The Mayflower Compact was signed by some of the original settlers of the Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in 1620. Having been bound for Virginia, their ship was forced to change direction by a violent storm, ending up in Massachusetts. The Pilgrims took this as a sign from God that this place was where they were to make their new community. They signed the Mayflower Compact shortly after arriving and dictated that the government of this new territory would adhere to majority rule of the members of the church (despite the fact that slightly less than half of the people on board were Pilgrims). In order to vote, an individual needed to be white and male, own land, and be a recognized member of the church community.

States’ rights activists, along with smaller states, disfavored the Virginia Plan. The reason for smaller states’ disfavor should be somewhat obvious: given that the Virginia Plan based apportionment (a fancy word that means the number of delegates or representatives each state gets) solely on population, smaller states would be at the complete mercy of the larger states (because of the \[possibly\] huge population differential).

States’ rights activists, on the other hand, opposed the Virginia Plan for a totally different reason: the sheer amount of power delegated to the central government under the plan. Somewhat more specifically, the Virginia Plan allowed the proposed central government to exercise something called the “universal negative,” which allowed the proposed central government to veto any state law with which it disagreed. Even more disturbingly, from the view of the states’ rights activists, the proposed central government had the ability (under the plan) to enforce its own laws with the full force of its army. Thus, for all of these reasons, the states’ rights activists disfavored the plan.

States’ rights activists, along with smaller states, disfavored the Virginia Plan. The reason for smaller states’ disfavor should be somewhat obvious: given that the Virginia Plan based apportionment (a fancy word that means the number of delegates or representatives each state gets) solely on population, smaller states would be at the complete mercy of the larger states (because of the \[possibly\] huge population differential).

States’ rights activists, on the other hand, opposed the Virginia Plan for a totally different reason: the sheer amount of power delegated to the central government under the plan. Somewhat more specifically, the Virginia Plan allowed the proposed central government to exercise something called the “universal negative,” which allowed the proposed central government to veto any state law with which it disagreed. Even more disturbingly, from the view of the states’ rights activists, the proposed central government had the ability (under the plan) to enforce its own laws with the full force of its army. Thus, for all of these reasons, the states’ rights activists disfavored the plan.

The Mayflower Compact was signed by some of the original settlers of the Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in 1620. Having been bound for Virginia, their ship was forced to change direction by a violent storm, ending up in Massachusetts. The Pilgrims took this as a sign from God that this place was where they were to make their new community. They signed the Mayflower Compact shortly after arriving and dictated that the government of this new territory would adhere to majority rule of the members of the church (despite the fact that slightly less than half of the people on board were Pilgrims). In order to vote, an individual needed to be white and male, own land, and be a recognized member of the church community.

The Connecticut Compromise was proposed, in 1787, as a solution to a disagreement between the larger and smaller states as to how representation should be appropriated in the newly formed United States. The smaller states desired that representation should be equal for all states, regardless of population size. The larger states desired that representation should be proportional to population. As a compromise the Union enacted a bicameral legislature whereby the lower house (House of Representatives) was to have proportional representation and the upper house (Senate) was to have equal representation for all states. The agreement persists to this day.

The Connecticut Compromise was proposed, in 1787, as a solution to a disagreement between the larger and smaller states as to how representation should be appropriated in the newly formed United States. The smaller states desired that representation should be equal for all states, regardless of population size. The larger states desired that representation should be proportional to population. As a compromise the Union enacted a bicameral legislature whereby the lower house (House of Representatives) was to have proportional representation and the upper house (Senate) was to have equal representation for all states. The agreement persists to this day.

The first clause of Section 3, Article One of the Constitution, reads "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote." This is the only information on how Senators must be elected, and direct election of Senators by the population of a state was only guaranteed in 1913 by the Seventeenth Amendment. The second clause divides the Senators into 3 roughly equal groups (classes), and staggers the elections of each class of Senators, providing that one third of the Senate seats will be elected every two years.

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador who attempted to follow in his countrymen's path by exploring uncharted areas of North America. Beginning in Spanish held Florida, De Soto's expedition ventured across the present day Southeast of the United States. De Soto died of disease in present-day Arkansas, in 1542. His expedition continued into Texas and down towards New Spain (present-day Mexico).

The “Power of the Purse” is the name used to describe the power gained by the Houses and representative governments of the New World over the levying of taxes and control over the payment of the Governor. In the Early Colonial Period the Governor often acted as a supervisor, whose mandate came “directly from the crown”. This mandate often allowed the Governor to act unilaterally, and it was only by ensuring control over the finances that the Representative governments could pass laws that benefitted the colony, as opposed to those that benefitted the Governor. It was extremely important for fostering democracy in the New World.

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador who attempted to follow in his countrymen's path by exploring uncharted areas of North America. Beginning in Spanish held Florida, De Soto's expedition ventured across the present day Southeast of the United States. De Soto died of disease in present-day Arkansas, in 1542. His expedition continued into Texas and down towards New Spain (present-day Mexico).