gov exam #1- ch. 1-5
According to libertarianism, the role of government in most matters should be
"hands off."
Which of the following statements reflect the constitutional structure within the Articles of Confederation?
*policy and treaty ratification requiring nine affirmative votes *state courts having jurisdiction over most legal matters, except in cases of inter-state conflict *state governments being responsible for implementation and financing of congressionally-approved policies
What did President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation accomplish?
-It prevented Britain and France from intervening in the Civil War on the southern side. -It abolished slavery in the states that had seceded from the Union.
List the following systems of government from the fewest participants in governing to the most, with the system having the fewest at the top.
1. Monarchy 2. Oligarchy 3. Democracy
Which of the following priorities are primary government functions?
1. To protect a country's sovereign territory and its citizenry 2. To preserve order and stability in the event of national or human-made disasters 3. To establish and maintain a legal system
During which period was dual federalism the dominant form of federalism in the United States?
1789-1932
When did the United States ratify the Sixteenth Amendment?
1913
The Nineteenth Amendment was passed in
1919.
A bicameral legislature has ______ chambers.
2
The total number of amendments to the Constitution that have been ratified is ______.
27
How many states had ratified the Nineteenth Amendment one year after its passage?
36
By the end of 1776, ______ of the 13 colonies had ratified their own state constitutions.
8
Which of the following state policy issues could best be solved by an interstate compact?
A river borders two states that both wish to harness its energy potential.
Which of the following scenarios will most likely lead to citizens allowing more government restrictions of civil liberties?
A terrorist group launches attacks against targets on American soil.
Which of the following is true of the Fourteenth Amendment's extension of the Bill of Rights to the states?
According to the Supreme Court, only some of the most important freedoms are applied to the states.
Because the Black Lives Matter movement has no central organizing structure like previous civil rights movements, which of the following have happened?
Activists identified with the movement through the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. Other groups with similar fears and concerns were able to join with the movement. The movement expanded beyond issues of police violence to included environmental racism.
During the first century of our nation's history, which of the following groups was involved in the national debate about equality?
African Americans
Which of the following statements about the procedure for amending the Articles of Confederation is accurate?
Amendment required a unanimous agreement of all 13 state delegations.
Which faction among the framers was opposed to ratifying the Constitution without first including a written Bill of Rights?
Anti-Federalists
The enumerated powers of the national government are listed in which Articles of the United States Constitution?
Article III Article I Article II
Which article of the Constitution includes the Supremacy Clause?
Article VI
________Codes were laws passed immediately after the Civil War by the confederate states that limited the rights of "freemen."
Black
The exercise Blank 1 clause of the First Amendment requires government neutrality toward religious institutions, whereas the establishment Blank 2 clause prohibits the government from taking hostile action toward individuals' practice of their religion.
Blank 1: establishment Blank 2: free
False written statements about others that harm their reputation are known as Blank 1Blank 1 libel , Correct Unavailable, whereas false verbal statements about others are known as Blank 2Blank 2 slander , Correct Unavailable.
Blank 1: libel Blank 2: slander
The fighting-words doctrine was established in which of the following Supreme Court cases?
Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire
Which of the following characteristics did ancient Greek democracies have that is shared by modern American democracy?
Citizens decided public issues using majority rule.
Why is freedom of speech important to the democratic process?
Citizens must be able to publicly criticize their government. Citizens must be able to share information and ideas.
How do citizens in a representative democracy like the United States engage in the democratic process?
Citizens vote for officials who represent them in government.
Which law, passed by Congress and also known as the Anti-Ku Klux Klan Act, made it a federal crime to deprive individuals of their rights, privileges, and immunities?
Civil Rights Act of 1872
In the Civil Rights Cases of 1883, the Supreme Court declared which act unconstitutional?
Civil Rights Act of 1875
The constitutionally established guarantees that protect opinions and property against arbitrary government interference are known as civil Blank 1 of 2, whereas civil Blank 2 of 2 reflect positive acts of government for the purpose of protecting individuals against arbitrary or discriminatory actions.
Civil liberties Civil Rights
What was the name of Thomas Paine's pamphlet that considered war with Great Britain as necessary and unavoidable?
Common Sense
Why does the Constitution give implied powers to Congress?
Congress cannot fulfill the enumerated powers without implied powers.
The supremacy clause states that the
Constitution and the treaties and laws created by the national government are the supreme law of the land.
What is the primary distinction between cooperative federalism and centralized federalism?
Cooperative federalism grants assist states in meeting their priorities, while centralized federalism grants come with strings attached.
What was the name of the formal document adopted by the First Continental Congress outlining their concerns and frustrations with the British crown?
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
Which document listed many rights and opportunities that the law did not guarantee to women, including the right to vote and educational and employment opportunities equal to those of white men?
Declaration of Sentiments
Which of the following standards are included in the obscenity test defined by the Supreme Court in Miller v. California?
Does the average person applying contemporary standards find that the work appeals to the prurient interest? Does the work depict in an offensive way a form of sexual conduct specifically prohibited by anti-obscenity laws? Does the work as a whole lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value?
Which of the following are considerations of the Lemon test for assessing a government program's relationship with religious institutions?
Does the program have as its principal effect the advancement of religion? Does the program have a secular purpose? Does the program create excessive entanglement between church and state?
Which of the following statements best represents the American constitutional model of federalism?
Each level is sovereign, with the exception of overlapping issues, in which case the federal level enjoys supremacy.
Which of these descriptions is consistent with a federal system?
Each of two governing layers holds ultimate authority over different matters
How did the new constitution deal with slaves and the issue of slavery?
Each slave was counted as three-fifths of a person for both representation and taxation. The new government was barred from stopping the slave trade for twenty years.
Which of these statements best describes the relationship between the colonists and the British authorities in the early days of the American colonies?
Early British-colonist relations were relatively cooperative.
Which of the following arguments relate to the controversy surrounding the Second Amendment?
Easy access to firearms is a threat to public safety. Gun ownership creates a free and safe society.
True or false: A democracy is the only form of government that can be constitutional.
False
True or false: Categorical project grants provide more money to governments than categorical formula grants.
False
True or false: Ideology is the only factor that influences people's belief structure about the types of issues that they prioritize and the solutions that they see to various policy challenges.
False
True or false: In a constitutional democracy, the government holds strong powers but is checked by some forces.
False
True or false: The Constitution requires governors to accept extradition requests made by fellow governors.
False
True or false: The Constitution allowed most citizens to vote, except for slaves and Native Americans.
False Reason: The Constitution allowed states to limit voting to mostly property-owning white males.
True or false: There was disagreement among the delegates as to whether the new constitution should be considered as the supreme law of the country.
False Reason: The delegates quickly came to the consensus that the new constitution should be established as the supreme law of the country.
True or false: Only Republican lawmakers and presidents support devolution, or the return of policy responsibilities to state and local governments.
False Reason: Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers broadly support devolution but tend to disagree about which policy areas should be involved.
True or false: Under the First Amendment, the government may not limit or prohibit any form of political expression.
False Reason: Over time, the Supreme Court has distinguished between political expression that the First Amendment protects and expression that the government may limit or even prohibit.
True or false: The concept of "equal protection of the laws" is defined explicitly by the Constitution.
False Reason: People disagree strongly on the meaning of "equal protection of the laws," which has been a stated constitutional guarantee since the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.
True or false: The Constitution does not delegate any powers to the states.
False Reason: The Constitution delegates several powers to the states, which provide the states with a distinct voice in the composition and priorities of the national government.
True or false: Early civil rights advocates such as W. E. B. Du Bois fought for separate but equal treatment for minority groups.
False Reason: The civil rights movement actually fought for equal treatment from the government, public accommodations, and educational institutions.
True or false: The U.S. Constitution clearly lays out the specific powers that each level of government enjoys.
False Reason: The language of the Constitution is vague, requiring interpretation of the specific powers afforded to each level of government.
The Black Lives Matter movement grew from protests in ______ following the shooting death of an unarmed teenager by a white police officer.
Ferguson, MO
In Gitlow v. New York, the Supreme Court determined that an aspect of the ______ Amendment applied to the states.
First
In Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), the Supreme Court ruled that the right to marry is a fundamental liberty protected by which amendment of the Constitution?
Fourteenth
Which constitutional amendment did the Commission on the Status of Women urge the federal government to pursue in lawsuits in order to encourage proper interpretation of the equal protection clause?
Fourteenth Amendment
Slave Act in 1850 was an attempt by the U.S. Congress to stall or prevent the secession, or separation, of southern states from the Union.
Fugitive
In 1850, which law(s) required federal marshals to return runaway slaves or risk a $1,000 fine?
Fugitive Slave Act
Why are civil libertarians concerned about the government's collection of data from social networks?
Government collection of data might violate constitutional rights to privacy.
In July 1775, the Second Continental Congress petitioned King George III to end hostile actions against the colonists. What was his response?
He refused the petition and sent more troops to quell the growing rebellion.
What was King George III's response to the First Continental Congress's Declaration of Rights and Grievances?
He refused to respond.
What two elements relating to representation in the national government were most contentious?
How will the states be represented in the national government? How should the government officials in each branch be selected?
that part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was unconstitutional.
In Shelby County v. Alabama (2013), the Supreme Court found
Under which circumstances are Americans more likely to adopt an expansive interpretation of civil liberties?
In times of peace when they don't perceive themselves to be under some external threat.
_______ democracy involves citizens electing representatives who decide policies on their behalf.
Indirect
Why does American democracy value the concept of the individual?
Individuals are resilient and make up their own minds.
What has been the pattern of intergovernmental relations for the majority of policy initiatives implemented during the conflicted federalism era?
Intergovernmental efforts are the norm, with the national government enforcing its will in some cases while states voluntarily comply in other cases.
Which of the following statements about the Second Continental Congress is accurate?
It authorized the Congress to prepare for war with Britain.
Which of the following is true of Richard Henry Lee's resolution?
It called for a drafting of a plan of union, which called for each colony to become an independent state.
Which of the following is true of the Articles of Confederation?
It designed a governing alliance among independent, sovereign states.
How did the original Constitution handle the issue of state sovereignty?
It did not speak of it directly.
How did the new constitution deal with the issue of slavery?
It established the states' obligation to deliver all fugitive slaves back to their owners. It prohibited Congress from addressing the importation of new slaves until a future date.
Why is a one-dimensional ideological continuum limited?
It fails to reflect the complexity of individuals views.
How is the Sixteenth Amendment important to the development of cooperative federalism?
It gave the federal government revenue that it could use to financially assist the states.
What are the characteristics of America's constitutional democracy?
It is structured by law and limits government power.
Which of the following best describes the guiding principle of the Constitution as drafted by the framers?
It is up to the people to create a government that protects their natural rights.
In what ways did the Anti-Federalists believe that the Constitution, as proposed, would threaten citizens' natural rights?
It lacked a bill of rights to limit the vague powers of the national government. It delegated too much power to the executive branch at the expense of the legislative branch. It gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the state governments
How did Congress respond to the Supreme Court's ruling in Texas v. Johnson?
It passed the Flag Protection Act, which was subsequently struck down by the Court.
Which of the following is true of the decision in Obergefell v. Hodges?
It recognized same-sex marriage as a fundamental liberty under the Fourteenth Amendment.
In general, how does the Supreme Court respond to cases involving the enactment of laws based on Congress's constitutionally implied powers?
It typically upholds such laws.
How does the Supreme Court decide whether a right is protected by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment from impairment by the states?
It uses a formula that asks whether the right is rooted in American tradition and conscience and is essential for liberty.
The first people of African descent to arrive in the New World landed in
Jamestown.
Which theorist's argument that a government created by the people also depended upon the people for the authority to rule influenced the Declaration of Independence?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Which of these required the strict separation of racial groups in education, employment, and public accommodations, such as transportation and restaurants?
Jim Crow laws
American democracy was influenced by which of the following?
Judeo-Christian tradition English common law the ancient Greeks
The Supreme Court determined that privacy rights extend to consensual activity between same-sex partners in
Lawrence v. Texas.
______ is the freedom from government interference in the lives of citizens, as well as the freedom to pursue happiness.
Liberty
Which of the following was a key turning point in the Civil War?
Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation
Which of the following individuals propelled the civil rights movement onto the national stage?
Martin Luther King, Jr. Rosa Parks
Shays Rebellion was an uprising of farmers against the government of
Massachusetts.
Before the Puritans landed in America in 1620, they formed a social contract to protect their liberties, and they called it the
Mayflower Compact.
Which Supreme Court decision established that the necessary and proper clause allows Congress to broadly interpret the enumerated powers of the national government?
McCulloch v. Maryland
What important discriminatory issues were women raising by the 1960s?
Men had better employment opportunities and higher pay. Men had more educational opportunities. Women were unable to obtain credit without having a male cosign the loan.
Despite southern opposition, which of the following was passed by Congress in 1820 to deal with slavery in the newly acquired western territories?
Missouri Compromise
The framers did not initially see the Bill of Rights as applicable to state governments for which reasons?
Most state constitutions included a bill of rights of their own that protected against abuses of state power. Because state governments were closer to the people than the national government, they were less likely to restrict individual freedoms.
Which of the following is characteristic of cooperative-era intergovernmental transfers?
National grants-in-aid carried few specific terms and conditions.
Which of the following Supreme Court cases first established the doctrine of prior restraint?
Near v. Minnesota
The proposal that tended to favor the less populous states was called the
New Jersey Plan.
What caused a change in British-colonial relationships between the early 18th century and the latter half of the 18th century?
Parliament needed to raise revenue to pay off debts. Britain wanted to confirm its sovereignty over its colonists.
The Townshend Revenue Act of 1767 gave Parliament which authority over the American colonies?
Parliament was given unilateral power to impose taxes, while the colonists had no right to object.
The time after the Civil War between 1866 and 1877, when the institutions and infrastructure of the South were rebuilt, is known as the
Reconstruction era.
Which 1971 Supreme Court case used the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to find a law that discriminated against women unconstitutional?
Reed v. Reed
Delegates from each state except ______ attended the convention to adopt the Articles of Confederation.
Rhode Island
In 1790, ______ was the last of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution.
Rhode Island
At the Second Continental Congress, who argued that "these united Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent States"?
Richard Henry Lee
Who formed the Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence in 1772?
Samuel Adams
Which of the following occurred in the 1960s as the result of the civil rights movement?
Segregation in public schools ended. Public accommodations were desegregated. Universal suffrage was promoted.
The Declaration of listed many rights and opportunities that the law did not guarantee women, including the right to vote and educational and employment opportunities equal to those of white men.
Sentiments
Which of the following describes Rosa Parks's best known act of resistance?
She refused to leave her seat in the front of the bus to make room for a white passenger.
Whose ideas involving natural law laid the foundation for political philosophers during the Enlightenment?
Sir Isaac Newton
Which of the following would be considered an appropriate description of the Bill of Rights in general?
The Bill of Rights enumerates specific prohibitions that are seen as limiting the actions of others.
Which of the following is true about how the Constitution deals with state power?
The Constitution does not explicitly speak of state sovereignty. The Constitution specifies only a few state powers.
Which of the following statements about the Constitution's delegation of state authority is accurate?
The Constitution lacks a lot of specific detail on state authority.
How has the Court ruled on abortion rights issues after Roe v. Wade?
The Court has developed a compromise position on abortion rights.
If there is a debate between a national law and a state law, how does the Supreme Court typically resolve the situation?
The Supreme Court generally takes the stance that the national government trumps state governments, as outlined in the supremacy clause.
What aspect of the congressional charge to the delegates at the Constitutional Convention ensured that the new constitution would preserve state sovereignty?
The constitution had to be approved by the current Congress, which was made up of state government representatives.
What part of the Virginia Plan made small states uncomfortable?
The legislative chambers were selected by proportional representation.
Which phrase best describes the period during which dual federalism was practiced most in the United States?
The national government enforced its enumerated powers, while the states enforced their reserve powers.
What aspects of the new constitution worried citizens who were apprehensive of a strong central government?
The new constitution did not include a bill of rights. The new constitution did not list the matters over which states had sovereignty.
What was the political significance of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation?
The people challenged the power of the Catholic Church.
What is a primary distinction between categorical project grants and other federal grant programs?
The process of awarding federal money for a categorical project grant is competitive.
Why did the framers of the Constitution specifically enumerate very few powers for the states?
The state governments were already functioning prior to constitutional ratification.
Under the full faith and credit clause, when a family legally adopts a child in Texas, what happens if that family moves to California?
The state of California will recognize the adoption as legal.
Which level of government enjoys ultimate control of a policy issue requiring intergovernmental collaboration?
The state, federal, or local level maintains authority depending on the policy area.
Which of the following did proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) argue regarding the strict scrutiny test?
The test should be used in sex-based discrimination cases. The Constitution should be amended to explicitly guarantee equality of rights under the law regardless of sex.
Which of the following were some of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
There was no centralized economic policy. Each state taxed goods coming into the state from foreign nations and other states. Several states had their own currency and required its use to conduct business within their borders.
Which of the following did Jefferson include in the Declaration of Independence in order to convince the colonists and other European powers that a break with Great Britain was both necessary and justified?
a list of grievances against King George III
The absence of which of the following in the new Constitution was a main focus of the critics of the proposed document?
a list of protected individual rights
Who was Dred Scott?
a slave who sued for his freedom by arguing that he was emancipated as soon as his owner took him into free territory
At the Constitutional Convention, the northern states wanted
a strong national government that would promote commerce and trade.
The brief success of Shays Rebellion demonstrated the weaknesses of the national confederacy stemming from the Articles of Confederation and the need for
a stronger central government.
Political ideology could be best described as
a system of beliefs about political values and the role of the government.
The Articles of Confederation created
a union of independent states in which each state retained its sovereignty.
The Second Amendment protects and supports which of the following?
a well-regulated militia the right to keep and bear arms
Which of the following best describes the subject under consideration in Roe v. Wade?
abortion
Intentional efforts to diversify the student body in higher education are known as
affirmative action.
The constitutional freedom of religion protects
all nonreligious groups. an individual's free exercise of religion. all religious groups.
Which of the following principles are important to the First Amendment freedom of the press?
allowing citizens to hear competing ideas about public issues ensuring that the government remains accountable to its citizens
Which of the following examples best represents commercial speech?
an advertisement for a social networking application
In McDonald v. Chicago, the Supreme Court expanded its earlier decision in Columbia v. Heller to state that
an individuals' right to bear arms applies also to state and local law.
In response to a challenge to the national government's Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, the Supreme Court found the law to be
an unconstitutional infringement on states' reserved police powers.
Constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties exist to protect Americans from
arbitrary government interference against citizens, opinions, and property.
Which of the following was not included in the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
banning poll taxes and literacy tests
When did the first shots of the Revolutionary War occur in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts?
before the Second Continental Congress
Regarding the concept of equality, the framers
borrowed ideas from ancient Greek democracies and Judeo-Christian belief systems.
Because each state had its own economic policies under the Articles of Confederation,
both interstate and international commerce were hampered.
Which of the following best characterizes the Bill of Rights?
broad principles
What event(s) garnered national attention for Martin Luther King, Jr., and led to a decisive Supreme Court case?
bus boycott
Because of its vague language, interpretation of the Constitution
can be contentious.
Which economic system includes private ownership of property and the means of production in order to produce a profit?
capitalism
A grant-in-aid for a narrowly defined purpose for which governments compete with each other by proposing specific projects is referred to as a(n)
categorical project grant.
To ensure that the separation of powers worked, the founders created a structure called ________ , Incorrect Unavailable and __________ , Incorrect Unavailable, which empowers the branches to limit the authority of the other branches.
checks & balances
Which of the following did the Federalists argue would protect the individual liberties and states' rights that the Anti-Federalists were worried about?
checks and balances dual sovereignty separation of powers
The privileges and immunities clause guarantees the rights of which of the following groups?
citizens engaging in interstate travel or citizens who move to another state
Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense declared that only through independence would the colonists attain
civil and religious liberty.
Constitutionally imposed responsibilities are called
civil rights.
Which of the following government services are considered public goods?
clean air and water highways airport security
The notion of checks and balances is meant to
complement the concept of separation of powers.
In the U.S. federal system, basic governing powers are
concurrent between the national and state governments.
Which system allows a national government to maintain authority within its borders while cooperating with the independent sovereign governments that form it?
confederal system
The Supreme Court's ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller dramatically changed the meaning of the Second Amendment by
confering to citizens an individual right to possess a firearm for lawful purposes.
Which of the following refers to intergovernmental relations in which elements of dual federalism, cooperative federalism, and centralized federalism are evident in the domestic policies implemented by state and local governments?
conflicted federalism
In a democracy, the power to rule comes from which of these sources?
consent of the governed
A(n) ________, Correct Unavailable, either written or unwritten, presents the fundamental principles of government and establishes the basic structures and procedures by which the government operates.
constitution
Which of the following governing powers fit within the definition of concurrent powers?
contract and pay debts levy taxes borrow money eminent domain
Which of the following explains why the Supreme Court tends to link right to privacy cases to other rights that are explicitly established in the Bill of Rights?
controversy over right to privacy issues
Which of the following were actions taken at the First Continental Congress?
creation of a plan to create a parliament for the colonies scheduling of a second meeting adoption and delivery to King George III of the Declaration of Rights and Grievances
Because the framers had to balance national sovereignty with existing state sovereignty, they focused on
delegating powers to the national government that were problematic under the Articles of Confederation.
A form of government, which includes republics, in which the supreme power to govern is in the hands of the citizens is called a(n)
democracy.
The first three articles of the Constitution
describe the structure of the national government
Written constitutions usually begin with a(n)
description of the mission.
The New Jersey Plan
designated that all states would have an equal vote. called for a unicameral legislature. reworked the Articles of Confederation
The process in which the national government returned powers to state and local governments is called
devolution.
According to the ruling in Barron v. Baltimore, the Bill of Rights
did not apply to state action.
The early governance model of colonist-British relations was a two-tier system in which the British Parliament and crown
did not much interfere in colonial life.
In Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court determined that separate but equal facilities
did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause.
In a(n) Blank , Correct Unavailable democracy, which may take place through town meetings, citizens decide policy without elected representatives.
direct
In terms of inherent characteristics, people disagree about whether or not the list should also include which of the following categories?
disability sexual orientation age
The language in the Bill of Rights has led to
disagreement over its interpretation.
In the 2002 case Lawrence v. Texas, the Court ruled that the privacy rights associated with sexual activity ______ apply to same-sex couples.
do
Which of the following prompted calls to fix the defects of the confederal system created under the Articles of Confederation?
domestic rebellions economic problems
What does the Fifth Amendment prohibit?
double jeopardy compelled self-incrimination
Early in the convention, consensus developed on the need for ______ of 1 sovereignty to address the weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation.
dual
What type of protections ensure the government does not arbitrarily infringe upon the freedoms of citizens without adhering to strict legal procedures?
due process
The legal safeguards that prevent the government from depriving citizens of life, liberty, or property without adhering to strict legal procedures are known as
due process protections.
When does the government tend to attempt to limit the freedoms of speech, assembly, and the press?
during times of national emergency
Which of the following is a power delegated to the states?
electing congressional representatives
The government needs to establish and maintain a legal system to
enforce moral codes and mores.
According to their new constitutions, the mission of each state government was to
ensure natural rights.
The religion clauses of the First Amendment do which of the following?
ensure the government does not hinder individuals' exercise of religion bar the government from supporting one religious sect over another bar the government from establishing a national religion
Which of the following was the goal of the second wave of the women's rights movement?
equal legal rights for women
Which clause of the U.S. Constitution was at the center of the argument in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka?
equal protection clause
The Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln in 1862
established the abolition of slavery as a war goal.
One outcome of the Coalition of Federated Organization's work in the 1964 Summer Project was the
establishment of the Freedom Democratic Party and a promise to integrate future delegations to the Democratic Convention.
Which of the following best characterizes the concept of equality in the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries?
evolving
In the case Gibbons v. Ogden, the Supreme Court interpreted the power to "regulate commerce among the several states" in such a way as to ______ this enumerated power.
expand
In Gibbons v. Odgen, the Supreme Court loosely defined the term commerce as used in the Constitution, which had the effect of
expanding the power of the national government.
The authors of the the Constitution
expected that it would need to be amended over the years.
According to Locke, the people have the right to rebel if the government
fails to protect their natural rights.
True or false: In a confederation, each state expressly delegates its sovereign authority to a central governing body.
false
According to Article VI of the Constitution, which layer of government prevails whenever two or more layers pass conflicting laws?
federal
The Bill of Rights initially applied only to which level of government?
federal
The Constitution enumerates powers for which level of government?
federal
Which of the following levels of government does the Bill of Rights apply to today?
federal state
In what system do the people create both the sovereign central government and the sovereign regional governments?
federal system
Which system of government makes use of the innovation of dual sovereignty?
federal system
Indian reservations are considered sovereign foreign nations but are subject to ______ laws and treaties.
federal-level
The Articles of Confederation was a constitution written
for a national government.
The basic components of a constitution are the system's
foundational structures. essential operating procedures. mission.
What liberty protected by the Constitution illustrates the intimate relationship between individual and community life favored by the Constitution's framers?
freedom of assembly
Which of the following are central to the democratic process?
freedom to speak openly about politics freedom to speak openly about the government
The Great Compromise
gave the House population-based representation. gave each state equal representation in the Senate. called for a bicameral legislature. was also called the Connecticut Compromise.
The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution
gives every man the right to vote, regardless of color.
Dual sovereignty is a system of government in which
governing authority is divided between two levels of government.
The rule that exempted individuals from conditions on voting if they or their ancestors had been eligible to vote before 1870 is called the
grandfather clause.
Compared to cooperative federalism, centralized federalism was characterized by
greater national government control.
The Articles of Confederation laid out that every state
had one vote in Congress.
State-funded programs, based on the Supreme Court decision in Lemon v. Kurtzman, are unable to withstand scrutiny under the establishment clause if the program
has a significant effect on advancing a religion.
The new constitution limited the ideals of representative democracy by
having U.S. senators elected by state legislatures. limiting the right to vote to a minority of citizens. having the president elected by the Electoral College.
The Constitution originally limited representative democracy by
having the Electoral College elect the president. having the members of the Senate elected by state legislatures
What two events inspired many northerners to begin to actively challenge slavery?
he publishing of Uncle Tom's Cabin the trial and execution of John Brown over the incident in Harpers Ferry
Interstate compacts are an example of which form of federalism?
horizontal
In the late 20th century, the main focus of gender-equity activism was on
how the law could prevent or punish private behavior that harmed women based on their gender.
The "Three-Fifths Compromise" was the result of negotiations between northern and southern states over
how to count slaves for purposes of representation.
With what aspects of its decisions on obscene speech does the Supreme Court have the most difficulty?
how to define the meaning of obscene
The sharing of contrasting, even radical or loathsome, information is known as the marketplace of
ideas
Most African Americans today are the descendants of Africans who were forcibly brought to the New World beginning in 1619, when twenty Africans arrived in Jamestown as chattel slaves and ______ servants, workers with a fixed term of service.
indentured
Which of the following best describes the tensions stemming from debate over the Second Amendment?
individual liberty versus community safety
Which of the following best describes the cause of recent political divisions in the United States?
individuals' differing concepts of American core values
The U.S. Constitution emphasizes the rights of
individuals.
Characteristics such as race, religion, national origin, or sex, which are protected by government assurances of civil rights, are called
inherent characteristics.
Most of the new state constitutions explicitly stated that power
is derived from the people.
Compared to categorical grants, the use of block grants
is less narrowly defined, which means that the recipients enjoy greater discretion.
The Preamble to the Constitution:
is meant to lay out important principles of the government.
The language of the Constitution
is vague and ambiguous and can lead to political battles.
In what ways has modern liberalism diverged from its classical roots?
its belief in a more active role for government its desire to regulate the free market economy
De _________ segregation refers to legally mandated segregation of the races, whereas, de ________segregation refers to segregation in employment, housing, and education.
jure and facto
A main point of contention between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and an eventual stumbling block for ratification, was the Constitution's
lack of a bill of rights.
The function of the Preamble of the Constitution is to
lay out the mission of the government.
Which of the following are needed to limit the government's use of social media in investigations?
legislation to determine when and if a social media organization may deny warrantless requests legislation that mandates the public disclosure of the scope of the government inquiries
The prevailing view of the time the state constitutions were drafted was that the ______ offered the best prospects for representative government that would ensure popular sovereignty and the protection of natural rights.
legislature
If you want social, political, and economic change to produce equality within our society, you have a ______ ideology.
liberal
Which political ideology calls for government action to promote opportunity by narrowing income inequality?
liberalism
To the framers, ______ was the central principle that guided the creation of a new democratic republic.
liberty
John Locke believed that individuals have unalienable rights to which of the following?
life property liberty
The role of the Bill of Rights is to ______ government power.
limit
Based on their experiences with the British, what types of government action did the framers of the Constitution seek to protect citizens against?
limitations on speech confiscation of property censorship
Which of the following voting requirements was declared illegal by the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
literacy requirements
In the post-Reconstruction South, what tactics were used to prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote?
literacy tests that were designed to be more difficult for African Americans whites-only primaries to select party nominees poll taxes, or fees, required for voting
What is a core ideology of conservatives?
maintaining the status quo and preserving traditional society
Which of the following are powers that are delegated to the president under Article II of the Constitution?
making treaties with advice and consent of the Senate appointing ambassadors with advice and consent of the Senate responsibility to ensure proper implementation of national laws
The concept based on the belief that authentic discourse depends on free and unrestrained discussion of different points of view is known as the ______ of ideas.
marketplace
total incorporation matches
matches Choice, the theory that the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause requires states to uphold freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights the theory that the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause requires states to uphold freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights
When did most of the momentous victories made by civil rights activists finally begin?
mid-20th century
The basic components of a constitution are the system's
mission. essential operating procedures. foundational structures.
The police powers of states include the power to protect all the following except
national borders.
Which public good or service requires governments to protect sovereign territory?
national defense
Initially, the areas of consensus at the Constitutional Convention led to constitutional features such as
national supremacy. dual sovereignty. separation of powers.
The point of view that human behaviors are a result of human nature and can be universally observed is best described as
natural law.
Time, place, and manner restrictions on public assembly are to be applied in a content-______ manner.
neutral
African American civil rights victories were the result of which of the following?
new national media covering the struggle the movement's strong leadership effective strategies used by activists
Libel and slander receive ______ protection under the First Amendment.
no
In both Near v. Minnesota (1931) and New York Times v. U.S. (1971), the Supreme Court ruled that the government could
not restrict the publication of a specific news story.
Indecent or offensive speech or expression that is not protected under the First Amendment is known as
obscenity.
Five states sent delegates to Annapolis, Maryland, to "remedy defects of the Federal Government" in part because
of the trade and commerce problems of the United States.
Homer Plessy was ______ African American.
one-eighth
Those who ______ increased gun control believe that the Second Amendment gives individual citizens the right to bear arms free from excessive control.
oppose
n 1971, using the Blank scrutiny test established in the 1873 Bradwell case, the Court ruled that discriminatory treatment of women was unconstitutional.
ordinary
The initial goal of the NAACP in the modern era of civil rights was to
overrule the separate but equal doctrine.
Using the Lemon test, the Court ruled that the Ohio program that gave vouchers to parents to offset the costs of parochial schooling
passed the test, as the purpose of the program was secular rather than religious; the primary beneficiaries were the students.
U.S. citizens typically owe which legally required duty or burden to every governing layer?
paying taxes
What has been at the heart of many civil rights struggles for equality in America?
people disagreeing strongly about what "equal treatment" requires
Our collective beliefs and attitudes about government and the political process are called
political culture.
What type of speech is unlikely to be limited or prohibited?
political speech
tax was a fee levied for voting that often presented an insurmountable obstacle to poor African Americans in the Jim Crow South.
poll
Which of the following is best described as "power of the people, by the people"?
popular sovereignty
Which of the following beliefs is characteristic of conservatism?
preservation of tradition desire for limited government belief in state action over federal policy
In the case of Near v. Minnesota, the Supreme Court established a rule against censorship known as
prior restraint.
The right of an individual to be left alone without any interference from others is known as the right to
privacy.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited
private businesses and organizations from discriminating in hiring decisions based on inherent characteristics.
Who or what owns the means of production in a capitalist economic system?
private owners
A bill of rights for the new constitution was
promised after ratification.
As submitted to the states for ratification, the Constitution
protected the rights of only property-owning white men.
Which of the following are constitutionally enumerated obligations of the federal government to the states?
protecting states from foreign invasion and domestic violence guaranteeing a republican form of government prohibiting the national government from changing state boundaries without consent of the states concerned
Which of the following best describes what government does?
protects citizens, preserves order, enforces laws, and provides services
The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments
provide citizens with guaranteed procedures throughout the criminal justice system.
Government-provided services that are available to everyone, such as clean air and highways, are called _____________ Good.
public
Which of the following scenarios would most likely qualify as libel or slander?
publicly made defamatory statements with fault
Identify the characteristics that are considered inherent.
race sex religion national origin
Which of the following activities is not an example of concurrent authority?
raising a military and defending citizens
Which of the following are powers delegated to the states under the Constitution?
ratifying constitutional amendments conducting local, state, and national elections
The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement that stressed which three of the following?
reason scientific endeavor individuality
Which of the following was among the top points of contention at the Constitutional Convention?
representation in the national government
A representative democracy, or _________, Correct Unavailable, is a type of government that derives its authority from the people and in which citizens elect government officials to represent them in the processes by which laws are made. (Remember to type only one word in the blank.)
republic
Like the United States, most modern democracies are best described as
republics.
The United States and most other modern democracies are considered
republics.
Which of the following is an example of a "reasonable requirement" imposed on new residents by states?
requiring new residents to wait thirty days before they can register to vote
According to Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, laws that restrict corporations from spending money to influence political campaigns are
restraints on the freedom of speech.
Citizens who support gun control laws claim that are seeking a ______ society.
safer
Which of the following make it more difficult for the Black Lives Matter movement to achieve their goals?
seeking broad social changes rather than change to a specific law or policy a lack of an institutionalized structure
In the post-Reconstruction South, the federal government
seemed to abandon African Americans and the quest for equality under the law.
Which of the following approaches to incorporation would consider each Bill of Rights protection individually, on a case-by-case basis?
selective incorporation
Which term refers to the arrangement created by the U.S. Constitution that divided authority among three distinct branches?
separation of powers
The Articles of Confederation
served as the first constitution of the United States of America.
The primary focus of the #MeToo movement is
sexual violence and coercion.
The Black Lives Matter movement
should be viewed in the context of American history.
Before the War for Independence, Great Britain often took measures to ______ the press.
silence
Which of the following were strategies of civil disobedience used by civil rights groups?
sit-ins mass marches
An agreement between people and their leaders whereby the people give up some liberties so that their other liberties will be protected is referred to as a ______ contract.
social
Which theory formed the theoretical basis for the Declaration of Independence?
social contract theory
The ideology that stresses economic equality, theoretically achieved by having businesses and factories owned by the government or workers, is
socialism.
The territory over which governments have the ultimate governing authority is known as their
sovereign territory.
The Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence and other groups
spread calls for rebellion among the colonists.
Which of the following refers to the legal right to bring lawsuits in court?
standing to sue
The Tenth Amendment helped to quell Anti-Federalist fears relating to
state power.
Intergovernmental relations involves which stages of the policy process?
statement development, financing, and implementation stages
Authoritarian governments have
strong but not absolute powers.
The ______ clause states that the Constitution and its treaties and laws created by the national government are the supreme law of the land.
supremacy
Picketing, flag burning, or wearing an armband are all examples of
symbolic speech.
A report by the Department of Justice in the killing of Michael Brown found
systematic oppression of Black citizenry by the police.
The powers granted by the British Crown to the American colonies did not include
taxation. trade policies.
The national courts have established ______ that the government uses to determine when unequal protection under the law is legal.
tests
What experience influenced the framers to include protections for civil liberties in the Constitution?
the British government's oppressive actions against American colonists
The foundation of the legal structure in the United States is
the Constitution.
Which of the following constitutional amendments establish formal rules for conducting a trial?
the Fifth Amendment the Sixth Amendment
The use of grants-in-aid by the national government to share revenues and promote national interests did not become common until
the Great Depression.
Which domestic program effectively created cooperative federalism?
the New Deal
Which of these protests laid the philosophical groundwork for American democracy? (Select all that apply.)
the Reformation the Enlightenment
Which amendment ensures the right to legal counsel?
the Sixth Amendment
When Constitutional language is vague and ambiguous, who determines its meaning?
the Supreme Court
Crafting the Constitution required a number of compromises, including
the Three-Fifths Compromise that addressed slave representation. the creation of the Electoral College. the Connecticut Compromise, which created the bicameral legislative structure.
The law that was passed by Congress in the aftermath of the violent murders of activists in Mississippi, intending to eliminate discriminatory local and state government registration and voting practices, was called
the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Which of the following civilizations first developed the concept of a democracy?
the ancient Greeks
Based on the Court decision in Miller v. California, who is considered vital in determining what is obscene?
the average person
Which of the following did the Court consider when making its decision in Gideon v. Wainwright?
the community's view of fundamental fairness
The political theory that held that monarchs owed their positions to a higher power and not to the will of the people was called
the divine right of kings.
The necessary and proper clause in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution extends
the enumerated federal powers.
The U.S. Constitution defines or recognizes powers associated with which of the following levels of government?
the federal and state levels
In the 1833 case Barron v. Baltimore, the Supreme Court determined that the Fifth Amendment applied to
the federal government only.
In addition to the freedoms of speech and assembly, what other freedom does the First Amendment protect?
the freedom of religion
In Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court established that
the government must provide lawyers to individuals who cannot afford their own attorney.
Who or what owns the means of production in a socialist economy?
the government or working class
What issue is currently at the forefront of public discourse about privacy?
the government's right to use social media in investigations
The roots of modern liberalism reach back to
the ideals of classical liberalism.
What prompted five states to send delegates to Annapolis, Maryland, in 1786 to discuss the "defects" of the federal government under the Articles of Confederation?
the inability of Congress to pay the costs of governing violent rebellions threatening peace and security in the states
What two major weaknesses of the confederal system were highlighted by Shays Rebellion?
the inability of the national government to defend against domestic uprisings the barriers to the development of national economic policies
The test a court uses to determine whether unequal treatment is illegal depends on
the inherent characteristic that is the basis of the differential treatment.
On which of the following issues were delegates able to overcome conflict and reach a compromise during the Constitutional Convention?
the large state-small state conflict over congressional representation how to count slaves for the purposes of representation
Concurrent powers are powers that
the national and state government exercise at the same time. the national and state governments exercise independently.
Fiscal federalism is the relationship between the national government and state and local governments whereby
the national government provides grant money to state and local governments.
Which of the following elements of the government was the Bill of Rights intended to limit?
the national legislative branch the national executive branch the national judicial branch
Congress receives implied powers through which clause of the Constitution?
the necessary and proper clause
Which of the following are among the enumerated powers granted to the national government by the Constitution?
the power to declare war the power to coin money the power to raise an army
selective incorporation
the process by which the Supreme Court gradually applied freedoms that served some fundamental principle of liberty to the states
The Montgomery bus boycott was considered a success because
the protests garnered national media attention and public sympathy. the Supreme Court ruled that segregated buses were unconstitutional.
Which of the following are considered Sixth Amendment protections?
the right to counsel the right to a speedy and public trial the right to a trial by jury
What is a key difference between modern liberals and conservatives?
the role of government regulation of economic and social issues
Which of the following most differentiates the various political ideologies in the United States?
the role of the government in people's everyday lives
A constitution presents
the structures and procedures by which the government operates.
Which of the following are events that eroded feelings of white goodwill toward the civil rights movement?
the urban riots in Watts the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis, Tennessee
Without a bill of rights, Anti-Federalists feared that the national government would
threaten state sovereignty and individual liberties.
In what way is the Bill of Rights applied to the states?
through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
What was the purpose of the ADA Restoration Act of 2008?
to broaden the definition of impairments that are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act
What was the most important task of the first Congress in 1789?
to draft a bill of rights
Why did the British Parliament resort to taxing the colonists?
to help pay the costs of waging various wars
Why did critics of the new constitution want a list of protected individual rights to be included in the document?
to protect individual rights by restraining the power of the new national government
Why do governments create laws and enforcement agencies?
to restrict or ban certain behaviors
The Articles of Confederation gave the most power
to the individual states.
Conservatism emphasizes
tradition and reliance on family and community.
When first written, the Constitution
treated people of African descent as property.
True or false: The new state constitutions instituted governments created by and for the people.
true
The British government tried to defray the cost of the Seven Years' War by
turning to the colonies for increased revenues.
Dual sovereignty is a system of government in which
two distinct levels of government exist, each having ultimate authority on some issues.
The Articles of Confederation featured a one-house legislature. Another name for this is a ______ legislature.
unicameral
Great Britain has which type of governing system?
unitary
In which system does all the power reside in the central government?
unitary
Which governing system allows the central government to alter or abolish subgovernments?
unitary only
When it comes to Supreme Court decisions on the right to privacy, rulings are
usually linked to some other explicitly established constitutional right.
The language of the Constitution is
vague, which continues to spark disputes over what the constitutional powers of the national government are versus the powers of state governments.
States and localities can pass laws as long as such laws do not
violate the U.S. Constitution.
According to the Constitution, a reasonable search is one where the police have obtained a(n)
warrant
For the Federalists, the Bill of Rights
was a political necessity for ratifying the Constitution.
Amending the Constitution
was intentionally made to be difficult.
The national government under the Articles of Confederation
was much weaker than the state governments.
The Bill of Rights
was not necessary, according to Hamilton.
At the Constitutional Convention, the southern states wanted a
weak central government, in order to keep slavery.
For which of the following did Congress switch to a block grant approach during reform efforts in 1996?
welfare
One way to classify governmental types is to consider
who participates in government or chooses those who govern.
The Sixteenth Amendment granted Congress the authority to collect income taxes
without apportioning those taxes among the states on the basis of population.
How did the Republicans with a radical view toward Reconstruction differ from their more moderate colleagues?
They believed that those southerners who had supported the Confederacy should be kept out of national and state politics.
How did the state constitutions put limits on government power to prevent the infringement of individuals' natural rights?
They included a bill of rights.
Under the Articles of Confederation, which of the following are true about state governments? (Select all that apply.)
They remained sovereign. They were more powerful than the national government.
Why didn't the Federalists think that a bill of rights was necessary?
They saw the Constitution's delegation of national power and protections against an abusive government as a bill of rights itself.
How do counter-protests like "All Lives Matter" or "Blue Lives Matter" misunderstand the Black Lives Matter movement?
They see it as merely a challenge to law enforcement.
With his radical views of governance, who was the principal writer of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
The northern-southern conflict over slave representation resulted in which compromise?
Three-Fifths
Because of selective incorporation, which of the following statements about the Bill of Rights is true?
Today, most Bill of Rights protections apply to the states.
True or false: Central to the democratic process is the freedom to speak critically about government and politics.
True
True or false: Every state allows for some form of concealed-carry protection, which allows citizens to have weapons on them or in close proximity.
True
True or false: Many modern conservative ideals are more consistent with classical liberalism than are the ideals of modern liberalism.
True
True or false: The American gun debate stems from a disagreement about how to interpret the language of the Second Amendment.
True
True or false: Because most inhabitants of the United States could not vote under state laws, representative government was very limited under the Constitution as ratified in 1787.
True Reason: State laws relating to suffrage placed tremendous limits on representative democracy.
True or false: One weakness of the Articles of Confederation is that it hindered the development of a mass national conscience.
True Reason: Under the Articles of Confederation, citizens' allegiance was to their own states and no mass national conscience developed.
True or false: Following the passage and enforcement of voting laws in the South, record numbers of African Americans have won election to office.
True Reason: All states, especially those in the South, have seen an enormous increase in the number of African Americans elected to serve in offices at the state, county, and local levels.
True or false: The American gun debate stems from a disagreement about how to interpret the language of the Second Amendment.
True Reason: Americans disagree about how to interpret the Second Amendment of the Constitution.
True or false: Contentiousness over privacy cases has caused the Supreme Court to pair right to privacy cases with other rights that are well established and more widely accepted.
True Reason: Continuing civic disagreement over privacy issues may help to explain why the Court tends to fall back on rights that are well established and more widely accepted.
True or false: Mississippi has not elected an African American to state-wide office since Reconstruction.
True Reason: More African Americans serve as local elected officials in Mississippi than any other state, but an African American has not been elected to a state-wide office since Reconstruction.
True or false: The constitutional right to privacy has only relatively recently been recognized by the Supreme Court.
True Reason: One reason for the controversial debate over the right to privacy is that it has only recently been recognized by the Supreme Court. Correct Answer True Need help? Review these concept resources.Read About the Concept Feedback
True or false: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 both expanded the rights of many Americans and provided them with protections from discrimination.
True Reason: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 included provisions that mandated equality on numerous fronts.
True or false: Taking private property for public use (eminent domain) is an example of a concurrent power or authority.
True Reason: The Constitution vests each layer of government with the power to take private property for public use.
True or false: The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments protect individuals against abuses by the state and, in so doing, promote a view of justice that the community widely embraces.
True Reason: The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments ensure that those accused of violating community standards are treated fairly by the justice system.
True or false: The relationship between state and local governments in the United States follows a unitary system of government.
True Reason: The sovereign state government retains ultimate authority over all the matters it delegates to its local governments, can remove delegated powers and responsibilities, and can ultimately eliminate any local government it creates.
True or false: Situations sometimes arise in which the Constitution is not clear about where the locus of authority rests.
True Reason: There is sometimes ambiguity over the locus of authority granted by the Constitution.
Which popular book bolstered the abolitionists' efforts to actively challenge slavery in the United States?
Uncle Tom's Cabin
In classifying governments, social scientists consider which of the following? (Select all that apply.)
Who participates in governing Who selects those who govern
The consequences of the Boston Tea Party for the colonists included
a ban on almost all town meetings. the closing of Boston Harbor. the imposition of martial law.
The Virginia Plan called for
a bicameral legislature.
The U.S. Constitution and every state constitution includes which of the following?
a bill of rights
The first constitution of the United States created
a confederal system of government.
The founders of the U.S. government sought to protect the rights of the people by creating which form of government?
a constitutional democracy
Unlike modern liberalism, classical liberalism emphasized the virtues of
a free market economy.
Final say over the meaning of constitutional language rests with the
Supreme Court.
Which British policy led to the Boston Tea Party?
Tea Act
What case tested the Court's commitment to protecting symbolic speech of a highly unpopular nature by asking it to evaluate a man's conviction under state law for burning an American flag?
Texas v. Johnson
Which of the following about constitutional protections for free speech is accurate?
Some forms of speech can be limited or prohibited by the government.
At the time that the U.S. Constitution was adopted, how did some states continue to permit persons of African descent to be enslaved?
Some of the most important provisions of the new federal Constitution treated enslaved African Americans as property.
Which British policy taxed the paper that was used for most documents?
Stamp Act
Which of the reasons below describes why the authors of the Constitution did not originally include a bill of rights?
State constitutions already contained bills of rights.
Why did the Constitution enumerate fewer powers to the state governments?
State governments were expected to retain much of the authority they already enjoyed.
What did the Supreme Court rule in regard to freedom of speech in the 1925 case Gitlow v. New York?
States were required to protect freedom of speech.
What is one concern in expanding the government's authority during times of national emergency?
Such actions will limit an individual's First Amendment rights.