Chapter 2: The Constitution and the Founding (Inquizitive)

Most proposed constitutional amendments pass.

- False

The Federalists reluctantly agreed to the creation of a Bill of Rights as a compromise to help the new Constitution become ratified.

- True

The Constitution uses _____ to ensure that each of the three branches has a different responsibility, whereas _____ make sure that each of the branches has a way of preventing the other branches from becoming too powerful.

- separation of powers - checks and balances

The Bill of Rights make up the first _____ amendments in the Constitution.

10

How many of the original 13 states were required to ratify the Constitution in order for it to go into effect?

9

How did the Constitution differ from the Articles of Confederation? Label the following powers of government as elements of the Constitution or the Articles of Confederation.

Constitution - only the national gov can coin money - included provisions for an executive office - bicameral legislature Articles of Confederation - no federal courts - levying of taxes left to the states

Watch the animation, and then choose all of the following that are actual checks in the U.S. government system.

Correct Ans: - Congress can override a presidential veto. - The judicial branch can rule congressional and executive actions unconstitutional. Incorrect Ans: - The president can check the power of the judiciary by removing judges from office for failure to perform their duty.

Which of the following are examples of enumerated powers?

Correct Ans: - Congress having the ability to coin money - the president's role as commander in chief Incorrect Ans: - Congress having the ability to regulate air pollution emissions - the president's removal of a cabinet official

Which of the following were tensions at the Constitutional Convention of 1787?

Correct Ans: - large states versus small states - slave states versus nonslave states - national power versus state power Incorrect Ans: - amending the Articles of Confederation versus - replacing them completely - city power versus state power

What characteristics have allowed the Constitution to remain relevant?

Correct Ans: - the Constitution's use of ambiguous and flexible language - changing social norms that have shaped our interpretation of the Constitution - the ability to add formal amendments to the Constitution - the evolving definition of implied powers

The United States has a parliamentary system.

False

Which branch has the power of the purse?

Legislative

Match the type of power with the correct example of its use.

Shared - the Senate confirming the president's nominee for the Supreme Court Negative - the president vetoing a spending bill Exclusive - Congress revising income tax rates

What was one way the Federalists cultivated support for the Constitution?

They published the Federalist Papers

The veto is the president's most important check over the legislature.

True

Match each plan for representation proposed at the Constitutional Convention with its correct features.

Virginia Plan - proposed representation based on population - resulted in creation of the House of Representatives New Jersey Plan - proposed equal representation for each state - resulted in creation of the Senate

Thomas Paine's Common Sense advocated which of the following?

republicanism

The ____ demanded protections for individual liberties in the Constitution; thus, the ____ became the first set of amendments added to the document after ratification.

- Antifederalists - Bill of Rights

Place the following events in correct chronological order.

- Britain imposes the Tea Act on the colonists - The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence - Shay's Rebellion takes place - The Constitutional Convention begins

The necessary and proper clause allows ___ to enact laws related to its ___ powers.

- Congress - enumerated

What is the method the United States uses to select its president?

Electoral College

Imagine Congress wants to pass a new bill providing free college tuition for all American citizens, although the president opposes the measure and the courts have struck down similar laws in the past. Place the following events in the order in which they would take place.

- Congress passes the bill - The president vetoes the bill - Congress overrides a presidential veto of the law - The Supreme Court finds the law unconstitutional

During the Constitutional deliberations, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote 85 articles to sway public opinion. Collectively, these 85 articles are known as what?

- Federalist Papers

What is the formal title for Congress's power to remove a president, vice president, or other "officer of the United States" from office for abuses of power?

- Impeachment

What is the term for powers that are supported by the Constitution but not specifically stated in it?

- Implied

Congress has the right to declare war, but the president is the commander in chief of the military. This is a classic example of which kind of power?

- Shared

During the colonial era, the ______ was predominantly agricultural while the ______ had an economy based on manufacturing, fishing, trading, and small farms.

- South - North

The ______ is the part of the federal government that is ultimately responsible for deciding whether an action is constitutional. It draws this authority from the power of _____.

- Supreme Court - judicial review

In the eyes of the Founders, what was the primary limitation of the Articles of Confederation?

- The Articles created a national government that was too limited in power.

Which of the following is the best example of pluralism?

- There are thousands of business and consumer interest groups lobbying on issues related to eco policy, so no one group is always going to win.

The _____ Plan pushed for representation based on population, whereas the ______ Plan called for equal representation for all states. The Great Compromise, proposed by _______, split the difference between the two and saved the Constitutional Convention from dissolving.

- Virginia - New Jersey - Connecticut

James Madison argued that a strong national government provided by the Constitution would solve which tension?

- majority rule versus minority rights

Making laws can be complex. The inspiration for a new law can come from many places, including from constituents, interest groups, the president or Congress itself. Then Congress must pass the law. At that point the president might veto the law and, if he or she does, Congress has the ability to overturn the veto. Regardless of how it happens, once a law is passed and signed, the bureaucracy has to implement it. It is possible there will be a legal challenge to the law, and the Supreme Court will have to rule on whether it is constitutional. That lengthy process explains why there often seems to be a bias towards inaction in the American political system.

- might veto the law - overturn the veto - rule on whether it is constitutional

What is the name for the type of government in which a single person comes to power through inheritance rather than election?

- monarchy

The Federalists _____ a strong national government and felt that the Bill of Rights was _____ to protect civil liberties.

- preferred - unnecessary

Select the arrow in the image below that represents the pathway that has been used most frequently to amend the Constitution. Nuts & Bolts 2.3 Amending the Constitution

By at least three-fourths of the state legislatures

Match each constitutional clause to the example of its use.

Commerce clause - In modern times, this clause has allowed Congress to write legislation in policy areas it traditionally had not been able to address. Executive powers clause - Many presidents use this clause to justify expanding presidential power. Supremacy clause - This clause has been used to justify the expansion of federal government powers at the expense of state powers.

Label the following clauses of the Constitution with the branch of government they most directly impact.

Congress - necessary and proper clause - commerce clause The president - executive powers clause

Based on the figure, why might the Great Compromise have been suggested by Connecticut?

Connecticut's population left it sympathetic to the arguments of both the large and small states

Which of the following ideas are found in the Declaration of Independence?

Correct Ans: - People have certain rights that government cannot take away. - Government gains its legitimacy through the consent of the governed. Incorrect Ans: - The Articles of Confederation protected the rights of the people. - Monarchy is a legitimate form of government.

Which of the following statements about the war powers are correct?

Correct Ans: - The president has more influence over war powers than Congress. - Congress has attempted to increase its influence in war powers since the Vietnam War. Incorrect Ans: - Presidents have only recently expanded their war powers. - Congress has declared war each time the president authorizes the use of American troops.

What rationale did the Federalists offer in their initial arguments that a Bill of Rights was unnecessary?

Correct Ans: - There would be too many rights to try to list them all. - The national government lacked the power to threaten people's liberties. - State constitutions already protected such rights. Incorrect Ans: - The Supreme Court would protect rights without a Bill of Rights.

What methods for amending the Constitution are provided in Article V?

Correct Ans: - passage in the House and Senate, followed by ratification by three-fourths of the states - passage in a national convention, followed by ratification by conventions in three-fourths of the states Incorrect Ans: - proposal by the Supreme Court, followed by ratification by a national convention - proposal by the president, followed by a two-thirds majority vote in the Congress

Choose all of the following that are examples of natural rights present in the Declaration of Independence.

Correct Ans: - the pursuit of Happiness - life - liberty Incorrect Ans: - property

What were the Antifederalists' concerns about the new Constitution?

Correct Ans: - the role of the president - the lack of civil liberties guarantees - the expansion of national government power Incorrect Ans: - the creation of a Supreme Court

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention disagreed on many things. How did they resolve these issues? Match the compromise or agreement with the tension it helped resolve at the Constitutional Convention?

Electoral College - legislative versus executive power Three-Fifths Compromise - slave states versus nonslave states Supremacy clause - national versus state power Great Compromise - small states versus large states

Congress has been unable to halt presidential plans in the War on Terror.

False

The Articles of Confederation created a government well-suited to dealing with foreign affairs.

False

The legislative branch has played the most important role in interpreting how the meaning of the Constitution has changed over time.

False

Label each of the following examples as implied or enumerated powers.

Implied - the Supreme Court exercising judicial review - Congress creating a new law restricting firearm sales Enumerated - the president nominating a Supreme Court justice - Congress raising an army

The system shown in the How It Works in Theory diagram is most consistent with the views of which historical figure?

James Madison

Match each of the following political thinkers to the idea for government they are best known for.

John Locke - Government's legitimacy comes from the consent of the governed. Baron de Montesquieu - Functions of government should be spread across branches. Thomas Hobbes - Government is necessary to prevent anarchy.

Which branch of government received the least attention in the Constitution, gaining its most important check only in the 1800s?

Judicial

Which part of the Constitution lets national laws take precedence over state laws if the two are in conflict?

National Supremacy Clause

The Danish government is viewed as legitimate by its citizens because its leaders are regularly elected and therefore are regularly held responsible for the decisions they enact. This is an example of what concept?

Popular sovereignty

Because of the colonists' experiences under the King of England, the Articles of Confederation ____ the power of the national government.

limited

When Congress objects to the conduct of an executive agency and cuts its budget, what kind of checking power is Congress using?

power of the purse