Topic 4

Which statement in the Preamble best reflects the principle of the Bill of Rights?

"to secure the blessings of liberty"

What fraction of state legislatures must approve an amendment before it becomes law?

3/4

Why is James Madison called the "Father of the Constitution"?

He was well prepared and greatly influenced other delegates.

When was the Constitution officially ratified, and what state was the last state to officially ratify the Constitution?

New Hampshire, June 21, 1788

What persuaded the delegates to the Virginia convention to finally ratify the Constitution?

They believed a bill of rights would be added to the Constitution.

Why did the Antifederalists feel that it was important for the Constitution to include a bill of rights?

They feared that a strong central government would ignore basic rights.

With nine states having already ratified the Constitution, why was it important that New York and Virginia ratify it as well?

They were states whose support was important to national unity.

How does an amendment become a law?

Two-thirds of Congress proposes an amendment, which is ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures.

1st Amendment

an amendment to the United States Constitution that safeguards basic individual liberties such as your freedom of speech, press, petititon, assembly and worship

preamble

an introduction to a declaration, constitution, or other official document

How does the Constitution reflect the principle of federalism?

by dividing power between federal and state government

How do states determine their number of electors in the electoral college?

by its number of Senators and Representatives

How does someone become a member of the Supreme Court?

by presidential appointment and Senate approval

When a President is impeached, he is

charged by the House of wrongdoing.

The Second, Third, and Fourth Amendments specifically represent protections drawn from

colonists' experiences under British rule.

Articles of Confederation

created a loose alliance of 13 independent states

The purpose of The Federalist Papers was to

explain and defend the Constitution.

liberty

freedom

Which right does the Fifth Amendment protect?

he right not to give evidence against oneself

In the context of the Constitutional Convention, what constituted a "large" state?

its population

Bill of Rights

list of freedoms that the government promises to protect

Shays' Rebellion involved a group of farmers who were angry about

losing their farms due to low crop prices and high state taxes.

How many states had to approve the Constitution for it to be ratified?

nine

domestic tranquility

peace and order within a country

The First Amendment can best be described as:

protection of basic individual liberties.

The three branches of government as described in Articles I-III of the Constitution illustrates the principle of

separation of powers.

What issue did the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments address?

slavery

Patrick Henry was specifically concerned about too much power resting with

the President.

Federalists believed that the central government under the Constitution had

the appropriate amount of power it needed.

Bill of Rights

the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution

House of Representatives

the larger of the two bodies that makes up the legislative branch with 435 members who serve 2 year terms

Virginia Plan

the plan at the Constitutional Convention that called for a strong national government with three branches and a two-chamber legislature

New Jersey Plan

the plan at the Constitutional Convention, favored by smaller states, that called for three branches of government with a single-chamber legislature

veto

the power of the president to reject laws passed by Conress

limited government

the principle of the Constitution that states government has only the powers that the Constitution gives it

popular sovereignty

the principle that people have power

What right does the Eighth Amendment guarantee?

the right to not face cruel and unusual punishment

Senate

the smaller of the two bodies that make up the legislative branch of the US government that has 100 members who serve 6 year terms

Who was in charge of enforcing the laws that Congress passed under the Articles of Confederation?

the states

impeach

to bring charges of serious wrongdoing against a pubilc official

amend

to change

incriminate

to give evidence against

Ratify

to give official approval to

Cede

to give up

What was the original purpose of the Constitutional Convention of 1787?

to revise the Articles of Confederation

What was the purpose of the Articles of Confederation?

to unite the colonies under one national government

What presidential power under the Constitution led the Antifederalists to urge for a Bill of Rights?

veto power over acts of Congress

What do the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, and Twenty-sixth Amendments have in common?

voting rights

2nd amendment

an amendment to the United States Constitution related to the right to bear arms

26th Amendment

an amendment to the United States Constitution that lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18

AntiFederalists

an opponent of a strong federal government

Which term means the right to vote?

suffrage

How many states were needed to ratify the Constitution?

9

For many years under the Constitution, how could a citizen of the United States have been denied rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?

A state could have denied rights.

Which of the following ideas define a republic?

People elect representatives to make laws

What is the path a bill must take to become a law?

The House or Senate introduces a bill, and if both houses approve it and the President signs it, the bill becomes a law.

Three- Fifths Compromise

an agreement at the Constitutional Convention that three fifths of the enslaved residents in any state be counted in its population

Northwest Ordinance

a 1787 law that set up a government for the Northwest Territory

19th Amendment

a 1919 amendment to the United States Constitution that gives women the right to vote

Which of the following was an important effect of Shays' Rebellion?

a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation

Constitution

a document that sets out the laws, principles, organization, and processes of a government

electoral college

a group of people from each state who are chosen by voters every four years to vote for the President and Vice President of the United States

The term "judicial review" means that the Supreme Court has the ability to determine if

a law passed by Congress is unconstitutional.

Land Ordinance of 1785

a law that set up a system for settling the Northwest Territory

What is a bicameral legislature?

a legislature with two houses

What was the requirement for a territory to be able to apply for admission to the nation as a new state?

a minimum of 60,000 free settlers

Great Compromise

a plan at the Constitutional Convention that settled the differences between large and small states

bill

a proposed law

articles

a section of the main body of the Constitution, which establishes the framework for the United States government

Federalists Papers

a series of essays by Federalists James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay in support of ratifying the Constitution

Compromise

a settlement or peaceful solution in which each side gives up some of its demands in order to reach an agreement or peaceful solution

Federalist

a supporter of a strong federal government

Amendments that forbade the quartering of troops and guaranteed trial by jury related directly to

abuses committed by the British in America.