Assignment #1
 
Sources:
• textbook: 
Questions:
1 Who were the advocated of centralization?  Why did they want to alter or abolish the Articles of Confederation?
2 What did those who favored centralization see as the most serious problem of the Articles?  How would they have changed them?  What had prevented any changes?
3 What were the characteristics of the men who met at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia?  What were their socio-economic backgrounds?
4 What were the main positions of the Virginia and New Jersey Plans?
5 How did the Great Compromise draw from those Plans?
6 How did sectionalism and the issue of slavery influence the Constitution?
7 List the provisions and the underlying principles of the U. S. Constitution.
8 Explain the ongoing debate between historians over the motives of the men who framed the American Constitution.
9 How has the debate over the origins of the Constitution mirrored the debate over the causes of the American Revolution?

Terms:
• Newburgh Conspiracy
• Annapolis Convention
• Virginia Plan

Assignment #2
 
Sources:
• document:  United States Constitution, Bill of Rights
• worksheet:  Mrs. Projer's "The United States Constitution Worksheet "

Terms:

• 3/5s clause • elastic clause • federalism

• strict constructionist • loose [broad] constructionist • checks & balances

Assignment #3
 
Sources:
• textbook
• document:  Federalist #10 & #51 excerpts [1787].
 
Questions:
1 Why did the supporters of the new Constitution call themselves "Federalists?"  Were they actually Federalists, or did their philosophy of government reveal them to be something else?
2 What methods did the Federalists employ to get their views across to the people?  What were their arguments?  How did the "Anti-Federalists" respond?
3 What was the process by which the Constitution was finally ratified?  What objections were raised by the states?
4 What was the process by which the new government set up operations?  What were the initial matters discussed?  How were they resolved?
5 In what way did Congress continue the work of the Constitutional Convention?  What "gaps" in the Constitution did Congress fill?
6 What political precedents were set up by President Washington?  What were the "guidelines of presidential etiquette" that he established?
7 How did the divisions of the 1790s reflect the differences in philosophy that were at the heart of debate over the Constitution?
8 What was the view of society and politics held by Alexander Hamilton?  Who did he feel should govern, and why?
9 Identify the components of Hamilton's financial plan.  How did he propose to enact his program?
10 Why did Hamilton's motives upset Thomas Jefferson and James Madison?
11 How did political parties arise as a result of Hamilton's programs?
12 What was the political philosophy of Jefferson and Madison?  How did it differ from that of Hamilton?
13 How did the French Revolution highlight the differences between the Federalists and the Republicans?
 
Terms:

• Federalists • Anti-Federalists • Bill of Rights • The Federalist Papers • Anti-Federalist Papers • Judiciary Act of 1789 • Alexander Hamilton

• Assumption Bill • 11th. Amendment • Report on Public Credit (1790) • Report on Manufactures (1791) • First Bank of the U. S. • Democratic-Republicans

Assignment #4
 
Sources:
• textbook
• document:  "Washington's Farewell Address."  [1796]
• document:  Alien and Sedition Acts [1798].
• document:  Kentucky Resolution [1798].
 
Questions:
1 What were the reasons for the Whiskey Rebellion?  Who was it aimed at particularly?
2 How did Washington's reaction to the Whiskey Rebellion underscore the difference between the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation?
3 How did the government under the Constitution guarantee that people on the frontier would be loyal to it?  What was the impact on Native Americans?
4 What diplomatic problems did the French Revolution and the war that followed pose for the United States?  How did Washington and Congress deal with this problem?
5 What were the circumstances that sent John Jay to England?  What were the results of his mission?
6 How did Jay's Treaty affect American relations with Spain?
7 Why was John Adams selected as the Federalist candidate in 1796?
8 What circumstances led to an administration with a Federalist president and a Republican vice president?
9 What caused the "quasi-war" with France during the Adams administration?  What was the result of this struggle?
10 How did the Federalists attempt to silence those who opposed the undeclared war, and what groups did these attempts most affect?
11 What gave rise to the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions?  What attitude toward the nature of the federal government did these Resolutions reveal?
12 What were the key issues in the 1800 presidential election?  Why is it called the "Revolution of 1800?"
 
Terms:

• Whiskey Rebellion • Edmond Genêt • Jay's Treaty (1795) • Pinckney's Treaty (1795) • XYZ Affair • Quasi-French War • Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

• Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions (1798) • nullification

• "Revolution of 1800" • Aaron Burr • Judiciary Act (1801) • "Midnight Judges" • 12th. Amendment

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