question

One primary feature of MOST early state constitutions was

answer

a detailed bill of rights

question

The British constitution was a single written document that was a model for the colonists.

answer

false

question

Three-fifths of the slaves were counted for purposes of

answer

allotting seats in the House of Representatives.

question

Which statement MOST accurately summarizes the aftermath of the American Revolution?

answer

Many cities were in ruins, many farmers owned large debts, and the British were still a powerful presence.

question

Madison's confidence in the usefulness of separation of powers rested on the assumption that

answer

ambitions would counteract each other.

question

The Articles of Confederation created a

answer

league of friendship

question

The Virginia Plan called for a strong national government.

answer

true

question

The Articles of Confederation created a strong central government.

answer

false

question

This rebellion occurred in January 1787 when a group of ex-Revolutionary War soldiers, fearful of losing their property to creditors and tax collectors, forcibly prevented the courses in western Massachusetts from sitting.

answer

shay's rebellion

question

Under the Articles of Confederation, amendments had to

answer

be supported by all 13 states

question

The colonists saw "higher law" as something that was discoverable in nature.

answer

true

question

Rhode Island refused to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention.

answer

true

question

Relative to the notion of democratic government, the Supreme Court's power of judicial review

answer

places limits on majority rule

question

In Federalist No. 10 and No. 51, Madison argued in favor of a large republic, which went against the ideas of this political philosopher.

answer

montesquieu

question

The declaration of independence listed complaints about social and economic abuses on the colonies.

answer

false

question

An unalienable right is one that is based on

answer

nature and providence

question

George Washington believed the country could survive only with a strong national government.

answer

true

question

James Madison was convinced that ancient Greece provided the perfect model for Americangovernment.

answer

false

question

Under the Articles of Confederation, each state had one vote in a national legislative body with only one house.

answer

true

question

Which of the following statements about the Declaration of Independence is CORRECT?

answer

It was essentially a lawyer's brief justifying a revolution.

question

This famous Revolutionary leader was not at the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia in1787.

answer

patrick henry

question

Madison dramatized his perspective in a Federalist paper by observing that "if men were _________, no government would be necessary."

answer

angels

question

The Great Compromise reconciled the interests of the small and large states over representation

answer

true

question

Ancient political philosophers, such as Aristotle, held that the first task of any government was to

answer

cultivate virtue among the governed

question

The effect of Shays's Rebellion on attendance by delegates at the planned Constitutional Convention of 1787 was to

answer

encourage attendance by delegates fearing the collapse of state governments.

question

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were popularly elected.

answer

false

question

the federalist papers were

answer

articles written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to gain support for the Constitution.

question

The author of the Declaration of Independence was

answer

thomas jefferson

question

Which state refused to send a delegate to the Constitutional Convention?

answer

rhode island

question

The Constitutional Convention attracted __________ delegates.

answer

55

question

The Constitutional Convention delegates' defense of liberty as a natural right was derived from the writings of the philosopher

answer

john locke

question

Shays's Rebellion was put down by privately hired army.

answer

true

question

The nature of the amendment process has probably kept the amendments added to the U.S.Constitution

answer

relatively few in number

question

The Framers' view of natural rights was heavily influenced by the writings of John Locke.

answer

true

question

The goal of the Framers of the U.S. Constitution was to create a(n)

answer

republic based on a system of representation

question

The American version of representative democracy is based on two major principles: __________and __________.

answer

separation of powers; federalism

question

Pennsylvania's government was considered "radically democratic" because it featured no

answer

governor

question

The Great Compromise reconciled the interests of the small and large states over representation.

answer

true

question

The principal goal of the American Revolution was

answer

liberty

question

Alexander Hamilton was a strong supporter of the government set up by the Articles ofConfederation.

answer

false

question

Under the Articles of Confederation, each state had one vote in a national legislative body with only one house

answer

true

question

The state of affairs in Pennsylvania seemed to suggest that

answer

democracy and tyranny might not be all that far apart from one another.

question

The New Jersey Plan was a reaction by some states primarily to the fear that

answer

the virginia plan gave too much power to populous states

question

Which of the following statements MOST accurately characterizes the motives behind the support that different Framers gave to the U.S. Constitution?

answer

Most Framers acted out of a mixture of motives, with economic interests playing only a modest role.

question

The purpose of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was to

answer

consider revisions to the Articles of Confederation.

question

In 1776, one important reason that colonists regarded independence as a desirable alternative wasthatthey

answer

no longer had confidence that the British government would protect their liberties.

question

The Articles of Confederation empowered the national government with the ability to regulate interstate commerce leading to an era of prosperity.

answer

false

question

The U.S. Constitution was ratified by

answer

special state conventions elected by the people

question

A republic is a government in which a system of representation operates.

answer

true

question

Dividing power between the states and the national government is referred to as

answer

federalism

question

Under the Articles of Confederation, delegates to the national legislature were

answer

chosen by state legislatures

question

By 1776, eight states

answer

had written constitutions

question

Under the Constitution, the powers given to the national government exclusively are the _______, while powers given exclusively to the states are the ___________. Both states and the national government exercise the _____________.

answer

enumerated powers; reserved powers; concurrent powers

question

Equality was a goal of

answer

the french revolution

question

Each state would have had an equal number of votes in the legislature under the

answer

new jersey plan

question

The "state of nature" refers to

answer

society without a government

question

Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government could

answer

make peace

question

A major argument in favor of reducing the separation of powers called for in the U.S. Constitution is that it would

answer

allow prompt decisive leadership in times of crisis

question

All of the following were true of the government under the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT

answer

larger states had more votes in the national legislature

question

It quickly became clear that the Constitution would NOT be ratified without at least the promise of

answer

a bill of rights

question

The Great Compromise finally allocated representation on the basis of

answer

population in the house and statehood equality in the senate

question

The Federalist Papers were written in order to mobilize support for the Constitution.

answer

true

question

In 1776, most state constitutions had detailed bills of rights.

answer

true

question

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were, for the most part

answer

young but experienced

question

This plan presented at the Constitutional Convention called for a bicameral legislative body with states' representation in each house based on population.

answer

virginia plan

question

This delegate at the Constitutional Convention suggested that the president be elected directly by thepeople.

answer

james wilson

question

The importance of the Great Compromise was that it

answer

ensured support for a strong national government from small as well as large states.

question

The purpose of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was to

answer

consider revisions to the articles of confederation

question

The list of the essential rights demanded by the colonists included life, liberty, and

answer

property rights

question

The Declaration of Independence explicitly stated that governments were instituted among mento

answer

secure rights

question

The American Revolution is described by the text as a war of

answer

ideology

question

During the ratification debate, the supporters of the U.S. Constitution called themselves Federalists.

answer

true

question

The text suggests that the Antifederalists might have been more accurately called the

answer

states rights advocates

question

One of the basic liberties sought by the colonists through independence from Great Britain was

answer

freedom from taxation without representation

question

The central issue in the framing of the U.S. Constitution was that of

answer

how strong to make the national government

question

Who introduced a set of twelve proposals to the First Congress from which the eventual Bill of Rights would be ratified?

answer

madison

question

Generally, the Antifederalists felt that the government created by the U.S. Constitution was

answer

too strong and too centralized

question

The final report of the Constitutional Convention was approved on September 17, 1787 by

answer

all twelve states in attendance

question

There was general agreement that the essential rights included life, liberty, and property long before Thomas Jefferson wrote them into the Declaration of Independence.

answer

true

question

To put down Shays's Rebellion, the governor of Massachusetts

answer

hired a volunteer army with private funds

question

James Madison's main argument in favor of a federalist position, stated in Federalist No. 10 and No. 51, was in defense of

answer

large republics

question

The First Amendment addressed the issue of

answer

freedom of speech

question

This delegate to the Constitutional Convention presented the Virginia Plan but refused to sign the final document approved on September 17, 1787.

answer

edmund randolph

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