Deck 2: From Colonialism to Constitutionalism

Question 1

The Magna Charta and the English Bill of Rights both

A)promoted equality and expanded rights.
B)expanded Parliament's power at the expense of the American colonists.
C)imposed additional taxes and responsibilities upon English subjects.
D)altered the procedures for electing new members of Parliament.
E)restricted the colonies from forming their own governments.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The 1787 convention delegates decided that the proposed Constitution would be ratified when approved by

A)seven of the states.
B)nine of the states.
C)twelve of the states.
D)all of the states.
E)any three states.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What was the main purpose of the "committees of correspondence"?

A)To plan secret attacks on British soldiers
B)To organize the first battles of the revolution
C)To have a forum for colonists to voice dissent
D)To establish a network of communication between the colonies
E)To improve communication between the colonists and Parliament

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What was the single most important decision made at the Philadelphia Convention?

A)To amend the Articles of Confederation
B)To reject independence and seek assistance from other countries
C)To reject a monarchy,replacing it with a nationally elected president and vice president
D)To nullify the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution
E)To adopt the Articles of Confederation and form a new government

Question 5

Which one of the following best explains why the Articles of Confederation purposely created a weak national government?

A)The Articles were based on a theory of state sovereignty.
B)The Articles were intended to not offend Parliament and King George III.
C)The Articles separated power into three distinct branches: executive,legislative,judicial.
D)The Articles were actually intended to create a very powerful central government.
E)The Articles intended for a strong executive branch but weak judicial and legislative branches.

Question 6

Daniel Shays was a(n)

A)farmer and Revolutionary War veteran.
B)anarchist opposed to the establishment of any government.
C)merchant who supported stronger antitrust laws.
D)delegate to the Second Constitutional Convention.
E)traitor and secret supporter of Parliament and the king.

Question 7

What pamphlet written by Thomas Paine is credited with turning the tide of public opinion in favor of a formal break with England?

A)Magna Charta
B)Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
C)Committee of Correspondence
D)Common Sense
E)Federalist Papers

Question 8

The Connecticut Compromise prevented the collapse of the Constitutional Convention by resolving which fundamental conflict between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans?

A)The conflict between members who wanted a strong federal government and those wanting strong states' rights
B)The deep political division between James Madison and Alexander Hamilton
C)The disagreement among members about representation in the national legislature
D)The problem between those who favored a bill of rights and those who opposed it
E)The problem of trade between northern states and southern states

Question 9

What was the primary purpose of the First Continental Congress?

A)To establish an international identity
B)To adopt the Declaration of Independence
C)To coordinate a joint response to the actions of the British
D)To coordinate a colonial response to England's declaration of war
E)To set new tax rates in the colonies in response to a request from Parliament

Question 10

Shays's Rebellion came about because

A)the federal government was imposing unfair taxes on farmers.
B)the tariffs on trade between states were becoming too steep.
C)laborers felt they were not being paid well enough.
D)Massachusetts was taxing its citizens too heavily.
E)Parliament imposed new taxes without the colonists' consent.

Question 11

What is the three-fifths rule?

A)A slave would be worth three-fifths of a full vote for purposes of allocating seats in the House of Representatives.
B)Congress would need a three-fifths majority to overturn a presidential veto.
C)A candidate would need three-fifths of the popular vote to be elected president.
D)A three-fifths majority of the delegates would be needed to approve the Constitution.
E)A president could be impeached with three-fifths majorities in each house of Congress.

Question 12

The skirmish between British soldiers and Massachusetts minutemen at Lexington in 1775 catalyzed what important meeting?

A)The Second Continental Congress
B)The Constitutional Convention
C)The First Continental Congress
D)The New England Confederation
E)The Washington Convention

Question 13

One of the prominent features of the New Jersey Plan was

A)a single-house national legislature based on the population of each state.
B)state representation in a bicameral Congress based on the population of each state.
C)a single house in which all states would be represented equally.
D)a national government composed of legislative,executive,and judicial branches.
E)establishing judicial review for the judicial branch.

Question 14

The inclusion of a bill of rights in the U.S.Constitution was the direct result of the

A)demands of the Antifederalists.
B)foresight of George Washington.
C)demands of the state governments.
D)interpretation of the Constitution by the first Supreme Court.
E)Shays's Rebellion.

Question 15

What two primary factors led to the calling of the constitutional convention?

A)Economic distress and centralized national power
B)Centralized national power and inflation
C)Oppression by the British government and inflation
D)Economic distress and the inability of the existing government to address the problems
E)The presence of British soldiers in the colonies and economic distress

Question 16

Benjamin Franklin proposed the Albany Plan in an effort to

A)create friction between the colonies and British rulers.
B)find a way for colonies to cooperate with their British rulers.
C)devise a secession plan for Albany leaders.
D)devise a secession plan for the colonies.
E)end slavery in the colonies.

Question 17

Colonists complained that the Sugar Act violated their fundamental freedoms by enacting taxes

A)through popular election.
B)without the king's consent.
C)without allowing colonial representation in Parliament.
D)through a royal decree.
E)arbitrarily.

Question 18

Which amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery?

A)Eighth
B)Thirteenth
C)Fourteenth
D)Twenty-first
E)Twelfth

Question 19

What is the main argument of Federalist 51?

A)Separation of powers and checks and balances are necessary.
B)Factions undermine popular sovereignty and threaten governments.
C)A bill of rights was not necessary in the Constitution.
D)The executive should be chosen directly by the people,not legislatures.
E)A unicameral legislature is more democratic than bicameralism.

Question 20

The Virginia Plan envisioned

A)a single-house national legislature based on the population of each state.
B)state representation in a unicameral legislature based on equal representation.
C)a single house in which all states would be represented equally.
D)a strong central government composed of legislative,executive,and judicial branches.
E)a weak national government with a unicameral legislative branch and no power to tax.

Question 21

President Bill Clinton was impeached by

A)the House of Representatives.
B)the Senate.
C)Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
D)his cabinet.
E)the Supreme Court.

Question 22

After declaring independence,most European countries formally recognized the colonies' independence from Britain.

Question 23

The American Revolution began in 1775.

Question 24

For which of the following did the longest time elapse between the time a constitutional amendment was proposed and the time it was ratified?

A)Prohibition
B)Direct election of senators
C)Voting rights for eighteen-year-olds
D)Permitting an income tax
E)Prohibition on salary increases for members of Congress

Question 25

Popular sovereignty implies that the final source of legal authority rests with the

A)president.
B)state governments.
C)federal government.
D)people.
E)political parties.

Question 26

The House of Representatives has the power to impeach some public officials,but the Senate must determine whether to convict.This illustrates which of the following?

A)The ability of the Senate to check the House
B)The inherent flexibility of the Constitution
C)The full faith and credit clause
D)Bicameralism
E)Federalism

Question 27

How often has the Constitution been amended?

A)About once every other year
B)About once a year
C)About twice a year
D)Fewer than thirty times
E)About fifty times

Question 28

Although he turned out to be quite popular,George Washington's election as the first president of the United States was strongly contested and highly contentious.

Question 29

Which of the following devices used to restrain the power of government is NOT expressly described in the Constitution?

A)Judicial review
B)Federalism
C)Checks and balances
D)Separation of powers
E)Impeachment

Question 30

Which of the following can NOT be found in the Constitution?

A)Checks and balances
B)Impeachment
C)Political parties
D)Congressional elections
E)Bicameralism

Question 31

Federal judges are assigned to life tenure in order to

A)free them from public opinion.
B)give more power to the political parties.
C)handle the increasing workload of federal cases.
D)ensure that minorities and women are adequately represented.
E)save money in the federal budget.

Question 32

The president has the power to negotiate treaties with foreign nations,but such agreements on behalf of the United States must be approved by

A)a two-thirds vote of each house of the Congress.
B)a majority vote of the House of Representatives.
C)a two-thirds vote of the U.S.Senate.
D)a majority of the president's cabinet.
E)two-thirds of the states.

Question 33

According to the Magna Charta,the king was bound by the law and had to respect the rights of his subjects.

Question 34

The Constitution stipulates that which of the following is the supreme law of the land?

A)State laws
B)State constitutions
C)Executive orders
D)Federal laws
E)All of the above

Question 35

What principle holds that the U.S.Constitution and all valid federal laws and treaties are superior to conflicting provisions of state constitutions and laws?

A)Federalism
B)National supremacy
C)Popular sovereignty
D)Separation of powers
E)Checks and balances

Question 36

What happened to the proposed constitutional amendment that would have prohibited burning the American flag?

A)It was passed by the House but not the Senate.
B)It was passed by the Senate but not the House.
C)It was passed by both houses of Congress but was never signed into law by the president.
D)It was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
E)It was passed by Congress and still awaits consideration by a constitutional convention.

Question 37

Who was a leading spokesman for the Antifederalists?

A)James Madison
B)John Jay
C)George Mason
D)Alexander Hamilton
E)Daniel Shays

Question 38

Under the doctrine of popular sovereignty,final authority rests with the people.

Question 39

The federal courts can interpret the meaning of laws and of the Constitution,but they are limited by the broad authority of Congress to shape the structure of the federal judicial system and to define the types of cases courts can hear.This illustrates what constitutional device?

A)Federalism
B)Judicial review
C)Checks and balances
D)Separation of powers
E)National supremacy

Question 40

The power of courts to declare legislative and executive actions unconstitutional is called

A)federalism.
B)judicial review.
C)checks and balances.
D)separation of powers.
E)judicial preemption.

Question 41

The American legal system is based on English common law.

Question 42

The Supreme Court's power of judicial review extends not only to the actions of the United States Congress and the president,but also to acts of the state governments.

Question 43

The two steps required to amend the Constitution are proposal and ratification.

Question 44

The theory of state sovereignty was the impetus behind the writing of the U.S.Constitution.

Question 45

The Federalist Papers argued in favor of strong state governments.

Question 46

Shays's Rebellion was the first battle in the American Revolution.

Question 47

The Articles of Confederation created a strong national government with the power to tax.

Question 48

The Senate is given the sole power to impeach the president,but the House alone has the authority to convict and remove.

Question 49

Under the Electoral College system,the number of electors is equal to the total number of representatives in the House of Representatives.

Question 50

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention hailed from and represented the nation's middle classes.

Question 51

The Connecticut Compromise was a proposal that called for the number of representatives in the House to be determined by population and giving each state equal representation in the Senate.

Question 52

The New Jersey Plan proposed that the national government should consist of a supreme legislative branch,executive branch,and judiciary branch.

Question 53

The main purpose of checks and balances is to limit the power of government by making each branch dependent on the other.

Question 54

Federalism is a system for organizing government that is based on a geographic division of power.

Question 55

A constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery was not ratified until after the Civil War.