Review Sheet
Unit 2 Test
Foundations of the American Political System
The material will be based on topics from the following sections in the text:
· Chapter 1.3 (this is basic background – read through it to make sure you understand it)
· Chapter 2, sections 1-4 (the entire chapter)
· Chapter 3, sections 1-2 (just the first two sections on the Articles of Confederation, reasons for the Constitution, and the basic compromises)
Thoughts on Content:
Chapter 1
· Provides the overall framework for the types of government that exist.
· The United States formed a republic in which people are elected to represent and make decisions for “the people.”
· A republic differs from direct democracy.
· With a direct democracy, like the city-states of Ancient Greece, all “citizens” are able to participate and vote on key items.
o Keep in mind that in Greek democracies, only certain people were considered “citizens;” typically, free men who had some status in the society.
o In the United States system, there were similar voting restrictions for the elections themselves. No women or slaves were permitted to vote in federal elections. Many states create additional restrictions.
Chapter 2
· The title of this chapter is really well-named, “The Roots of American Democracy”
o It breaks the material down into four areas that are chronological
§ Section 1: Our English Heritage
§ Section 2: The English Colonies
§ Section 3: Colonial Society
§ Section 4: Birth of a Democratic Nation
o In studying, use the “colors” that are in the text, for they really guide you well in terms of understanding the key components.
§ Red headings help to frame the main ideas:
· What influenced colonial government? (p. 33)
· Colonial traditions of self-government (p. 36)
· Settling the colonies (p. 39)
· People of the colonies (p. 41)
· The economy (p. 45)
· An American identity (p. 47)
· Colonial resistance (p. 51)
· Moving toward independence (p. 54)
· Declaration of Independence (p. 55)
§ By focusing on those guiding main ideas in red, see if you can talk intelligently about each one for a minute or two. If you can do that, it means you are able to integrate the key facts.
Chapter 3, Sections 1 & 2
· Essentially, the first two sections here are about how the colonies sought to come together after declaring their independence.
· Section 1 is very important – here are the key ideas and background points
· They were in unchartered waters:
o No colony had ever successfully declared independence from an empire, nor had one set up its own government without a king or nobility.
· Understandably, they wanted to set up a government without a strong centralized power (they had just fought a revolution to get out of that situation)
· However, it becomes clear that the Articles of Confederation, though a great first attempt, just wasn’t going to be strong enough to hold a confederation of states together and be able to protect them, collectively.
o No ability to tax (had to rely on states to agree to fund the government)
o No executive (no one to enforce laws)
o No judicial branch (no real feasible way to settle interstate and international conflicts)
· See the grid on p. 69 in your text – good synopsis of weaknesses
· Shay’s Rebellion in 1786 in Massachusetts (farmers with pitchforks) brings this lesson home very clearly in terms of domestic control; there is no way for the national government to appropriately respond without a national military
· This leads to the call for a Philadelphia Convention in May of 1787. From that convention, more than just tweaks are made to the Articles of Confederation.
o Instead, an entirely new Constitution is hammered out.
o There are key plans and compromises that you should know about:
· Virginia Plan vs. New Jersey plan
· Settled by the Connecticut Compromise (also known as the Great Compromise) – this is how we get the House of Reps & the Senate
· Three-Fifths (3/5) Compromise
· Slaves would count as 3/5 of a person
o This helps southern states; at the same time, the northern states feel better about slaves (who have no rights) not being counted as a full person.
o Otherwise, counting slaves as whole units of people would further help the southern states in terms of gaining them more representation in the House of Representatives.
o This is because it would increase the population of those southern states
§ The number of Reps in the House of Representatives would be based on state population.
§ This is why a national census was implemented and continues to this day!
§ Of course, after the Civil War, this counting method went away and all people were counted as one whole unit.
· From there, states will need to be convinced to ratify this new structure.
o Doing so is nerve-wracking for the states; so many people fear the empowerment of a national government.
o However, after the Federalist papers are written and after the promise of a Bill of Rights is offered, the states ratify the new Constitution.
Please note:
· The Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 were significant
o They were key accomplishments under the Articles of Confederation government
· The states agreed to cede (or give back) land west of the Appalachian mountains
· They agreed that in future states, west of the Appalachians, there would be no slavery
What else should I do to study?
· Look at our unit syllabus, day by day
o Are you familiar with the content and activities?
· Section Reviews
· Each section in the text has a good “Section Review” with good questions. The “Main Ideas” and “Critical Thinking” pieces are the most important, assuming you know the basic vocab.
· Practice Tests at the End of Each Chapter
· These are good for review and even point out the page numbers associated with the content of each question.
· This way, you can quickly locate the material you don’t understand.
· On-line Resources
· There are flashcards, multiple-choice questions, unit summaries, etc.
§ http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078746310/
· Have you reviewed the movies we watched in class?
§ I intentionally plan the units using clips that you can access via internet outside of school.
§ That can be a great way to help you cement the “Main Ideas” and “Critical Thinking” associated with the unit.
§ They’ll also tie directly with the “Section Reviews” in the text.
§ Here they are – Episodes 1 & 6 from Liberty: The American Revolution, an award-winning PBS documentary. Each video is about 50 minutes long.
· “Reluctant Revolutionaries”
Background to the American Revolution (Episode 1) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5602751196414323436
· “Are We To Build a Nation?”
Background to the Constitution (Episode 6)
http://vids.rationalveracity.com/videos/228/liberty:-the-american-revolution-episode-6-of-6
· Think of questions and answer them
o See if you can answer the questions out loud, while speaking with friends or even to yourself.
o If you can talk about an issue, you are typically really able to understand it. If you have trouble answering it, that means you need to seek clarification
· Use the internet as a resource
o If you’re unclear about anything, all you need to do is “google”
· You can get great background info on terms, events, etc.
· Sometimes, seeing something explained just a bit differently can make a HUGE difference J