Unit 4: Governing a New Nation Flashcards
Which of the following is NOT a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
A. no federal power to tax
B. no executive branch
C. no legislative branch
D. no common currency
C. no legislative branch
Why did the founding fathers construct the Articles of Confederation as they did?
A. They feared a strong central government
B. they opposed courts systems
C. they thought states were too powerful
D. They hoped to establish a monarchy
A. They feared a strong central government
Which of the following established guidelines for admitting new states and banning slavery in the territories?
A. Declaration of Independence
B. Treaty of Paris
C. Northwest Ordinance
D. Land Ordinance of 17885
C. Northwest Ordinance
The final step in ratifying the Constitution was approved by…
A. 2/3 of Congress
B. 2/3 state governors
C. Approval by the Supreme Court
D. 2/3 of state legislatures
D. 2/3 of state legislatures
Who would most likely agree with the idea that the Bill of Rights was unnecessery and possibly dangerous?
A. Federalists
B. Antifederalists
C. Patroits
D. Loyalists
A. Federalists
The Great Comprimise sought to resolve the conflict over…
A.Slavery
B. How long the president could serve
C. representation between large and small states
D. federal power to tax
C. representation between large and small states
Which of the following was NOT an action taken to resolve conflicts between the Federalists and Antifederalists?
A. Antifederalists set term limits for the president
B. Federalists wrote essay to defend their ideas
C. Amendments were added to limit federal power
D. Amendments were added to protect individual rights
A. Antifederalists set term limits for the president
Which of the following would be unconstitutional under the 1st Amendment?
A. Requiring church goers to pay taxes
B. requiring city permits to build houses of worship
C. not sharing public employee information
D. excluding religious leaders from holding office
D. excluding religious leaders from holding office
What was the purpose of the 10th Amendment?
A. encouraging citizens to monitor their government leaders
B. resolve conflicts between states and local governments
C. limit the power of the national government
D. limit the rights of the people
C. limit the power of the national government
Which of the following is NOT a right included in the 8th Amendment?
A. no excessive fines
B. no cruel and unusual punishment
C. right to due process
D. no excessive bail
C. right to due process
Which statement would have been supported by Federalists?
A. a strong national government would be more stable
B. states can overturn national laws if they don’t like them
C. states should be able to regulate their own money
D. a Bill of Rights should be added to protect individual rights
A. a strong national government would be more stable
Which statement would have been made by a Federalist?
A. a Bill of Rights MUST be included in the Constitution
B. rejecting the Constitution would result in chaos
C. Constitution only represents the rights of the wealthy
D. the Constitution created too strong a central government
B. rejecting the Constitution would result in chaos
Which Amendment prohibits the government from passing laws that favor a particular religious group?
A. First
B. Second
C. Third
D. Fourth
A. First
Why were the Southern states willing to accept the 3/5 Compromise?
A. It lowered their taxes
B. It created a system for ending slavery
C. It increased their power within Congress
D. It allowed the international slave trade to expand
C. It increased their power within Congress
Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
A. weak executive branch
B. most Congressional decisions required approval of 9 out of 13 states
C. Congress could not declare war
D. Congress could not regulate foreign trade
B. Most Congressional decisions required approval of 9 out of 13 states
Which statement is true regarding this excerpt from the Northwest Ordinance?
A. it allowed military action against Indians
B. It outlawed slavery
C. it foreshadowed the Bill of Rights
D. it gave new states more freedoms than old states
C. it foreshadowed the Bill of Rights
Shay’s Rebellion exposed which of the following weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
A. fears over the inability of the federal government to handle rebellions
B. it gave farmers the right to petition their government
C. rebels were given political power
D. it convinced people of the importance of freedom of speech
A. fears over the inability of the federal government to handle rebellions
The Land of Ordinance of 1785 allowed:
A. new states to be admitted to the country
B. settlers to purchase public lands
C. states to auction off their extra land
D. the US to fight Britain for western lands
B. settlers to purchase public lands
Who was the chosen leader of the Constitutional Convention?
A. James Madison
B. Ben Franklin
C. Jefferson
D. Washington
D. Washington
Small states opposed to VA plan because…
A. they wanted more power in Congress
B. they wanted to keep the Articles of Confederation
C. they wanted a weak executive branch
D. the opposed George Washington
A. they wanted more power in Congress
Which of the following was a component of the New Jersey Plan?
A. no executive branch
B. one state one vote
C. no judicial branch
D. only one branch of government
B. one state one vote
Who is considered the Father of the Constitution?
A. James Madison
B. Benjamin Franklin
C. Thomas Jefferson
D. George Washington
A. James Madison
How did the provisions in the Northwest Ordinance affect US government?
A. By funding a transportation network in uninhabited regions
B. By establishing a process for territories to govern themselves
C. By promoting the growth of southern plantation economies
D. By creating a national bank to loan money to land investors
B. By establishing a process for territories to govern themselves
How did the provisions in the Northwest Ordinance affect US expansion?
A. By funding a transportation network in uninhabited regions
B. By establishing a process for territories to govern themselves
C. By promoting the growth of southern plantation economies
D. By creating a national bank to loan money to land investors
B. By establishing a process for territories to govern themselves
Which resolved the conflict between the 2 plans of government (the New Jersey Plan and the VA plan)
A. Great Compromise
B. Articles of Confederation
C. Bill of Rights
D. Northwest Ordiance
A. Great Compromise
Which of these appear under the New Jersey Plan?
A. No executive branch of government
B. No judicial branch of government
C. One vote per state
D. one branch of government
C. One vote per state
What is the fraction of enslaved people in a state that is included when determining representation in Congress? (HINT: THERE WAS A COMPROMISE FOR THIS!)
3/5
What means that each of the three branches of government has its own responsibilities?
Separation of Powers
What means to the oversight each branch of government has over the other two branches?
Checks and Balances
What is an example of Checks and Balances?
A. the legislative branch passes laws
B. The president can veto laws
C. the judicial branch interprets laws
D. the executive branch enforces laws
B. The president can veto laws
What statement is true about Federalism?
A. Americans must only obey state laws.
B. Federalism was designed to give the president more power.
C. It does not put a limit on the government.
D. The power is shared by the state and national government.
D. The power is shared by the state and national government.
According to the Constitution, what is the “supreme law of the land”?
A. Articles of Confederation
B. The Constitution
C. State laws
D. Decisions of the Supreme Court
B. The Constitution
The Preamble is the…
Introduction to the US Constitution
In the Preamble, the statement, “We the people…” is referring to?
A. The constitution was written for all the people of the US
B. The constitution was only written for the delegates at the Convention
C. The constitution was written for all people in England
D. The constitution was written for everyone in the world
A. The constitution was written for all the people of the US
Define the Lost state of Franklin.
This state is located in TN and was named after Ben Franklin. This state applied to become a state but did not get the number of votes needed, therefore not passing as a state. The state wanted to fight its way into becoming one but the NC militia defeated the Franklin militia, ending this state.
Define the Great Compromise.
Combination of the VA and NJ plan to create 2 houses of government.
Define the 3/5 Compromise.
Where 3/5 of the slave population in each state was allowed to vote for the representatives.
Define Federalists.
Believe in Strong central government, believed that the wealthy should govern the people. Hamilton, Jay, and Madison were Federalists. Together, they made the Federalist Papers to support their arugments.
Define Federalist Papers.
Series of Essays written by leaders of the Federalists arguing for their point.
Define Anti-Federalists.
Advocated for a stronger state government. Believed that everyone should have the right to hold office, regardless of how much money they had. Also asked that the Bill of Rights be in the constitution when it was getting ratified.
What are the accomplishments of the US government under the Articles of Confederation?
It allowed the government to declare war, borrow/create money and run a postal service.
What were the challenges the US government faces under the Articles of Confederation?
It did not have a good base, every state had its own money currency so it was difficult, states had more power than the government and had a legislature (1 body) of government.
What contributions did James Madison and Washington make at the Constitutional Convention??
Washington was elected leader of the Convention while Madison wrote everything down about everything said in this Convention.
What role did the compromises play at the Constitutional Convention?
Compromises allowed the convention to have a lot of rights and amendments, 2 houses, and slaves to be able to vote.
What are the key principles of the US constitution?
Establish Justice, Insure domestic tranquility, common defense, promote general warfare and prosperity
What were the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the debate over the ratification of the US Constitution?
Antifederalists wanted protection and basic rights (Bill of Rights) and Federalists argued that the Bill of Rights wasn’t necessary and it’s giving too much power to the people. Federalists supported the separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism.
Who is Daniel Shays?
Organized Shay’s Rebellion and led the rebellion in an attempt to seize guns from the state warehouse. They were eventually stopped by the state’s militia.
Who is James Madison?
“Father of the Constitution” and scribe of the Constiution. Supported the Federalists’ side.
Who is Washington?
Leader of the Constitutional Convention.
Who is Roger Sherman?
Proposed the Great Compromise and signed the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.
Explain Shays’ Rebellion.
Economic Depression hit the farmers in MA. As the state was demanding taxes from these poor farmers, they were unable to pay these taxes so the state began seizing their farms and the farmers got angry, led by Shays, who attempted to seize the guns from the state warehouse but were eventually stopped by the state’s militia. By this, it was decided to write a new constitution.
Explain the Constitutional Convention.
Meeting of the Delegates to revise the Articles of Convention. By the end of the Convention, we have a new constitution.
Explain the Ratification Conventions in the States.
2/3 of the states or Congress have to propose the amendment while 3/4 of the states have to agree to the amendment.
