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Mayflower compact
This document was drafted in 1620 prior to settlement by the Pilgrims at Plymouth Bay in Massachusetts. It declared that the 41 males who signed it agreed to accept majority rule and participate in a government in the best interest of all members of the colony. This agreement set the precedent for later documents outlining commonwealth rule. -
Common Sense
Part I - why the declaration
Part II - explains colonists view of government
Part II - long list of grievances
Part IV - summarized - 13 colonies would not be a part Britian -
Declaration of Indepedence
July 4th, 1776; 50 men signed the declaration of freedom from Britain. It's America's Birth Certificate. A sacred document for Americans. It gives the reason the country was created and the hopes, ideas and beliefs that Americans have for their country. -
Articles of confederation
this document, the nations first constitution, was adopted by the second continental congress in 1781 during the revolution. the document was limited because states held most of the power, and congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control coinage -
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Constitutional convention
meeting of delegates in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation, which produced the new U.S. Constitution -
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3/5 compromise
stated a slave would only count as 3/5 of the slave population counted towards taxation and representation -
Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan was presented to the Constitutional Convention and proposed the creation of a bicameral legislature with representation in both houses proportional to population. The Virginia Plan favored the large states, which would have a much greater voice. In opposition, the small states proposed the New Jersey Plan. In the end, the two sides found common ground through the Connecticut Compromise. -
New Jersey Plan
New Jersey delegate William Paterson's plan of government, in which states got an equal number of representatives in Congress, Opposite of the Virginia Plan, it proposed a single-chamber congress in which each state had one vote. This created a conflict with representation between bigger states, who wanted control befitting their population, and smaller states, who didn't want to be bullied by larger states. -
Constitution
The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of the U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation. -
Federalist papers
This collection of essays by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, explained the importance of a strong central government. It was published to convince New York to ratify the Constitution. -
House of Burgesses
The first legislative assembly of elected representatives in North America. Was created to encourage English settlement in North America, and to also help improve conditions within the colonies.