Chapter 2, government
The Virginia plan called for
A bicameral legislature
How was the constitution ratified?
By ratification boats in special conventions in each state
Most of the new state constitutions explicitly stated that power
Is derived from the people
Under the constitution, eligibility to vote was
Left to the states
the following were actions taken at the first continental Congress
The creation of a plan to create a parliament for the colonies, scheduling a second meeting, and adoption and delivery to King George III of the declaration of rights and grievances
Without a bill of rights, anti-federalists feared that the national government would
Threaten state sovereignty an individual liberties
The northern - southern conflict over slave representation resulted in which compromise?
Three - fifths
The senates power to approve or reject the presidents appointments is called blank and consent
Advice
What part of the Virginia plan made small states on comfortable?
The legislative chambers were selected by proportional representation.
The branches of the federal government include
The legislative, the judicial, and the executive
The delegates to the convention in Philadelphia
Did not reflect the majority of the population
the following were part of the coercive, or intolerable, acts
Disbanding the colonial assembly in Massachusetts, Banning town meetings in Massachusetts, and closing Boston's port
Early in the convention consensus developed on the need for [blank] sovereignty to address the weaknesses in the articles of confederation
Dual
The relationship between the colonists and the British authorities in the early days of the American colonies was
Early British colonist relations were relatively cooperative
Quartering Act
Forced colonists to supply British soldiers with food and shelter
the following were among the accomplishments of the second continental Congress
Gave George Washington command of the Continental Army and drafted a formal Declaration of Independence
The new constitution limited the ideals of representative democracy by
Having the president elected by the electoral college, having the US senators elected by state legislators, and limiting the right to vote to a minority of citizens.
A legislature that is comprised of two parts or chambers is called a [blank] legislature
Bicameral
Sugar Act
Increased taxes on imported goods and directed that all taxes be remitted to Britain
A confederation is a union in which
Each state retains its own ultimate power while the central government remains weak
The articles of confederation was the constitution written
For a national government
Under the separation of powers, the legislative branch has the authority to
Formulate policy
The preamble to the constitution states that the document receives its power from what source?
The people
What was the most important task of the first Congress in 1789
To draft a bill of rights
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
True or false: the new state constitutions instituted governments created by and for the people
True and this is one of the many reasons that the new state constitutions were so revolutionary
True or false: nowhere in the Constitution that was drafted at the convention where the powers and responsibilities of the states listed.
True: the constitution's first three articles list of the powers and the responsibilities of the national government, but nowhere in the document was there a listing of the powers and responsibilities of the states.
Because of the fear that more populous states might dominate the legislature, the New Jersey plan proposed a
Unicameral legislature with equal state representation.
Do you allow later generations to interpret its meaning, the language of the constitution is often
Vague and ambiguous
The president can stop Congress from passing bills by using the
Veto power
The US Constitution is rarely amended because
amending the Constitution is a difficult, two-step process
Crafting the constitution required number of compromises, including
The creation of the electoral college, the Connecticut compromise which created a bicameral legislative structure, and the 3/5 compromise that addressed slave representation
The following statements about the procedure for amending the articles of confederation is accurate:
Amendment required a unanimous agreement of all 13 state delegations
The Connecticut compromise
Called for a bicameral legislature.
In order to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Congress must pass it by at least a 2/3 majority of both chambers or 2/3 of state legislatures must request a special constitutional convention
What was the original purpose of the meeting for the first Continental Congress in 1774
Developing a list of grievances to present to the king
In response to the Federalist papers, the anti-federalist wrote speeches, letters, and essays that were intended to remind citizens that the new constitution
Did not fully guarantee civil liberties and gave too much power to the central government
Article 4 of the constitution
Establishes a way for Congress to add new states to the union, describes how states must respect the rights and liberties of citizens of all states, and prohibits Congress from changing the border of any state without consent of the affected states
Appointment of judges
Executive check on judiciary
True or false: all 13 states were required to approve the constitution before it could be ratified.
False: fearful of the constitution would not gain approval of all 13 states, the framers included in the proposed constitution that ratification only require the approval of nine states.
True or false: the Virginia plan favor the states with smaller populations.
False: it favored states with larger populations.
Stamp Act
Instituted a new tax on all paper goods
One of the missions of the executive branch is to
Keep congressional legislative authority in check
Another term for republic is
Representative democracy
The 10th amendment help to quell anti-federalist fears relating to
State power
The consequences of the Boston tea party for the colonists included
The closing of Boston harbor, A ban on almost all town meetings, and The imposition of martial law
Ratifying treaties and confirming federal judges is a duty reserve to
The senate
Under the articles of Confederation, state governments
Were more powerful than the national government and remained sovereign
How did the two chambers of Congress act as a check on each other?
A bill must pass both chambers before being sent to the president for approval
Pursuant to the constitution, how is representation based on population in the house of representatives insured?
A census every 10 years
And each chamber of Congress, the US Constitution states that it takes [blank] to pass a bill
A simple majority which is 50% plus one vote
According to article 6 of the laws and treaties that are made by the US government in compliance with the constitution
Are the supreme law of the land
To ensure that the separation of powers worked, the founders created a structure called, [blank], which empowers the branches to limit the authority of the other branches
Checks and balances
A [blank] either written or unwritten presents the fundamental principles of government and establishes the basic structures and procedures by which the government operates
Constitution
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
Written constitutions usually begin with a
Description of the mission
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
Representation in the Senate is based on
Equal representation for each state
Veto
Executive check on legislative
Pursuant to article blank, the national government is obligated to ensure that all states a representative democracies
Four
Duel sovereignty is a system of government in which
Governing authority is divided between two levels of government
The articles of confederation laid out that every state
Had one vote in Congress
The 3/5 compromise was the result of negotiations between northern and southern states over
How to count slaves for purposes of representation however slaves were not allowed to vote.
The national government under the articles of confederation did not have authority over
Imposing taxes and raising revenue
The preamble to the constitution
Is meant to lay out important principles of the government
The following statement about the second continental Congress is accurate
It authorized the Congress to prepare for war with Britain
Veto override
Legislative check on executive
Marbury versus Madison established the
Principle of judicial review
The convention in Philadelphia was called to
Revise the articles of confederation
The following contributed to the tensions that led to the Boston massacre
The competition between British soldiers and colonist for the same jobs as well as the quartering of British soldiers and colonists homes
The concept of judicial review means that
The judicial branch determines what is, and what is not, constitutional
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, and several states had their own currency and required it's used to conduct business within their borders
With his radical views of governance who is the principal writer of the declaration of independence
Thomas Jefferson
True or false: the Constitution does not include a list of state powers, rights, or responsibilities as it does for the national government.
True: the constitution does not specifically list the power of the states.
True or false: in most cases, supreme court decisions are in step with public opinion.
True: the court does not often lead public opinion. In fact, it more often follows it.
Amending the constitution
Was intentionally made to be difficult
The national government under the articles of confederation
Was much weaker than the state governments
At the constitutional convention, the southern states wanted a
Week central government, in order to keep slavery.
Once a piece of legislation that has been approved by the house and the senate reaches the presidents desk, the president has how many days to act, or the bill will automatically become law?
10
The total number of amendments to the constitution that of been ratified is
27
By the end of 1776, [blank] Of the 13 colonies had ratified their own state constitutions
8
How many states were required to ratify the constitution before it could go into affect
9
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.
The amendments ratified since the bill of rights fall into which three of the following categories
Altering selection of officials or operation of the branches of national government, extending civil rights and liberties, and addressing policy issues.
What two ways can an amendment to the constitution be ratified
At least 3/4 of special state conventions must vote to ratify it or at least 3/4 of state legislatures must vote to ratify it
Because each state has its own economic policies under the articles of confederation
Both interstate and international commerce were hampered
The Boston massacre was the result of a conflict between
Colonists and British soldiers
The notion of checks and balances is meant to you
Complement the concept of separation of powers.
Townshend act
Confirmed parliaments power to impose taxes on the colonists
The great compromise settled a dispute over
Congressional representation
The New Jersey plan
Designated that all states should have an equal vote, called for a unicameral legislature, and reworked the articles of confederation.
The authors of the constitution
Expected that it would need to be amended over the years
True or false in a confederation each state expressly delegated it's sovereign authority to a central governing body
False in a confederation each state retains its sovereignty
State government officials are not required to uphold the Constitution of the United States
False: article 6 establishes the supremacy of the federal Constitution and the federal government
True or false: there was a disagreement among the delegates as to whether the new constitution should be considered as the supreme law of the country.
False: the delegates quickly came to the consensus that the new constitution should be established as the supreme law of the country.
Unlike the federalists, the anti-federalists
Feared a strong national government, believed that individual liberties needed more protection, and opposed ratification of the Constitution
With all colonies except Georgia sending delegates the meeting that took place in September 1774 to express grievances to the king was called the [blank] continental congress
First
The constitution originally Limited representative democracy by
Having the electoral college elect the president and having the members of the Senate elected by state legislatures
In July 1775 the second continental Congress petition to King George the third do in hostile actions against the colonists. what was his response?
He refused the petition and sent more troops to quell the growing rebellion
On what to issues to the authors of the Federalist papers focus
How individual liberties would be protected in the federal system and states rights and powers in the new federal system
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?
As colonial dissent over the Townshend Acts grew, the British
Hurt their own cause by passing more taxes on the colonies
Declaratory act
Increased parliaments ability to control the colonies
The following is true of the articles of confederation
It designed a governing alliance among the independence sovereign states
In what ways did the anti-Federalist believed that the constitution, as proposed, would threaten citizens natural rights?
It gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the state governments, it delegated too much power to the executive branch at the expense of the legislative branch, and it lacked a bill of rights to limit the vague powers of the national government.
Judicial review
Judicial check on executive and legislative
One way to Re-interpret the Constitution is through
Judicial review
The power of the federal judiciary to determine the constitutionality of actions of the other two branches is called
Judicial review
Determination of jurisdiction
Legislative check on judiciary
The prevailing view of the time the state constitutions were drafted was that the [blank] offered the best prospects for representative government that would ensure popular sovereignty and the protection of natural rights
Legislature
Which of the following actions taken by the British government during the latter part of the 18th century caused the relationship between the British and the colonists to deteriorate?
Limiting of colonists freedoms; and taxation of colonial goods such as tea and paper
Shays rebellion was an uprising of farmers against the government of
Massachusetts
Prominent anti-federalists included
Mercy Otis Warren and Thomas Jefferson
The basic components of a constitution are the systems
Mission, foundational structures, and essential operating procedures
The basic components of a constitution are the system's
Mission, foundational structures, essential operating procedures
Initially, the areas of consensus at the constitutional convention lead to constitutional features such as
National supremacy, separation of powers, and dual sovereignty
The following our core principles of the Declaration of Independence
People have the right to abolish government if the government does not protect their rights, all men are equal, and all governments must be based on consent of the people
To get the southern states to agree to the strong central government described in the Constitution, the northern states agreed to
Postpone a debate on the legality of slavery
The following was among the top points of contention at the constitutional convention
Representation in the national government
Which of the following did the federalists argue would protect the individual liberties and states rights to the anti-federalist were worried about?
Separation of powers, dual sovereignty, and checks and balances
Which British policy talks to 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 included bill of rights?
State constitutions already contained bills of rights
The following statements reflect the constitutional structure within the articles of confederation
State governments being responsible for implementation and financing of congressionally approved policies, policy and treaty ratification requiring nine affirmative votes, and State courts having jurisdiction over most legal matters except in cases of interstate conflict
The only court that is specifically outlined in article 3 is the blank court
Supreme
What to major weaknesses of the confederal system where highlighted by Shays rebellion?
The barriers to the development of national economic policies and the inability of the national government to defend against domestic uprisings
On what basis did the colonists condemn parliaments new tax laws imposed on the colonies?
The colonists had no representation in the parliament that passed the laws
What aspect of the congressional charged the delegates at the Constitutional convention in sure 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
