1) What are the three branches of government and what are the powers of each?
Legislative Branch- Lawmaking branch. Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and Senate. The representatives are determined by the size of the state, and each state gets two senators. Power of the Congress include: collecting taxes, coining money, regulating trade, declare war and “raise and support armies”.
Executive Branch- Headed by President to carry out nation’s laws and policies. He is the commander in chief of armed forces and conducts relations with foreign countries. Elected by electoral college which is a combined number of votes for each state by their number of Representatives and Senators in for each state.
Judicial Branch- Court System. Supreme Court and Federal Courts hear cases involving the Constitution, laws passed by congress, and disputes between states.
2) How can these branches check and balance each other?
Both the House and the Senate must pass a bill for it to become a law. The president can check Congress by rejecting the bill. However, Congress can then check the president by overriding the veto. To override a veto, two-thirds of the members of both houses of Congress must vote for the bill.
3) What were the compromises to the constitution?
Two house legeslature, Each enslaved person was to be counted as 3/5 of a free person for both taxation and representation, slave trade couldn’t be interfered with until 1808, And that there be a bill of rights, which was defeated.
4) Who wrote the Federalist papers?
Madison, Hamilton, and John Jay.
5) What was the Bill of Rights? Why did some states demand its inclusion before they ratified the constitution?
It was a bill that protected people’s individual rights. It was mainly the Antifederalists who wanted the Bill of rights and that was because they feared that the government would become too powerful and the people’s rights wouldn’t be as protected.
6) What were the anti-federalists main fears about the constitution?
That it would take away the liberties Americans had fought to win from Great Britain. Also that it would create a strong central government, ignoring the will of the states and the people, and favor the wealthy few over the common people.
