rights
1. Why did Congress quickly approve amendments to the Constitution, and who drafted the Bill of Rights?
2. What did the first ten amendments originally protect against, and how did the 14th Amendment change their scope?
3. What freedoms and protections does the First Amendment guarantee?
4. What rights related to criminal justice are protected by the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments?
5. What do the Ninth and Tenth Amendments establish about rights and powers?
Key Terms
James Madison
amendments
Bill of Rights
federalism
separation of powers