Chapter 2 US Government

Later used for the creation and approval of the U.S. Constitution, what process for constitution-making did Massachusetts establish?

A popularly elected convention wrote a constitution and then submitted it to voters for approval.

The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation eventually led the States to determine it was necessary to establish

A stronger national government

The Articles of Confederation reflected the colonists' desire for

State sovereignty

Which of the following is evidence that the new central government could not enforce the Articles?

States making agreements with foreign governments

What is one reason the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation helped contribute to economic chaos following the Revolutionary War?

States printed out there own money

Which of these compromises directly impacted the establishment of a two-house legislature in the U.S. Constitution?

The Connecticut comprise

How were the members of the lower house of the legislature in the royal colonies chosen?

elected by property owners qualified to vote

The Anti-Federalists focused their arguments against ratification of the Constitution on what main point?

feared a strong national government and a lack of protection for individual rights

The concept of limited government holds that

government power should be restricted.

What was the significance of the Petition of Right?

it limited the kings power

On which of the following points did the Virginia and New Jersey plans AGREE?

limited and representative government

Many of the colonists believed that people have the right to resist an unfair, or illegitimate, government. Which of the following actions BEST reflects this belief?

that is, that the people alone had the authority to make laws limiting an individual's freedom of action.

Which of the following is one factor that led to the signing of the Magna Carta?

the heavy taxes imposed by King John

Which of the following weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was MOST directly related to Shays' Rebellion?

the inability of Congress to levy taxes or regulate commerce

Which of the following features in the Constitution BEST illustrates the concept of limited government?

the prohibition against the Federal Government taxing the exports of any State

Once the delegates had agreed to declare independence from Great Britain, which of the following issues did they vigorously debate?

Should the Declaration of Independence condemn the slaves

Which of the basic concepts expressed below is an underlying principle of the Federal Government created by the U.S. Constitution?

"The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there is no freedom." —John Locke

Congress accomplished some significant successes, despite limited powers, which included the

-Treaty of Paris - Land Ordinance of 1785 - Northwest Ordinance

Why did the Articles of Confederation specify that each State would have one vote, regardless of size or population?

Because some states thought it was unfair for the smaller states to have lesser votes and the bigger states thought it was unfair for them to have the same vote

Which event led MOST DIRECTLY to the calling of the First Continental Congress?

Colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor.

Why was Congress forbidden to act on the slave trade for at least twenty years?

Commerce and slave trade act

What was the main governing body created under the Articles of Confederation?

Congress

What weakness in the Articles of Confederation led to a conflict between Virginia and Maryland?

Congress did not have the power to regulate trade among the states

Why did the First Continental Congress call for a Second Continental Congress before adjourning?

Delegates wanted time to see if the Declaration of Rights and the boycott of British goods would change British policy.

Which of the following helped lead to growing self-government in the colonies?

Great Britain each colonial legislature began assuming board lawmaking powers and act almost as self-governed colonies (Judaeo-Christian ideals, and the work of Enlightenment thinkers).

What was significant about the Stamp Act Congress?

It was the first time that several colonies met to oppose British policies.

Which of these political leaders contributed MOST significantly to the framing of the U.S. Constitution?

James Madison

Which of the following rights, protected today by the Bill of Rights, were first established in all three landmark English documents?

Magna Carta

In what way did the new government established by the Articles of Confederation reflect the colonists' determination to prevent the central government from becoming too powerful?

Shays' Rebellion showed the colonists that under the Articles of Confederation the government did not have enough power to meet national security demands or basic needs of the colonists.

Which event from English history between 1628 and 1690 most directly influenced later American political ideas and traditions?

Parliament enacted to limit the power of the monarch and guarantee certain rights to the people

Which statement BEST describes the reason for growing tensions between Great Britain and the colonies in the years after King George III took the throne?

Parliament raised taxes and restricted trade without consulting colonial legislatures.

The English colonists brought with them knowledge of political systems that influenced constitutional government in North America. Which one of these basic notions held that the people should have a voice in determining what their government can and cannot do?

Representative government

What role did the Second Continental Congress fulfill?

Revolutionary war and gain independence from Great Britain

Which of the following correctly describes the differences between royal and proprietary colonies?

Royal: governor and his council named by the king; proprietary: governor appointed by the proprietor

Which feature of State constitutions was accomplished by creating three branches of government, each with its own powers?

Separation of power

How was the government, as established by the Articles of Confederation, influenced by the colonists' ideas and experiences?

The colonists did not want to give up too much power to a central government.

Which of these statements BEST describes the viewpoint of Anti-Federalists regarding the ratification of the proposed Constitution?

The document should not be ratified, because it fails to secure basic rights for the individual, which were the essential principles of the Declaration of Independence.

How did the government of the charter colonies differ from those of the royal and proprietary colonies?

The governors were elected by male property owners, and laws made by their bicameral legislatures were not subject to the governor's veto.

Which of the following led to the meeting of the First Continental Congress?

The intolerable act the closing of the Boston harbor

How did the voting procedure for the Constitutional Convention reflect the democratic ideal of majority rule and minority rights?

They realized theta more people wanted something so they would go with that

Which of the following is TRUE about the delegates to the Constitutional Convention?

They were called the founding fathers or framers

Certain colonies, such as Virginia and Massachusetts, had their original charter revoked. What was the result of the king revoking the charters?

This led to the Confederation's collapse. In 1686, the centralized Dominion of New England was imposed on the colonies.