2.11 Your Constitution Flashcards
Which document established the first government of the United States?
Declaration of Independence
Articles of Confederation
New Jersey Plan
Constitution
Articles of Confederation
Why didn’t the government supply enough food and equipment to the Continental Army?
The state leaders did not agree with George Washington’s tactics.
Congress did not have the power to raise taxes to pay for them.
Corrupt generals stole the food and equipment.
The British confiscated the supplies when they were en route to the soldiers.
Congress did not have the power to raise taxes to pay for them.
Where did nearly all of the state constitutions written in the late 1770s place most of the power?
in the governor
in the legislatures
in local judges
in the Supreme Court
in the legislatures
According to the Great Compromise, how was each state supposed to be represented?
Each state had one vote in a unicameral legislature.
Each state had two senators and population determined the number of representatives.
The size of the state determined the number of senators and population determined the number of representatives in Congress.
Each state had three representatives in the House of Representatives and two senators.
Each state had two senators and population determined the number of representatives.
How did the Constitutional Convention resolve the issue of whether or not to count enslaved people when determining states representation in the House?
Slavery was ended so there were no enslaved people.
Slavery continued only in the West but those territories were not states.
Each slave was counted as three-fifths of a person.
Enslaved people were moved to the northern states to even out the enslaved population.
Each slave was counted as three-fifths of a person.
Why did several influential leaders call for a convention of states in 1787?
They feared the British would try to reclaim the western lands.
The nation faced serious economic and political problems.
The country needed to build a new system of roads.
They wanted to overthrow the president of the confederacy.
The nation faced serious economic and political problems.
Who proposed the system of checks and balances that was included in the U.S. Constitution?
Patrick Henry
John Hancock
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Madison
They strongly objected to the ratification of the Constitution because they thought it represented a step backward—toward tyranny. They also believed a strong federal government would override the public good.
Who were they?
Loyalists
Patriots
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Which of the following men was an Anti-Federalist?
Patrick Henry
John Jay
James Madison
Alexander Hamilton
Patrick Henry
Why did John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton write the Federalist Papers?
They wanted to strengthen the Articles of Confederation.
They wanted to transfer more power to the states.
They wanted to establish a strong judicial system.
They wanted to convince people to ratify the Constitution.
They wanted to convince people to ratify the Constitution.
Why did the states place so much power in the hands of the popularly elected legislatures?
They viewed powerful executives as enemies of liberty.
They feared judicial meddling in their affairs.
They had learned a lot when they had attended sessions of Parliament.
The French had insisted on powerful state legislatures before they would provide aid.
They viewed powerful executives as enemies of liberty.
Which of the following did the Confederation Congress accomplish?
It negotiated a good treaty with Britain at the end of the Revolution.
It established an orderly process to create new states.
It managed to wage a successful war for independence against Britain.
All of the above
All of the above
Who might have said, it is “really astonishing that the same people who have just emerged from a long and cruel war in defense of liberty, should agree to fix an elective despotism upon themselves and posterity!”?
a Loyalist
a Federalist
an Anti-Federalist
an abolitionist
an Anti-Federalist
Federalist No. 51 says, “In forming a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”
What is James Madison recommending here?
a strong central government
a system of checks and balances
a unicameral legislature
a bicameral legislature
a system of checks and balances
