Ch. 2

Question 1

Anti-Federalists

Answer 1

those who did not support ratification of the Constitution

Question 2

Articles of Confederation

Answer 2

the first basis for the new nation’s government; adopted in 1781; created an alliance of sovereign states held together by a weak central government

Question 3

bicameral legislature

Answer 3

a legislature with two houses, such as the U.S. Congress

Question 4

Bill of Rights

Answer 4

the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution; most were designed to protect fundamental rights and liberties

Question 5

checks and balances

Answer 5

a system that allows one branch of government to limit the exercise of power by another branch; requires the different parts of government to work together

Question 6

confederation

Answer 6

a highly decentralized form of government; sovereign states form a union for purposes such as mutual defense

Question 7

Declaration of Independence

Answer 7

a document written in 1776 in which the American colonists proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and listed their grievances against the British king

Question 8

enumerated powers

Answer 8

the powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution (Article I, Section 8); power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs

Question 9

federal system

Answer 9

a form of government in which power is divided between state governments and a national government

Question 10

Federalists

Answer 10

those who supported ratification of the Constitution

Question 11

Great Compromise

Answer 11

a compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that created a two-house Congress; representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate

Question 11

natural rights

Answer 11

the right to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by God; no government may take away

Question 12

republic

Answer 12

a form of government in which political power rests in the hands of the people, not a monarch, and is exercised by elected representatives

Question 12

New Jersey Plan

Answer 12

a plan that called for a one-house national legislature; each state would receive one vote

Question 13

reserved powers

Answer 13

any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government; powers reserved to the states and denied to the federal government

Question 14

separation of powers

Answer 14

the sharing of powers among three separate branches of government

Question 14

social contract

Answer 14

an agreement between people and government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as the government protects their natural rights

Question 15

supremacy clause

Answer 15

the statement in Article VI of the Constitution that federal law is superior to laws passed by state legislatures

Question 15

Three-Fifths Compromise

Answer 15

a compromise between northern and southern states that called for counting of all a state’s free population and 60 percent of its enslaved population for both federal taxation and representation in Congress

Question 16

The Federalist Papers

Answer 16

a collection of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the Constitution

Question 17

veto

Answer 17

the power of the president to reject a law proposed by Congress

Question 17

Virginia Plan

Answer 17

a plan for a two-house legislature; representatives would be elected to the lower house based on each state’s population; representatives for the upper house would be chosen by the lower house

Question 17

British colonists in North America in the late seventeenth century were greatly influenced by the political thought of ________.
a) King James II
b) Thomas Jefferson
c) John Locke
d) James Madison

Answer 17

c) John Locke

Question 18

What key tenets of American political thought were influential in the decision to declare independence from Britain?

Answer 18

Americans believed all people (i.e., White males) possessed the rights to life, liberty, and property. The best way to protect these rights was by limiting the power of government and allowing people to govern themselves.

Question 18

unicameral legislature

Answer 18

a legislature with only one house, like the Confederation Congress or the legislature proposed by the New Jersey Plan

Question 19

What actions by the British government convinced the colonists that they needed to declare their independence?

Answer 19

The proclamation of 1763, the trial of smugglers in courts without juries, the imposition of taxes without the colonists’ consent, and the attempted interference with self-government in the colonies

Question 19

The agreement that citizens will consent to be governed so long as government protects their natural rights is called ________.
a) the divine right of kings
b) the social contract
c) a bill of rights
d) due process

Answer 19

b) social contract

Question 20

What important power did the national government lack under the Articles of Confederation?
a) It could not coin money.
b) It could not declare war.
c) It could not impose taxes.
d) It could not conduct foreign affairs.

Answer 20

c) It could not impose taxes.

Question 21

According to the Great Compromise, how would representation in Congress be apportioned?
a) Each state would have equal representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
b) Congress would be a unicameral legislature with each state receiving equal representation.
c) Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on each state’s population and every state would have two senators.
d) Representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate would be based on a state’s population.

Answer 21

c) Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on each state’s population and every state would have two senators.

Question 21

In what ways did Shays’ Rebellion reveal the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 21

Shay’s rebellion created pressure because the government wasn’t strong enough to interfere and stop the rebellion so they needed to create a private army to stop it proving weakness in the government.

Question 22

How did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention resolve their disagreement regarding slavery?
a) It was agreed that Congress would abolish slavery in 1850.
b) It was agreed that a state’s enslaved population would be counted for purposes of representation but not for purposes of taxation.
c) It was agreed that a state’s enslaved population would be counted for purposes of taxation but not for purposes of representation.
d) It was agreed that 60 percent of a state’s enslaved population would be counted for purposes of both representation and taxation.

Answer 22

d) It was agreed that 60 percent of a state’s enslaved population would be counted for purposes of both representation and taxation.

Question 22

What does separation of powers mean?

Answer 22

Separation of powers refers to the process of dividing government into different branches and giving different responsibilities and powers to each branch. In this way, the separate branches must work together to govern the nation. For example, according to the Constitution, Congress has the power to draft legislation. However, the president must sign a piece of proposed legislation before it becomes a law. Thus, the president and Congress must work together to make the nation’s laws.

Question 23

Why were The Federalist Papers written?
a) To encourage states to oppose the Constitution.
b) To encourage New York to ratify the Constitution.
c) To oppose the admission of slaveholding states to the federal union.
d) To encourage people to vote for George Washington as the nation’s first president.

Answer 23

b) To encourage New York to ratify the Constitution.

Question 24

What argument did Alexander Hamilton use to convince people that it was not dangerous to place power in the hands of one man?
a) That man would have to pass a religious test before he could become president; thus, citizens could be sure that he was of good character.
b) One man could respond to crises more quickly than a group of men like Congress.
c) It was easier to control the actions of one man than the actions of a group.
d) both B and C

Answer 24

d) both B and C

b) One man could respond to crises more quickly than a group of men like Congress.
c) It was easier to control the actions of one man than the actions of a group.

Question 25

Why did so many people oppose ratification of the Constitution, and how was their opposition partly overcome?

Answer 25

Anti-Federalists objected to the power the Constitution gave the federal government and the absence of a bill of rights to protect individual liberties. The Federalists countered that a strong government was necessary to lead the new nation and promised to add a bill of rights to the Constitution.

Question 26

How many states must ratify an amendment before it becomes law?
a) all
b) three-fourths
c) two-thirds
d) one-half

Answer 26

b) three-fourths

Question 27

What is the Bill of Rights?
a) first ten amendments to the Constitution that protect individual freedoms
b) powers given to Congress in Article I of the Constitution
c) twenty-seven amendments added to the Constitution over the years
d) document authored by Thomas Jefferson that details the rights of the citizens

Answer 27

a) first ten amendments to the Constitution that protect individual freedoms

Question 28

What did the Fourteenth Amendment achieve?

Answer 28

The Fourteenth Amendment gave citizenship to African Americans and made all Americans equal before the law regardless of race or color. Over the years it has also been used to require states to guarantee their residents the same protections as those granted by the federal government in the Bill of Rights