Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution

Amendment

A change added to a bill, law, or constitution

Virginia Plan

A framework for the Constitution, introduced by Edmund Randolph, that called for representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state

New Jersey Plan

A framework for the Constitution, introduced by William Paterson, that called for equal state representation in the national legislature regardless of population

Limited Government

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution

Federalist Papers

A series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay supporting ratification of the Constitution

Federalism

A system of government in which power is divided, by a constitution, between central government and regional governments

Confederation

A system of government in which states retain sovereign authority except for the powers expressly delegated to the national government

Articles of Confederation

America's first written constitution; served as the basis for America's national government until 1789

In the debates over ratification, which label was given to those who thought the powers of the federal government should be "confined to certain defined national objects" so that it did not "swallow up all the power of the state governments"?

Antifederalists

Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the Constitution, which states that laws passed by the national government and all treaties are supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision

The United States' first written constitution was called the

Articles of Confederation

The Boston Tea Party was largely a response to the

British government's decision to eliminate the lucrative colonial tea trade

A ________ is a system of government in which member states retain almost all of their sovereign authority and delegate limited powers to a weak central body.

Confederation

What is the significance of the Bill of Rights?

It ensured certain rights and liberties to the people

What did the New Jersey Plan propose for congress?

Representation would be equal for each state

Which of the following statements about the House of Representatives and the Senate is true?

The House has the power to originate revenue bills but the Senate does not

Which of the following laws passed by the Congress of the Confederation compelled states to surrender their western land claims?

The Northwest Ordinance 1787

Which feature of the Constitution did Antifederalists fear would lead to the emergence of tyranny?

The Provisions that created government institutions without direct responsibility to the people

Which proposal argued that states should be represented in the national legislature according to their size and wealth?

The Virginia Plan

The framers hoped to create a presidency that would be

capable of timely and decisive action

The size of the Supreme Court is

determined by congress

The First governing document in the United States was

the Articles of Confederation

The separation of powers best describes

the division of power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making

Bicameralism is a constitutional principle that represents the division of

the legislature into two chambers

Tyranny

Oppressive government that employs cruel and unjust use of power and authority

Colonial protesters of the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act rallied around which slogan?

"No taxation without representation"

Which of the following best describes the process of amending the Constitution?

It is difficult and has rarely been used successfully to address specific public problems

While the framers designed a system based on checks and balances, they intended which branch to be the most powerful?

Legislative

Checks and Balances

Mechanisms through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches; major examples include the presidential veto power over congressional legislation, the power of the Senate to approve presidential appointments, and judicial review of congressional enactments

New England merchants hoped to accomplish which of the following by supporting the radicals who staged the Boston Tea Party?

Revocation of the Tea Act

Who orchestrated the Boston Tea Party?

Samuel Adams

Which event led directly to the Constitutional Convention by providing evidence that the government created under the Articles of Confederation was unable to act decisively in times of national crisis?

Shay's Rebellion

In their fight against British taxes, such as the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act of 1764, New England merchants and southern planters allied with which of the following groups?

Shopkeepers, small farmers, laborers, and artisans

Expressed Powers

Specific powers granted by the Constitution to Congress )Article I, Section 8) and to the president (Article II)

Which of the following statements best describes British rule of the American colonies during the first half of the eighteenth century?

The British ruled with a light hand and exerted a strong influence only in the largest colonial cities

Great Compromise

The agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of its population, but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population

Three-Fifths Compromise

The agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that stipulated that for purposes of the apportionment of congressional seats only three-fifths of slaves would be counted

Elastic Clause

The concluding paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution (also known as the "necessary and proper clause"), which provides Congress with the authority to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out enumerated powers

What led British officials to raise taxes on the American colonists during the 1760s?

The debts incurred as a result of the French and Indian War

Separation of Powers

The division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision-making

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified 1791; they ensure certain rights and liberties to the people

Which of the following best describes the Supreme Court as understood by the Founders?

The highest court of both the national government and the states

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to review actions of the legislative and executive branches and, if necessary, declare them invalid or unconstitutional: the Supreme Court asserted this power in Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Who was responsible for carrying out laws passed by the national Congress under the Articles of Confederation?

The states

Antifederalists bitterly attacked which two parts of the Constitution as unlimited and dangerous grants of power to the national government?

The supremacy clause and elastic clause

Why did the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention turn down the idea of including a list of citizens' rights in the Constitution?

They believed that such a list would be unnecessary because the federal government was already limited to its expressed powers

Federalists

Those who favored a strong national government and supported the Constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention of 1787

Antifederalists

Those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government and who were opponents of the Constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention 1787

The Agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention that determined how enslaved people would be counted for the purpose of taxation and congressional representation was called the

Three-Fifths Compromise

Procedures for amending the Constitution are found in Article

V.

At the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, the proposed plan to create a congress where representation was distributed according to population was called the ________ Plan.

Virginia

Which of the following statements about how the Constitution has changed over time is most accurate?

While most amendment efforts failed because they attempted to address a specific public problem, successful amendments changed the structure or composition of government.

Daniel Shays was

a former army captain who led a rebellion against the Massachusetts government

The Boston Massacre occurred when

a small number of colonists were killed by British soldiers outside the Town House in Boston

When radicals won control of Pennsylvania's government and redistributed land from large landowners to small farmers, the national government under the Articles of Confederation

did nothing because the government had no powers allowing them to intervene

Bicameral

having a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses; distinguished from unicameral

The British attempted to raise revenue in the North American colonies by

imposing taxes on commerce

What are expressed powers?

powers specifically expressed in the text of the Constitution

According to historian Charles Beard, the framers of the Constitution were mostly concerned with

promoting their own economic interests

During the debate over ratification, the Federalists were

those who supported the new Constitution because it created a stronger national government than existed under Articles of Confederation