Module 3: Creating A Nation and Module 4: Country's First Government (Study Guide for test)

compare the two influences on the American constitutional republic: 1. Influence of Ancient Greece: Legislative bodies • Written constitutions, 2. Influence of Ancient Rome: Representative government • Republicanism What is related to both?

Civic participation

What was one way in which John Locke's views on natural law impacted the Founding Fathers?

It encouraged them to challenge British laws.

The passage below comes from The Federalist Papers, Number 4, by John Jay: "Leave America divided into thirteen or, if you please, into three or four independent governments. [W]hat armies could they raise and pay[?] [W]hat fleets could they ever hope to have? If one was attacked, would the others fly to its [assistance], and spend their blood and money in its defense?" How did the new Constitution resolve the weakness in the Articles of Confederation identified by John Jay in this passage?

It gave the Congress the power to raise its own army.

The passage below was written by John Locke in 1690. The only way [anyone gives up] his natural liberty and puts on the bonds of civil society is by agreeing with other men [and women] to join and unite into a community... Based on this excerpt, with which statement would John Locke have most likely agreed?

Political power is based on the consent of the people.

The passage below is from Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense: [I]t is not in the power of Britain to do this continent justice: The business of it will soon be too [difficult] . . . to be managed . . . by a power so distant from us, and so very ignorant of us . . . To be always running three or four thousand miles with a tale or a petition [and] waiting four or five months for an answer . . . will in a few years be looked upon as folly and childishness. What summarizes Paine's argument in this passage?

The British do not know enough about the colonies to govern them.

What event took place in 1776, following the Battle of Lexington & Concord (1775)?

The Declaration of Independence

Which belief did the colonists hold based on rights granted by Magna Carta?

There should be limitations on the power of government.

The passage below is from the Declaration of Independence (1776): Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes . . . But when a long train of __________, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. What is the phrase that would complete this passage?

abuses and usurpations

In the Articles of Confederation, there was No standing Army, How was this corrected in the Constitution?

Congress can raise an army with the President serving as Commander-in-Chief.

This is the development of an important principle underlying America's founding ideas. 1. Athens in ancient Greece: Citizens accused of a crime are tried before large numbers of jurors 2. Ancient Rome: Roman laws establish specific procedures for conducting trials 3. England in the Middle Ages: Magna Carta promises every free person accused of a crime a trial by jury by the laws of the land 4. England and its Colonies in 1689: The English Bill of Rights promises those accused of a crime a speedy and fair trial. Which principle is identified in each?

Due Process of Law

What is the principle underlying America's founding ideas on law and government regarding: Limited Government?

Government officials are given some powers but are denied others.

What influence did Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776) have on the colonists?

It persuaded them to declare independence and establish a representative self-government

The passage below is from the Declaration of Independence (1776). We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Which earlier thinker influenced the reasoning of this passage?

John Locke

In 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention passed the resolution below. "That a national government ought to be established consisting of a supreme legislative, executive and judiciary." What was one of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation that this resolution was intended to remedy?

Lack of a national court system

The passage below is from the royal charter given to the colony of Rhode Island in 1663. [N]o person within the said colony . . . shall be any wise . . . punished, disquieted, or called in[to] question, for any differences [of] opinion in matters of religion . . . [E]very person and persons may, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, freely and fully have and enjoy his own and their judgments and consciences, in matters of religious [concern]. What was an important outcome of this policy?

Other colonies also established religious liberty as a protected right.

The list below shows principles underlying America's founding ideas on law and government. Rule of Law Natural Rights Limited Government Due Process of Law Equality of Mankind ? Which phrase completes the list?

Protection of Religious Liberty

What was the meaning of "unalienable rights" in the Declaration of Independence?

Rights that all people are entitled to and that should not be taken away

Noah Webster, the author of Webster's Dictionary, wrote the passage below in 1785: "Can thirteen states . . . be said to be united in government when each state reserves to itself the sole powers of legislation? . . . [S]o long as any individual state has the power to defeat the measures of the other twelve, our pretended union is but a name and our confederation a cobweb." What conclusion about popular attitudes could be drawn from this passage?

Some Americans felt the Confederation was too weak to promote national unity.

Below summarizes a dispute between the British government and American colonists: • British policies: The British Parliament imposed new taxes on the colonists. • Colonial concerns: Colonists protested they had not given their consent . • British responses: The British Parliament claimed the right to tax the colonists without their consent. How did this dispute affect the modern political system of the United States?

Taxes must be approved by a majority of elected representatives.

Which complaint was set forth in the Declaration of Independence?

The King had repeatedly dissolved colonial legislatures.

The two examples below illustrate an important influence on the Founders of the American constitutional republic. Ancient Jews followed written rules found in the Bible. • Ancient Romans followed written rules displayed on Twelve Tables in the Roman Forum. Which influence on the Founders is illustrated by these examples?

The Rule of Law

What concept do the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights have in common?

The concept of limiting government's power.

Which right would the authors of the Declaration of Independence have considered a natural right?

The right of a citizen to remain out of jail unless lawfully convicted of a crime.

Which weakness of the Articles of Confederation was corrected by the authors of the Constitution?

no national court system

The following describes the government of ancient Rome: Legislative power is held by the popular assemblies Executive power is exercised by two elected consuls The Senate advises the consuls and controls spending Which influence on the founders of the American constitutional republic is described above?

separation of powers

Which right was guaranteed to English subjects by the English Bill of Rights in 1689?

. no excessive punishments

Read the statement below from a law passed by the British Parliament in 1765: "[T]here shall be raised, levied, collected and paid unto His Majesty... [f]or every . . . sheet or piece of paper, on which shall be . . . written or printed any declaration, ... or other pleading, or any copy thereof, in any court of law, within the British colonies and plantations in America, a stamp duty of 3 pence." Based on this statement., which grievance was placed in the Declaration of Independence in response to their earlier act?"

"imposing taxes on us without our consent"

What was the influence of the ideas of John Locke on the Founding Fathers?

. Government by Consent of the Governed

The statements below describe characteristics of ancient Greece: In ancient Greece, citizens served on juries. • In ancient Greece, citizens served in the army to defend their polis. • In ancient Greece, the polis of Athens permitted all citizens to attend the city's assembly. Which influence on the founders of the American constitutional republic is illustrated by these characteristics?

. civic participation

The passage below was published by Montesquieu in 1748. In every government, there are three sorts of power: the legislative, the executive [and what] we may call the judiciary power . . . When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person. . . there can be no liberty because fears may arise that the same monarch . . . should enact tyrannical laws and execute them in a tyrannical manner. Again, there is no liberty if the judiciary not be separated from the legislative and executive. (Source: Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws, Book XI, Section 6) How did these ideas influence the Founding Fathers of the United States?

They decided to separate the powers of government into three branches

Why did the American colonists oppose the Stamp Act and other attempts to tax the colonies?

They had not been consulted before these taxes were imposed

This is a list of British taxes on the colonists: Stamp Act (1765) Townshend Acts (1767) Tea Act (1773) What was the reason that the colonists objected to these measures?

They objected to taxes that were imposed without their consent.

Why did the Second Continental Congress issue the Declaration of Independence?

To explain the reasons for the colonists' separation from Great Britain

. The passage below is from the Declaration of Independence (1776): We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Which two principles are identified in this passage?

equality of mankind and natural rights

The following rules are part of the Judeo-Christian tradition. •Do not kill • Do not steal • Respect your mother and father • Do not envy your neighbor's possessions Which influence on the American constitutional republic is illustrated by these rules?

ethical ideas of justice