The Constitution and American Political Principles

"The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."—Article II, Section 4, United States Constitution Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution was written in response to which of the following grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence?

"He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good."

The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution deals with criminal prosecutions and the "right to a speedy trial by an impartial jury of the State and district" where the crime took place. Which of the following grievances against King George III listed in the Declaration of Independence led the colonists to create this amendment?

"for transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences"

Which of the following is an example of a legislative check over the judicial branch?

Congress can impeach and remove federal judges.

What was one way that the Constitution addressed the problem of slavery?

Congress was not allowed to pass any laws banning the slave trade before 1808.

Which of the following events best completes the diagram?

Constitutional Convention

What was one way that the Constitution addressed the issue of how slaves would be counted in a state's population?

Every five slaves would be counted as three people.

Virginia PlanThe number of representatives in the Congress would be based on population or the amount of money sent to the national governmentNew Jersey PlanEach state would have an equal number of representatives in the Congress?Each state would have an equal number of representatives in the Senate, but representation in the House of Representatives would be based on population Which of the followingbestcompletes the diagram?

Great Compromise

What is one reason that George Mason refused to sign the U.S. Constitution?

He believed it gave the federal government too much power.

How does the Bill of Rights work to limit the powers of government?

It ensures individual rights to citizens.

Which of the following was necessary before the U.S. Constitution went into effect?

It needed to be accepted by 9 of the 13 states.

How did federalism limit the powers of government in the United States?

It required that national government share power with the states.

How does federalism limit the power of government in the United States?

It requires the national government to share power with state governments.

• Government is legitimate only if the people consent to its authority.• If consent is not given to government by the people, the people have the right to rebel.• Government must protect natural rights (rights all people are born with). The ideas above are attributed to which of these people?

John Locke

The proposed Constitution, therefore, is, in strictness, neither a national nor a federal Constitution, but a composition of both.—James Madison, the Federalist Paper 39 How does this quote from James Madison represent a response to Anti-Federalist concerns?

Madison is answering Anti-Federalist concerns over a centralized national government.

One of the grievances against King George III listed in the Declaration of Independence states, "He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures." This grievance ultimately led to the creation of the

Second Amendment.

Which of the following best completes the diagram?

Slave states against free states

How was the U.S. Constitution changed to protect people's rights?

The Bill of Rights was added as a group of amendments.

I go further, and affirm that bills of rights, in the sense and to the extent in which they are contended for, are not only unnecessary in the proposed Constitution, but would even be dangerous.—Alexander Hamilton, the Federalist Paper 84 What point is Alexander Hamilton making?

The Constitution did not need a bill of rights.

"He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained."—Declaration of Independence How did the Framers of the Constitution address this colonial grievance when creating a new government?

The Constitution grants Congress the power to make all laws deemed "necessary and proper."

Which of these is an example of an Anti-Federalist position?

The Constitution places too much power in the central government.

One of the most significant grievances against Great Britain listed in the Declaration of Independence was that colonists were taxed without representation in Parliament. How was this grievance addressed when the government of the United States was created?

The Constitution provides for a popularly elected House of Representatives.

Which document was a forerunner to the U.S. Constitution?

The Mayflower Compact

After an unequivocal experience of the inefficiency of the subsisting federal government, you are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America.—Alexander Hamilton, the Federalist Paper 1 What is Alexander Hamilton saying in the quote above?

The government under the Articles of Confederation was inefficient.

Your President may easily become king.—Patrick Henry, 1788 What is Patrick Henry's main point in the quote above?

The president would have too much power within the new government.

Which of the following is a check the executive branch can impose on the legislative branch?

The vice president can cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate.

Which of the following statements about the Federalist Papers is true?

They consisted of 85 essays that argued in favor of the ratification of the Constitution and originally appeared in New York newspapers to explain to citizens how the new government would work.

Which statement best describes why the Americans created a loose confederation of states in the Articles of Confederation?

They did not want a central authority like the British system.

Why did the representatives at the Constitutional Convention divide the powers of the national government among three different branches?

They did not want any one branch of government to become too powerful.

Why did the writers of the Constitution create a way to allow amendments?

They realized that the Constitution might need to be changed in the future.

What was the purpose of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in writing The Federalist Papers?

They wanted to increase support for ratification of the Constitution.

One of the most important parts of the Magna Carta influenced the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This was the right to

a fair and speedy trial.

Which of the following is a judicial check on the powers of the legislative branch?

can declare laws unconstitutional

• Presidential veto power over congressional legislation• Power of the Senate to approve presidential appointments• Judicial review of congressional enactments The policies in the box all work to make sure no one branch of the government becomes too powerful. They are all part of the _______ system.

checks and balances

Which provision in the United States Constitution was originally found in the English Bill of Rights?

freedom from cruel and unusual punishment

• Government is legitimate only if the people consent to its authority.• If consent is not given to government by the people, the people have the right to rebel.• Government must protect natural rights (rights all people are born with). The ideas above are attributed to which of these people?

jhon loke

Which of the following is an executive check on the powers of the judicial branch of government?

nominates Supreme Court justices and federal judges

It is the opinion of the greatest writers, that a very extensive country cannot be governed on democratical principles, on any other plan, than a confederation of a number of small republics, possessing all the powers of internal government, but united in the management of their foreign and general concerns.—"Centinel", Letter to the Freemen of Pennsylvania According to this quote, which issue would make ruling too hard for the government under the Constitution?

the size of the country

Charles-Louis Montesquieu was a French political thinker known for his

theory of separation of powers.

Why was the amendment process discussed in the Constitution?

to create a way for future generations to change the Constitution

If Congress wants to propose an amendment, it has to get the approval of

two thirds of House of Representatives and the Senate.

"A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."—Amendment II, United States Constitution Which of the following grievances against King George III listed in the Declaration of Independence directly relates to the Second Amendment?

"He [the king] has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us."

The Ninth Amendment to the Constitution states, "The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."Which grievance against King George III most closely relates to why such an amendment was needed?

"He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people."