Chapter 7: Founding a Nation, 1783—1791
As ratification debates went on, those for and against ratification of the Constitution (Federalists and Anti-Federalists, respectively) coalesced into distinct groups. Match each of the following characteristics to the group it best describes.
federalist: -argued that the country's large size and diversity of interests would be its strength -found support from cosmopolitan areas -represented the interests of merchants and the commercial class anti-federalist: -argued for a federal government only strong enough to do its tasks without interfering with state and local initiatives -represented the interests of the rural farmer and the "common citizen"
The concept that the United States is a melting pot where all nationalities blend together to create a unique American culture is promoted by Hector St. John de Crévecoeur in his 1782 work Letters from an American Farmer.
true
Within the electoral college, it's possible for none of the candidates to win a majority of electoral votes. If this occurs, the responsibility of electing a president falls to the __________ where they choose from the top ________ candidates, with each state casting _______________. The ___________ would then select the vice president
1. house of representatives 2. three 3. one 4. senate
The men that attended the Constitutional Convention were mostly ____________. Most of them had spent time ______________, and generally believed that for the U.S to succeed, the influence of direct democracy must be somewhat ______ by the government
1. lawyers, merchants, and planters 2. at college 3. restrained
The purpose of the essays collected in The Federalist was to _______ the ratification of the Constitution because it represented, in ______words, a "________ balance between liberty and power."
1. promote 2. Hamilton's 3. perfect
Proponents of a stronger federal government by the 1780s believed that _______ rights were foundational to the American system. They believed that too much ___________ could harm the nation by endangering ______________
1. property 2. public liberty 3. private liberty
Review the following video with author Eric Foner titled "Racial Division Between Slaves and Free Men." Afterward, choose the statement that best summarize the author's argument.
Correct: Following the Revolution, racial difference became the primary argument for the continuation of the practice of slavery.
The founders are often thought of as a unified group, but they were comprised of men of a wide variety of beliefs about what the role of government should be. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, for example, represented ends of the spectrum in regard to the strength of the federal government.
Thomas Jefferson: - a member of Virginia's landed, slaveowning elite -distrusted strong government as hostile to the ideas of liberty Alexander Hamilton: - argued for a strong central government with the power to encourage and direct commerce -came from humble origins in the West Indies, though he married into a prominent New York family
What does it [the map] reveal about the Indian population in 1795?
correct: -Although there was a designated Indian country, tribes existed throughout the United States at this time. -Conflicts between Indians and Americans took place in the Northwest Territory, along the Great Lakes.
Identify the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
correct: -Each state, regardless of size, possessed only one vote in the single legislative body. -Congress had the power to coin money but was unable to levy taxes. -Amendment of the Articles was achieved only with the unanimous consent of all of the states.
Artisans like the pewterers, represented in the image below, supported ratification of the new Constitution for which of the following reasons?
correct: -Federalists argued that adoption of the Constitution would stimulate and improve the economy. -The Constitution would protect the commerce on which sales of their crafts depended.
Despite his own personal and intimate relationship with Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson articulated a variety of claims about race in his book Notes on the State of Virginia. Identify Jefferson's beliefs below.
correct: -He believed the best solution to issues of race in America was to remove blacks from the country. -While he believed Indians and Americans would eventually merge into a single people, he did not believe in a similar merger of blacks and whites. -African-Americans were inferior to whites in intellect in a way that no democratic society could change. -He believed the bitter experience of slavery made blacks incapable of being loyal to the nation.
Which statements describe the laws mandated by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?
correct: -It prohibited slavery in the Old Northwest. -It created at least three states out of the Northwest Territory. -It pledged "the utmost good faith" would be observed toward local Indians and that their land would not be taken without consent.
Identify the aims and accomplishments of the Virginia Plan proposed by the Constitutional Convention.
correct: -It stressed the establishment of a two-house legislature. -Its proposed size and structure for Congress would bolster the power of the larger states.
The Constitution was a product of its time in that it aimed to deal with many of the questions facing early Americans. Which groups of people are specifically mentioned in the Constitution?
correct: -Native Americans -"other persons"
Identify the statements that describe the Bill of Rights.
correct: -The original federal Constitution did not include a Bill of Rights. -It states that all of the rights not given to the federal government are maintained by the states and people, to ensure the national government did not suppress the rights of citizens. -The original ten amendments protected the basic rights of citizens, including freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and the right to a jury of peers.
Settlers of the frontiers were challenged by the Native Americans already living in those lands. What options did the government see for the future of native tribes in the West?
correct: -They would be killed. -They would be forced onto lands farther to the West. -Their assimilation into American society was a long-term possibility.
The Articles of Confederation granted the national government limited powers. Identify the statements that describe the conflicts sparked by governance under this first written constitution.
correct: -Wealthy property owners saw their rights constrained by poorer local majorities. -Indebted farmers, threatened with the loss of land because of failure to meet tax or mortgage payments, pressed state governments for relief.
What were the effects of the Constitution? Move the correct answers to the image of the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
correct: -created national political institutions -made possible a national economic market by giving Congress the power over tariffs, interstate commerce, and coining money, among others -reduced the powers of the states
The U.S. Constitution was a unique combination of political principles. Identify the features below that describe the principles embodied in the Constitution.
correct: -federalism -checks and balances
Identify the basic political principles outlined in the Constitution.
correct: -federalism, or the division of power, which is the relationship between the state and the national government -a system of checks and balances that prevents any branch of national government from dominating the other two
Which of the following best describe the American identity in the early federal period?
correct: -inherently associated with skin color -embracing the ideals of equality and democracy
Under the Articles of Confederation, what powers resided with the national government?
correct: -making treaties with foreign powers -minting money
Identify the groups of people who were denied the opportunity to become fully naturalized American citizens in America's first century as a sovereign country.
correct: -persons of color -nobility who wished to retain their titles
James Madison viewed the addition of a Bill of Rights to be a very important and necessary check against future abuses of power by the national government.
false
Thomas Jefferson was the greatest advocate for a stronger federal government during the postwar period.
false
After the Constitution was authored, it was sent to the states for ratification. As a result, debates occurred in public meeting places and in publications such as newspapers and pamphlets. Some writers became associated with the defense of the strong national government proposed by the Constitution whereas others sought to defend the right of states to retain power. Identify each of the figures below as "Federalist" or "Anti-Federalist."
federalist: -James Madison, known sometimes as "the father of the Constitution" -Alexander Hamilton, who believed that the government should promote commerce -John Jay, later the first chief justice of the Supreme Court Anti-Federalist: -Patrick Henry, author of the phrase, "Give me liberty or give me death."
The Constitution represents a compromise between those founders who wanted to expand democracy and those who wanted to ensure the federal government had enough authority to keep control of the population. Determine which of the following aspects of the new Constitutional federal government expanded democracy or authority, respectively.
the expansion of democracy: -Members of the House of Representatives were to be decided by popular vote. -The Constitution left it to individual states to determine their own rules for who could vote, but imposed neither property nor religious qualifications. the expansion of authority: -Under the new Constitution, the president was charged with enforcing the law and commanding the military. -Supreme Court judges were to be appointed by the president, and the president was to be decided by a committee of electors known as the electoral college.
Read the following passage from James Winthrop, Anti-Federalist Essay Signed "Agrippa" (1787). Why does Winthrop believe that a Bill of Rights is essential in the Constitution?
the past has demonstrated that rulers take advantage of the people under their rule, so it is essential that a Bill of Rights be added to the constitution to protect the individual liberties of the citizens of the united states
