Ch. 2The constitution
The essential dilemma of a limited govt raised by the ratification debates is
A govt too weak to do harm also cannot do good
The first written constitution of the United States was Calle the _______.
Articles of Confederation
What is the term length of a federal judge?
Barring impeachment, life
Shays rebellion was significant because it -convinces many observers that the govt under the Articles of Confederation had become dangerously inefficient and indecisive -convinced Congress to approve the Louisiana Purchase -both a and b -helped make the Philadelphia Convention successful -led to the admission of Vermont into the Union
Both a and b
A ________ is a system of government in which states retain sovereign authority except for powers expressly delegated to a national government. -bicameral state -unitary state -democracy -confederation -republic
Confederation
Bicameralism is a constitutional principle that means the division of
Congress into two chambers
The issue of representation, which threatened to cause the Philadelphia Convention to fail, was resolved by the ______.
Connecticut Compromise
The electoral college is
Designed to select the U.S. president
the three fifths compromise
Determined that every 3 of 5 slaves would be counted for purposed of representation and taxation
Why was the Declaration of Independence a remarkable philosophical statement for its time?
It asserted that there were "unalienable rights" that could not be abridged by governments.
The most common method of passing an amendment to the Constitution is
Passage in both houses of Congress by a 2/3 voted, followed by a majority vote in 3/4 of state legislature
What did the New Jersey plan propose for Congress
Representation would be equal for each states
Under the Articles of Confederation, the relationship between the states and the federal govt can best be compared to
The United Nations relationship with member states
The ability of the president to veto a bill passed by Congress is a good example of _______.
checks and balances
Shays Rebellion was an attempt to -prevent the state of Massachusetts from foreclosing on the lands of debt-ridden farmers -overthrow the federal govt under the Articles of Confederation -Invade New England by royalist from Canada -force the British govt to rescind the Tea Act
prevent the state of Massachusetts from foreclosing on the lands of debt-ridden farmers
The decision to give the national govt control over commerce and finance was motivated primarily by the framers desire to -build international alliances -promote economic development and protect property from radical state legislatures -end slavery in the US -eliminate state and local govts -guarantee economic equality for all citizens
promote economic development and protect property from radical state legislatures
Which of the following is NOT true about the U.S. Constitution? -the Constitution can be amended with a 2/3 majority vote of both housed of congress and a ratification vote by 3/4 of the states -federal judges have lifetime tenures -the electoral college directly selects the US president -states do not have to give full faith and credit to official acts in other states -the senate has staggered terms
states do not have to give full faith and credit to official acts in other states
During the national debate over ratification of the new Constitution, the Federalists -supported the Constitution and preferred a strong natl govt -refused to support the Constitution unless a Bill of Rights was added -opposed the Constitution and preferred decentralized govt -supported a return to British rule -supported a return to the Articles of Confederation
supported the Constitution and preferred a strong natl govt
Judicial review is the power of -the courts to review and edit pieces of legislation before they are voted in Congress -the president to appoint judges to the federal courts -the states to review the constitutionality of federal actions and laws -the courts to decide on the constitutionality of actions taken by the other branches of govt -congress to review the decisions of the federal courts
the courts to decide on the constitutionality of actions taken by the other branches of govt
The Virginia Plan of the Philadelphia Convention proposed a system of representation in the national legislature that was based upon
the population of each state or the proportion of each state's revenue contribution, or both.
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 make govt too weak to protect natl security -they believed that citizens should vote directly on which rights should be protected -they believed that such a list would limit economic development -the believed that protections citizens' rights was not a important responsibility for govt -they believed that since the federal govt was already limited to its expressed powers, further protection of citizens was not needed
they believed that since the federal govt was already limited to its expressed powers, further protection of citizens was not needed
Which of the following was designed by the framers to be an office directly elected by the people? -a federal court judge -a U.S. Vice President -a U. S. Senator -a U.S. president -a member of the US House of Representatives
-house
Which of the following was a ramification of the three fifths compromise? -it permanently outlawed the slave trade -it allowed for a political agreement between large states and small states -it allowed for a political agreement between the North and the South -it exacerbated conflicts between merchants and planters
-it allowed for a political agreement between the North and the South
Which of the following was a way the framer tried to make the Senate a check against excessive democracy? -only the senate has the power to create revenue bills -senators have shorter terms than members of the house of reps -senators are the only officials immune from impeachment -senators were directly elected by the people -senators were originally appointed by state legislatures
-senators were originally appointed by state legislatures
Why was the decision to assign jurisdiction over controversies between citizens of different states to the Supreme Court significant? -the state courts, rather than the federal judiciary, would interpret ultimately become the primary venue for resolving disputes -it meant that courts at both the state and federal levels would become irrelevant to the operating of the American political system -the federal courts would not be allowed to use the power of judicial review on cases involving economic -the federal judiciary, rather than the state courts, would ultimately become the primary venue for resolving disputes
-the federal judiciary, rather than the state courts, would ultimately become the primary venue for resolving disputes
What was the purpose of the Annapolis Convention? -write the Declaration of Independence -discuss revamping the Articles of Confederation -to draft a new Bill of Rights -to plot the revolt known as Shays Rebellion
Discuss revamping the Articles of Confedeation
How was political power in Congress divided under the Articles of Confedeation
Each state had an equal vote
The system of shared powers, divided between a central government and the states, is called
Federalism
In order to signify that the enumerated powers were meant to be a source of a strength to the natl govt and not a limitation on it, the framers of the federal Constitutiond
Included the elastic clause in the Constitution
The most important political value for the framers of the Constitution was
Individual liberty
Each of the following was an anti-federalist EXCEPT -Richard Henry Lee -Patrick Henry -John Jay -Eldridge Gerry -George Mason
John Jay
During the Philadelphia Convention, the New Jersey Plan was supported by
Less populous states
Whose "political gospel" inspired the framers to adopt the concept of the separation of powers? -aristotle -Montesquieu -Hobbes -Voltaire -Machiavelli
Montesquieu
Colonial protestors of the Stamp Act and the Sugar act rallied around
No taxation without representation
Who orchestrated the boston tea party
Samuel Adams
The events that led to the Revolutionary War were triggered by which of the following? -the British attempt to end slavery in the colonies -the British raised revenue by increasing the tax rate of the colonies -the British established suspicious alliances with Indian tribe during the French and Indian Wars -Protestant fundamentalists in New England attempted to establish a theocracy -Americans separatists assassinated King George III
The British raised revenue by increasing the tax rate of the colonies
The Federalists believed that the most apparent source of tyranny was _____ -the landowning elite -the northern merchants -the king of Great Britain -the popular majority -George Washington
The popular majority
What was the purpose of the Annapolis Convention? -the plot the revolt known as Shays Rebellion -to draft a new Bill of Rights -to discuss revamping the Articles of Confederation -to write the Declaration of Idependence
To discuss revamping the Articles of Confederation
Procedures outlining how to amend the Constitution are found in Article ______. -x -I -V -III -II
V
At the Philadelphia Convention, the proposed plan to create a Congress where representation was distributed according to population was called the ______.
Virginia Plan
The supremacy clause
announces that the Constitution and all laws made under it are superior to any state laws.
Brutus and Federal Farmer were 2 pseudonyms used by the _________. -antifederalists -federalists -constitutionalists -plebeians -monarchists
antifederalists
The anti federalists argued that the powers of govt should be limited by -providing congress with a larger grant of powers -both confining the powers of the federal govt to certain narrowly defined areas and adding a bill of rights to the constitution -creating an internal system of checks and controls within govt -decreasing the powers of the executive branch, especially those of the Vice President -preventing govt from collecting revenue through taxation
both confining the powers of the federal govt to certain narrowly defined areas and adding a bill of rights to the constitution
One reason for the Constitution longevity is that it -has been successfully amended by citizens thousands of times -immediately outlawed slavery once ratified -gave the public the opportunity to directly vote on all laws -did not confer permanent advantage on any one set of economic or social forces -immediately granted universal suffrage once ratified
did not confer permanent advantage on any one set of economic or social forces
Alexander Hamilton argued that the chief executive office should possess ______ -popularity -energy -integrity -judgement -gravitas
energy
Why was the Declaration of Independence a remarkable political statement of its time? -it ended the Revolutionary War by offering a compromise with the British govt -it convinced southern states to abolish slavery -it helped unify colonial groups that were divided along economic, regional, and philosophical lines by identifying shared problems, grievances, and principles -it persuaded the British govt to give back all of the tax revenue it collected form the colonies
it helped unify colonial groups that were divided along economic, regional, and philosophical lines by identifying shared problems, grievances, and principles
The framers of the U.S. Constitution attempted to create a govt that could do all of the following EXCEPT -restrict the power of the central govt -lead to the eventual inclusion of non whites in political life -promote commerce -limit excessive democracy -protect private property from radical state legislatures
lead to the eventual inclusion of non whites in political life
The framers employed the separation of powers and federalism in order to
prevent the new government from abusing its power
All of the following are constitutional powers of the president EXCEPT the power to ____ -grant pardons -officially recognize other nations -veto bills -regulate commerce between the states -convene Congress in special session
regulate commerce between the states
Only one-third of the Senate is up for re-election during any single election year because the framers believed that -too many elections wold be difficult for the states to run -this would make members of the senate more responsive to the preferences of their constituents -this was the only way to protect the senate against radical changes -the state legislatures would conspire with each other to elect a senate dominated by a single party
this was the only way to protect the senate against radical changes
During the ratification debates, who were the Antifederalists? -those who opposed the Constitution because it did not provide women with the right to vote -those who opposed the Constitution because it did not create a strong enough central govt -those who believed that the US should enter into a confederation with Britain and Canada -those who supported the Constitution -those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker central govt
those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker central govt
The framers of the US Constitution intended to create a presidency capable of -declaring war on any country that poses a threat to American national security -regulating all forms of commerce -completely dominating Congress -spending money with little interference from any other branch of govt -withstanding excessive popular pressure by making it subject to indirect election through the electoral college
withstanding excessive popular pressure by making it subject to indirect election through the electoral college
