Pre Civil War test part 3

What was America's position on the war between revolutionary France and Britain in 1793?

Washington refused to take sides and issued a neutrality proclamation.

How did the attitudes toward Great Britain and France shape American politics in the late eighteenth century? Identify the following acts.

empowered the president to deport "dangerous" aliens Correct label: Alien Act outlawed writing, publishing, or speaking anything against the government Correct label: Sedition Act increased the number of years that an immigrant needed to live in the United States to become a resident from five to fourteen Correct label: Naturalization Act

Alexander Hamilton, the first head of the Department of the Treasury, read and admired Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. Complete the passage below describing the new economic idea that Smith proposed.

Adam Smith argued for a capitalist economy in his book. Smith contended that governments should stop trying to control all economic activity and should allow individuals and businesses to compete for profits in the marketplace. Hamilton believed this would free America from the British practice of mercantilism.

There was intense disagreement over how much power the federal government should be given in the Constitution. Complete the passage below describing the tension that was at the heart of the debate over centralized vs. decentralized political authority.

Anti-Federalists were concerned with preserving states' rights. Federalists wanted to expand federal authority.

The presidency was a new position created by the Constitution. Some delegates felt that Congress should appoint the president. Others felt that the president should be elected directly by the people. How did the Constitutional Convention determine how the president would be elected, and why was the system of election created?

As a compromise between direct election by the people and election by Congress, members of the Electoral College would vote for the president every four years.

Identify the cause of the naval conflict between the United States and France during Adams's presidency.

France was upset that the United States signed Jay's Treaty.

How did Federalists ease the fears of the anti-Federalists and protect individual liberties in the Constitution?

In 1791, the first ten amendments to the Constitution were passed. They were known collectively as the Bill of Rights, and they protected individual rights from the power of the state

Once the final draft of the Constitution was submitted to the states for review, the national debate over the Constitution began. Complete the passage below describing Federalist essay Number Ten.

In Federalist essay Number Ten, James Madison argued that the size and diversity of the United States would make it impossible for any single faction to dominate the federal government. This argument contradicted the conventional wisdom of the time, which said that a republic could survive only in small nations because warring factions would destroy a large republic.

In 1794, Chief Justice John Jay went to London to settle issues between Britain and the United States. Identify the issues he tried to resolve.

Jay wanted to make the British leave their forts along the northwestern border of America. Jay wanted the U.S. merchants' right to trade with the British West Indies restored.

The states had incurred massive war debts during the Revolutionary War. Alexander Hamilton proposed a debt-funding plan to pay war debts and create a sound financial foundation for America's entry on the world economic stage. What was an argument surrounding Hamilton's debt-funding plan?

Southern states argued that they would absorb more debt if state debts became a national debt because northern states owed far more of the massive war debt.

Complete the passage below describing how Jay's Treaty alleviated tensions between Britain and the United States.

The British agreed to grant Americans the right to trade with the British West Indies, evacuate their six forts in the northwest United States by 1796, and reimburse Americans for the seizures of ships and cargo. In return, Jay agreed that American products needed for the construction of French warships could not be shipped to French ports. Additionally, the British did not have to compensate U.S. citizens for enslaved African Americans who escaped during the Revolutionary War.

Many saw the contradiction in the Constitution's proclamation of liberty and the status of slaves. However, the issue was avoided to keep southern delegates from walking out of the Convention. How did the Constitutional Convention address the issue of slavery for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives?

Three-fifths of "all other persons" (slaves) would be included in a state's population count to figure out a state's Congressional delegation.

Complete the passage below describing how economic troubles threatened the stability of the new nation after the Revolutionary War.

Throughout the new nation, debtors, who were mostly farmers, struggled to pay their debts. Many debtors wanted states to print paper money and to give them more time to pay what they called unjust taxes. In Massachusetts, a debtor army of farmers led by Daniel Shays tried to force the government to eliminate the farmers' debts and taxes. Though the militia ended the rebellion, Americans grew concerned that debtor groups around the country might start similar rebellions.

Regional friction in the nation was deepened because southerners and frontiersmen in the West believed that Alexander Hamilton's economic policies unfairly taxed them.

True

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were very concerned about the distribution of power in government. The Constitution established three branches of government to counterbalance each other so that no one branch gained too much power. Match the branch of government to the powers it is permitted to exercise.

• can interpret the U.S. Constitution • ensures that all citizens receive equal justice under the law Correct label: judicial branch • can veto acts of Congress • functions as chief diplomat • responsible for the execution of laws Correct label: executive branch • can declare war and make peace • can impeach or bring up the chief executive on legal charges • makes laws Correct label: legislative branch (the House and the Senate)

The Constitution expanded the role of the national government, balancing the powers reserved for the states with those needed for a stronger and more effective national government. What was innovative about this concept, which came to be known as federalism?

Federalism gave the national government power over the states to regulate commerce and international relations. Federalism created principles for maintaining a supreme national government that shared power with the states. Federalism allowed the national government to collect taxes, support a military, borrow money, and create a national currency.

How did the French Revolution divide America?

Resentful farmers in the Appalachians started the Whiskey Rebellion. President Washington and the Federalists refused to support the French Revolution. Thomas Jefferson resigned as secretary of state in support of the French Revolution.

After the Revolutionary War, the government under the Articles of Confederation passed several land ordinances that would guide westward expansion. How did these ordinances set the stage for territories to become states? Put the following events in chronological order.

Put the following events in chronological order. The government passes the Land Ordinance Act of 1784. The government establishes a plan for surveying and selling "public lands" at auction to raise money for the national government. Congress appoints territorial governors and establishes laws to maintain the territories. State legislatures can be elected when the population of adult males reaches 5,000 in a territory. When the number of "free inhabitants" in a territory equals 60,000, the territory will be eligible for statehood.

When governments need money, they can expand the currency supply, borrow money, or impose taxes. How did the federal government raise revenue under Alexander Hamilton's leadership?

Congress imposed an excise tax on whiskey in 1791. Congress imposed a 5-10 percent tariff on a variety of imported items.

Alexander Hamilton admired the global economic power of the British, and wanted to strengthen America's fledgling economy so it could compete effectively with more industrialized nations. What was controversial about how Hamilton's economic reforms would jump-start the new nation's economic development?

Hamilton asked for the government to fund extensive transportation improvements and to provide incentives for industry.

Identify how Alexander Hamilton believed that industrialization would improve the American economy.

Hamilton believed that industrialization would diversify the economy. Hamilton believed that industrialization would improve productivity through greater use of machinery. Hamilton believed that industrialization would encourage skilled workers to immigrate to America.

The French revolutionary government sent its first ambassador, Edmond-Charles Genêt, to America in 1793. Citizen Genêt was cheered by the masses when he arrived. What did Citizen Genêt do in America that affected American attitudes toward France?

He recruited American warships to capture English and Spanish vessels. He threatened to go around President Washington and appeal to the American people for help.

Congressional representatives had previously been appointed by state legislatures, but James Madison argued for the election of at least one house as "essential to every plan of free government." Complete the passage below describing how the constitutional design for Congress protected the interests of specific groups of people, while keeping any one house of the Congress from gaining too much power.

In the legislative branch, the two houses of Congress would counterbalance each other. The House of Representatives was designed to have a close and sympathetic relationship with the voters by being up for popular election every two years. The Senate was elected by state legislatures every six years and was supposed to "protect the minority of the opulent against the majority."

The Constitution was ratified, but only after the Constitutional Convention recommended adding a bill of rights that would limit the power of the federal government and protect individual liberties.

It prevented the state from mandating a national religion or restricting religious practices.

The Constitution was ratified, but only after the Constitutional Convention recommended adding a bill of rights that would limit the power of the federal government and protect individual liberties. What was unique about the freedom of religion guaranteed in the First Amendment?

It prevented the state from mandating a national religion or restricting religious practices.

Complete the passage below describing how delegates to the Constitutional Convention proposed several different frameworks for the new government.

James Madison proposed the Virginia Plan, which called for a new federal constitution and a Congress with two houses. Under Madison's plan, states with large populations would have more representatives than smaller states. Madison's critics wanted states with smaller populations to maintain equal representation in Congress. William Paterson submitted an alternative to Madison's plan. Patterson's New Jersey Plan advocated keeping the current representation and structure of Congress with one house. Even Madison's critics, however, agreed to allow Congress to levy taxes, regulate commerce, and appoint a supreme court.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 outlined how new states would be formed. What provisions for slavery and Native Americans did this ordinance address?

Native Americans were promised that Indian lands would "never be taken from them without their consent." Slavery was banned in the western region north of the Ohio River.

The creation of a powerful national bank was central to Alexander Hamilton's vision of a strong national economy. Farmers were suspicious that bank alliances with the wealthy would put the financial stability of debtors, usually farmers, at risk. Hamilton's vision prevailed. How did those who opposed a national bank frame their opposition?

Opponents argued for a strict interpretation of the Constitution, which had not explicitly granted the government the power to create a national bank.

In the years after the Revolutionary War, there were several conflicts that the federal government did not have the authority to resolve under the Articles of Confederation. Match the conflicts with the weakness in the Articles of Confederation that would lead George Washington to describe the Confederation government as "a half-starved, limping government."

Since the Confederation Congress received scant contributions from the states, it printed paper money—called Continentals—whose value plummeted as more were printed. Correct label: There was not enough hard money in circulation. The Confederation Congress could not impose taxes to raise revenue. It relied on voluntary contributions from the states. Correct label: The Confederation government could not pay off the country's war debts and ran a deficit budget every year. The Confederation Congress had no power to regulate trade among the states or other nations. Correct label: Individual states developed special taxes and tariffs on British goods, prompting states to compete with one another for foreign trade.

After the colonies declared independence in 1776, the Articles of Confederation established a new American government in 1777. Americans did not trust powerful centralized governments after their experience with the British monarchy. What were some of the ways that the Articles kept the national government in check?

The Articles of Confederation limited the powers of the Congress so it could not regulate trade or impose taxes. The Articles of Confederation limited the national government's ability to make agreements with other nations. The Articles of Confederation established a congress, and members were appointed by the state legislatures.

The Constitution was designed as a living document that could be amended in order to improve it as the country changed over time. The addition of the Bill of Rights satisfied many who wanted to protect the rights of individuals against an all-powerful government. Like the Constitution, however, the Bill of Rights was not perfect. Complete the passage below describing how the Bill of Rights was flawed.

The Bill of Rights amended the Constitution to safeguard individual and states' rights, but it did not correct the omission of Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and women from the Constitution. The legal protections in the Bill of Rights applied to property-owning white males. Slave codes defined the rights of slaves. The Bill of Rights overcame the criticism of the anti-Federalists, but it compromised on slavery, as did the Constitution, in order to win ratification.

How did the Articles of Confederation lay the groundwork for America's future political structure?

The Confederation government established the principles of land distribution and territorial government. The Articles of Confederation supported the concept of republicanism.

Complete the passage below describing who was left out of the Constitution.

The Constitution did not protect the interests of Native Americans, who were not considered citizens unless they paid taxes. The Constitution also avoided addressing the issue of abolishing slavery. Additionally, there was never any formal discussion of the rights of women at the Constitutional Convention. This came as a disappointment to some women who wanted political equality after the Revolutionary War.

How did the Great Compromise resolve the conflict between states with large populations and states with small populations?

The Great Compromise created a legislative branch with two houses that counterbalanced each other. The more populous states would have more representation in the House of Representatives, while every state would have equal representation in the Senate.

The debate around the Constitution was fierce. Federalists argued that the Constitution's expansion of federal power would strengthen the nation. Why did anti-Federalist Mercy Otis Warren, one of the Constitution's most prominent critics, claim that if the Constitution were adopted, Americans would be putting "shackles on our own necks"?

The anti-Federalists believed that the new federal government would grow to be corrupt and tyrannical.

Put the events that led to the adoption of the Constitution in chronological order.

The final draft of the Constitution is submitted to the states for approval. Delaware ratifies the Constitution. New Hampshire ratifies the Constitution. The Bill of Rights is added to the Constitution.

What type of government did the Articles of Confederation create, and why?

They created a deliberately weak central government because the states wanted to retain their freedom and independence.

After the ratification of the Constitution, opposing visions emerged for governing the country that led to the formation of political parties. Match the political party with its vision for the new federal government.

promoted Alexander Hamilton's economic reforms, a strong central government, and urban and commercial growth Correct label: Federalists championed Thomas Jefferson's vision of a federal government with limited power, as laid out in the Tenth Amendment Correct label: Republicans

The first ten amendments to the Constitution addressed objections of anti-Federalists over safeguards for individual liberties. Identify the rights protected by the Bill of Rights.

protection of the right to refuse to house soldiers protection of the right to refuse to testify against oneself protection from unreasonable searches and seizures