origins, nature, compromises,

Question 1

who wrote it and when

Answer 1

the framers/founding fathers in 1787

Question 2

how many states were involved when the constitution was first written

Answer 2

13, only 9 had to agree (ratify) technically

Question 3

why did some people oppose the constitution at first in 1787

Answer 3

because it lacked a bill of rights to protect the people, this was later added

Question 4

what did the founding fathers want to guard against

Answer 4

tyranny, like what they experienced under British colonialism

Question 5

what was the most important compromise the states had to agree on AKA the Great Compromise or the Connecticut

Answer 5

• smaller states wanted representation based on equal representation for each state
• larger states wanted representation to be based on population size

Question 6

how many representatives are there in the HoR and what is representation based on

Answer 6

• representation based on population size
• 435 members

Question 7

how many senators are there and what is representation based on

Answer 7

• equal representation for each state, each one gets 2 senators and since there are 50 states, there are 100 senators

Question 8

what is a federal system and what does it ensure

Answer 8

• power is shared by the states and the federal government
• to prevent an overly powerful central government

Question 9

what does codified mean

Answer 9

• a single written document

Question 10

what compromise was made over the presidential election

Answer 10

• some FF wanted the president to be appointed and others wanted a direct vote
• so now they have an indirect election and the electoral college was established to protect against a poor popular choice

Question 11

what does it mean to say the constitution is vague

Answer 11

• it has a short length but is supposed to be the source of all political power in the US
• kept vague because the FF had differing views over the things like the role of a state, slavery, the importance of a bill of rights or presidency
• this is seen via the difference in the enumerated vs implied powers

Question 12

what are implied powers in the constitution

Answer 12

• powers which aren’t specifically granted in the constitution but are implied from the wording and the powers that it does grant

Question 13

what are the enumerated powers in the constitution

Answer 13

powers which are specifically and explicitly written down in the constitution

Question 14

what does entrenched mean

Answer 14

• protected from change by a legal process
• for example the 2 stage amendment process requires a supermajority agreement from congress and the states