Government Chapter 2

A U.S. representative (member of the House) has a term of service of

2 years

Delegates to the constitutional convention decided that the Constitution would take effect for ratifying states when ____________________ of the 13 states approved it

9

Identify some of the core principles of the Declaration of Independence

All men have fundamental rights. The consent of the governed is fundamental. All men are equal.

A key concern for the group known as the ______ was that the proposed Constitution lacked a bill of rights.

Anti-Federalists

Which document served as the first constitution of the United States?

Articles of Confederation

What provisions of the Constitution serve to limit the power of the judicial branch of the federal government?

Congress can restrict the Supreme Court's appellate jurisdiction in some instances. The president can appoint federal judges with the consent of the Senate. Congress can impeach and remove judges from office.

One way to propose an amendment to the Constitution is to have

Congress pass it by at least a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate.

On what point concerning separation of powers did the framers disagree with Montesquieu?

Dividing government's authority along institutional lines would provide sufficient separation of power.

True or false: The Virginia Plan favored the states with smaller populations

False

Which series of essays did James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay write in support of the Constitution?

Federalist Papers

How did George III react to the demands put forth by the First Continental Congress?

He rejected them outright

The notion of checks and balances

Is meant to complement the concept of separation of powers

Which of the following were features of the Virginia Plan for national government?

It would include a bicameral legislature. States with the largest populations would have the most representatives.

The essay Federalist No. 10, written by ______, is considered one of the most influential writings on American government.

James Madison

Identify the events that led to creation of the U.S. Constitution

Madison and Hamilton encouraged delegates at the Annapolis Convention to meet again to revise the Articles of Confederation. The Annapolis Convention did not have enough participants to revise the Articles of Confederation. Shays' rebellion had shown the weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation.

The federal court case that established judicial review was

Marbury v. Madison.

The proposal that tended to favor the less-populated states was called the

New Jersey Plan

When the states drafted new constitutions after the start of the Revolutionary War, ______ did not have separation of powers. Its negative experience, in which the all-powerful legislature ignored basic rights and freedoms, proved the necessity of separation.

Pennsylvania

Which of the following are elements of the social contract that John Locke believed was the foundation of government?

People submit to governmental authority in return for the protection it can provide, if it respects their rights. If a government does not respect the natural rights of the people, the people can rightfully rebel against it. People are born with certain inalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and property.

The text describes one compromise as crucial to convince small states to support what became known as the Great Compromise. What was it?

Representation in the Senate would be equal for all states

What two states were steadfastly opposed to the new union created at Philadelphia?

Rhode Island and North Carolina

The Three-Fifths Compromise stated that ______ would be counted for the purposes of representation and apportionment, but only partially

Slaves

Which of the following are reasons why the Constitution begins with the words "We the People"?

The U.S. government ultimately derives its power from the people. People need to exercise control over government.

What were some of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

The national government depended on the states for its funding, and they often didn't pay their full share. The national government did not have the power to regulate commerce between the states.

Which of the following statements about Shays' Rebellion are correct?

The rebellion was led by a former captain in the American army. Shays' followers were a large group of farmers. The primary purpose of the rebellion was to prevent land foreclosures.

How did Madison view factions?

They are natural divisions, but no faction should gain full power.

Who argued that "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse or rest on inference"?

Thomas Jefferson

Who was the principal writer of the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson

The northern-southern conflict over slavery resulted in which compromise?

Three-Fifths Compromise

Natural rights are defined as those possessed by all people

True

True or false: The U.S. Constitution provides the method for choosing the country's leaders

True

Most historians assume that ______ role in the new government is what tipped the balance toward ratification of the Constitution?

Washington's

What was the central question that led to establishing judicial review?

Who was to decide whether officials were operating withing the limits of their constitutional powers?

The Great Compromise created

a bicameral legislature with a lower house based on population and an upper house based on equal representation of the states

As a result of Shays' Rebellion

a convention was called for, to meet in Annapolis

What provision had been removed from Jefferson's initial draft of the Declaration of Independence at the insistence of southern states?

a statement critical of slavery

The Boston Tea Party happened in direct response to

a tax on tea

The U.S. Constitution is rarely amended because

amending the Constitution is a difficult, two-step process.

The framers' goal of a government that would not threaten liberty was to be accomplished by

an elaborate system of checks and balances.

Goals of the First Continental Congress included

asking Britain for their own councils for the imposition of taxes. seeking an end to the British military occupation in the colonies. requesting a guarantee of trial by local juries.

The key point of Madison's Federalist No. 10 is that governments need to be structured carefully in order to ______ factions.

balance and control

Thomas Jefferson's interpretation of Locke's ideas, as found in the Declaration of Independence, was a

call for revolution.

The New Jersey Plan

called for a unicameral legislature. designated that all states would have an equal vote in the legislature

The principle of ___________ and ____________ is designed to prevent a branch of the government from exceeding its constitutional powers.

checks balances

A dilemma that confronted the framers is that the threat to liberty is inherent in government because of its ______ power.

coercive

From the beginning of the Philadelphia convention, prominent delegates were determined to

create a stronger central government

A constitution's main purpose is to

define the way that the system of government will legitimately operate

Powers specifically prohibited from belonging to the state and national governments in the Constitution are known as

denials of power.

The goal of the First Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia in 1774, was to

develop policy requirements for an improved relationship with Britain.

The mechanism by which political authority is divided between national government and the states is

federalism

Under the Articles of Confederation, the states

had more power than the national government

What tax policies did the South fear as the negotiations began that eventually resulted in the Three-Fifths Compromise?

heavy taxes on manufactured goods imported from Europe heavy taxes on agricultural goods exported from the U.S. a tax of any kind on the importation of slaves

Madison, Hamilton, and Jay wrote The Federalist Papers

in support of the Constitution.

The president's ability to veto a bill

is a check on Congress

The power of the federal judiciary to determine the constitutionality of the actions of the other two branches of government and to declare their actions null and void is called

judicial review.

Which of the following were actions of the British government after the French and Indian War (1754-1763) that colonists found objectionable?

levying a tax on newspapers taxation without representation

The principle that individuals should be free to act and think as they choose, provided they do not infringe unreasonably on the freedom and well-being of others, is known as

liberty

A government that is subject to strict legal limits on the uses of power so as not to threaten the people's liberty is a

limited government

The Bill of Rights

limited the power of the national government.

Another term for "inalienable rights" is ______ rights

natural

As defined by the framers, who or what limits the majority's power in a democracy?

nothing and no one

Historical evidence suggests that a majority of ordinary Americans ______ ratification of the Constitution.

opposed

One goal of the framers of the Constitution was to

preserve the states as governing entities.

Goals of the framers of the Constitution included

preserving the states as governing entities. dividing power between the national government and the states. creating a national government that could meet the nation's defense needs.

In the framers' view, a republican government

prevents tyranny of the majority. reduces the likelihood of reckless, hasty actions. adds constraints that protect the rights of individuals.

Which of the following are constitutional grants of power to the national government?

raising an army declaring war against another nation taxation

Even if passed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress, a constitutional amendment still must be _____ by three-quarters of the states.

ratified

A Government in which people govern by the selection of their representatives is called a

representative government

The Philadelphia convention was called to

revise the Articles of Confederation

The belief that the power of government can be controlled by dividing it into several branches instead of concentrating it in one area is known as

separation of powers.

The House and the Senate (which together form the Congress)

share the lawmaking function in the United States.

According to John Locke's theory called the ______, people agree to form a government in order to protect society from the actions of dangerous individuals.

social contract

Historical evidence suggests that a majority of wealthier Americans ______ ratification of the Constitution.

supported

In the debate over the U.S. Constitution, the Federalists

supported a strong national government.

According to the New Jersey Plan, what power in addition to those in the Articles of Confederation would the national government have?

taxation

Shays' Rebellion was an uprising of farmers against the government of Massachusetts over what two issues?

taxes back pay for military service

In the U.S., what is the highest law of the land?

the Constitution

At the time the Constitution was created, what was the only institution that would be based on direct popular election?

the House of Representatives

When the president makes a treaty, it must be approved by

the Senate.

legislative executive judicial

the capitol the White House the Supreme Court

Following the French and Indian War, Britain for the first time imposed what on the colonies?

the implementation of heavy taxation

The Articles of Confederation gave the most power to

the individual states

In a majority of the state conventions to ratify the Constitution (8 of 13), it was claimed that ______ would have the power to nullify actions that violated the Constitution

the judiciary

Anti-Federalists believed that

the national government was going to have excessive power under the Constitution.

Who or what has the power to pardon persons convicted in the courts?

the president

Who or what is responsible for executing court decisions?

the president

Executive power is vested in

the president.

Who among the following felt threatened by Shays' Rebellion?

the wealthy

Amending the Articles of Confederation required ______ states to approve of the amendment

thirteen

Why does our Constitution contain checks and balances?

to prevent the arbitrary use of power

The framers tried to balance the need to give people a voice in their government against the need to prevent

tyranny of the majority.

Americans' personal freedom at the time the Constitution was being created is best characterized as

unparalleled

The American Revolution was partly a rebellion against Britain's failure to

uphold colonial traditions of self-government

For the Federalists, the Bill of Rights

was a political necessity to get the Constitution ratified

What was the first opportunity to determine whether or not the judiciary had the power to nullify actions that violated the Constitution?

when a dispute arose after the election of 1800

The framers of the Constitution wanted a government

where popular majorities could not disregard the rights of others. where people could be free to do as they pleased if they didn't harm others. that protected unpopular groups from mob rule and violence.