Ch2 Smartbook

The Constitution gave Congress the power to end the importation of new slaves in which year?

1808

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

The power to impeach and remove the president from office is held by

Congress

What provisions of the Constitution serve to limit the power of the judicial branch of the federal government? (Select all that apply.)

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

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.

The system chose by the framers to select the president is the

Electoral College

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

Federalist Papers

What was the lesson of the Articles of Confederation?

Government must be granted the amount of power that is necessary for it to carry out its responsibilities.

How did Jefferson propose to put his vision of a popular government into practice?

He had no clear idea about how to accomplish this.

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

He rejected them outright.

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

The concept of separation of powers was proposed by

Montesquieu

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

Rhode Island and North Carolina

Which of the following are reasons that the system of government of the United States is in some ways seen as more democratic than those of many European countries?

The U.S. system elects representatives to its larger legislative chamber more frequently. The U.S. system uses primary elections to select party nominees for office.

What led the British navy to blockade Boston's port during the period of the Boston Tea Party?

The city refused to pay for the destroyed tea.

What is the method of selecting nominees for state and national offices that was introduced by Progressives and adopted by most states by the early 1900s?

The common people voted for nominees in primary elections.

Which of the following statements describe the terms democracy and republic as understood by the framers of the Constitution?

The government of a republic responds to the needs of the majority while protecting the minority. The separation of powers is a characteristic of republican government. In a democracy the power of the majority is unlimited.

What had Daniel Shays' followers been promised during their Revolutionary War service?

Their land would not be confiscated for unpaid debts and back taxes.

When did North Carolina and Rhode Island ratify the Constitution?

They ratified only after the other 11 states had done so.

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

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.

Historian Charles Beard described the founding fathers who wrote our Constitution as

a group of wealthy individuals whose main goal was to keep power in the hands of the wealthy.

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.

In the framers' view, a republican government

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

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

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

back pay for military service taxes

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

balance and control

Andrew Jackson believed the public should

be more fully involved in government.

Southern delegates to the Philadelphia convention were determined to

block any attempt to end slavery.

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.

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

create a stronger central government.

Goals of the framers of the Constitution included

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

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

declaring war against another nation taxation raising an army

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

federalism

John Adams publicly stated that the Constitution was designed

for a governing elite

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

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

The Three-Fifths Compromise was the result of negotiations between northern and southern states over

how to count slaves for the purpose of taxation and representation.

Madison, Hamilton, and Jay wrote The Federalist Papers

in support of the Constitution.

The notion of checks and balances

is meant to complement the concept of separation of powers.

Marbury v. Madison (1803) established the judicial branch's power of

judicial review

In his criticism of the Constitution, historian Charles Beard noted that none of the delegates to the Philadelphia convention were

laborers or small farmers.

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

The Bill of Rights

limited the power of the national government.

Another term for "inalienable rights" is ______ rights.

natural

To pass legislative policies and ratify treaties under the Articles of Confederation, only ______ states were required to vote for it.

nine

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

opposed

Under the Constitution, Congress was prohibited until 1808 from taking which of the following actions regarding slaves?

passing laws ending the slave trade

Regular voters select their party nominees through ______ elections.

primary

According to Andrew Jackson, what requirement should not be used to determine who has the right to vote?

property

Concerning banks, Andrew Jackson sought to

reduce their power

Goals of the First Continental Congress included

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

Political scientist Richard Neustadt described the system of checks and balances set up by the framers of the Constitution as system of

separated institutions sharing power.

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.

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

supported

Which British policy was the main source of dispute for the American colonists?

taxation without representation

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

the Constitution

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

the Senate

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

the implementation of heavy taxation

The concept of judicial review means that

the judicial branch has the power to declare null and void government actions that it finds unconstitutional.

Anti-Federalists believed that

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

Executive power is vested in

the president

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

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 Articles of Confederation gave the most power

to the individual states.

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

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