Government Ch. 2 Smartbook
in the framers view, a republican government
- adds constraints that protect rights of individuals - prevents tyranny majority - reduces likelihood of reckless, hasty actions
at the time of the Constitution was created, what was the only institution that would be based on direct popular election
House of Representatives
when the states draft a new constitutions after the start of the Revolutionary War, _______ did not have separation of powers. It's negative experience, in which the all-powerful legislature ignored basic rights and freedoms, proved the necessity of separation
Pennsylvania
The framers goal of a government that would not threaten liberty was to be accomplished by
an elaborate system of checks and balances
Southern delegates to the Philadelphia convention were determined to
block any attempt to end slavery
the US system of government is said to be _____ in providing for majority influence through elections
democratic
Powers specifically prohibited from belonging to the state and national government in the constitution are known as
denials of power
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
as defined by the framers, who or what limits the majoritys power in a democracy
nothing and no one
One key risk ______ government is the potential for tyranny of the majority.
popular
One goal of the framers of the constitution was to
preserve the states as governing entities
according to Andrew Jackson, what requirements should not be used to determine who has the right to vote
property
The Philadelphia convention was called to
revise the Articles of Confederation
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
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
following the French and Indian war, Britain for the first time imposed what on the colonies
taxing
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 of 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
which of the following statements describe the terms democracy and a republic as understood by the framers of the constitution
- The separation of powers is a characteristic of republican government - in a democracy the power of the majority is unlimited - The government of a republic response to the needs of the majority while protecting the minority
which of the following are reasons why the constitution begins with the words "we the people"
- people need to exercise control over government - The US government ultimately derives its power from the people
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 nations defense needs
during the debate over ratification of the Constitution, what objections did the Anti-Federalist raise?
- too much power being taken from the states and given to the national government - The absence of a Bill of Rights
identify the events that led to creation of the US 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 has shown the weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation
What were some 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
The US system of government created by the founders in 1787 can be described as which of the following
-constitutional -republican
which of the following were features of the Virginia Plan for national government
-states with the largest populations would have the most representatives -a bicameral legislature
delegates to the Constitutional convention decided that the Constitution would take affect for ratifying states when______ of the 13 states approved it
9
to pass legislative policies and ratify treaties under the Articles of Confederation, only _____ states were required to vote for it
9
what provision had been removed from Jeffersons initial draft of the Declaration of Independence at the insistence of southern states
A statement critical of slavery
A key concern for the group known as the ______ was that the proposed constitution lacked a bill of rights
Anti-Federalists
according to the Virginia Plan, who or what would exercise power in all areas "in which they separate states are incompetent"
Congress
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
The notion of checks and balances
Is meant to complement the concept of separation of powers
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
what was the central question that led to establishing judicial review
Who was to decide whether officials were operating within the limits of their constitutional powers?
in choosing the president, the number of members of the house and senate from a state determines the states number of
electoral votes
why was there a strong support for a bill of rights during the debate over ratification of the Constitution
fear that the national government would not respect peoples rights
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
the Bill of Rights
limited the power of the national government
another term for "inalienable rights" is _____ rights
natural
Who among the following felt threatened by Shays' Rebellion
the wealthy
when did North Carolina and Rhode Island ratify the constitution
they ratified only after the other 11 states had done so
Andrew Jackson argued that electoral votes should be
tied to popular vote
natural rights are defined as those possessed by all people
true