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1) This famous Revolutionary leader was not at the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia in 1787 a. James Madison b. Alexander Hamilton c. George Washington d. Patrick Henry e. Benjamin Franklin

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d. Patrick Henry

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2) The principle goal of the American Revolution was a. equality b. financial betterment c. political efficacy d. fraternity e. liberty

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e. liberty

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3) One of the basic liberties sought by the colonists through independence from Great Britain was a. freedom from taxation without representation b. the right to bear arms and to defend life and property c. freedom to assemble in public and to engage in public debate d. the right to own and trade slaves e. the right to travel

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a. freedom from taxation without representation

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4) In 1776, one important reason that colonists regarded independence as a desireable alternative was that they a. no longer had confidence that the British government would protect their liberties b. could no longer afford the price of British exports c. had come to reject the philosophy of John Locke d. had come to reject British ideas of individual rights e. were struggling economically

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

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5) Under the Articles of Confederation, amendments had to a. be written in secret b. be submitted to the national judiciary for approval c. have the approval of half the state governors d. be supported by all thirteen states e. all of these choices are true

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d. be supported by all thirteen states

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6) The author of the Declaration of Independence was a. Thomas Jefferson b. Thomas Paine c. George Washington d. Alexander Hamilton e. James Madison

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a. Thomas Jefferson

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7) The Declaration of Independence explicitly stated that governments were instituted among men to a. improve human nature b. create equality c. protect borders d. secure rights e. punish criminals

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d. secure rights

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8) Which of the following statements about the Declaration of Independence is CORRECT? a. It was written primarily by George Washington and James Madison. b. It primarily focused on concerns over economic inequality. c. It was a rejection of the philosophy of John Locke. d. It drew on the works of Thomas Hobbes. e. It was essentially a lawyer's brief justifying a revolution.

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

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9) The list of the essential rights demanded by the colonists included life, liberty, and a. trading rights b. property rights c. the right to own slaves d. the pursuit of truth e. fraternity

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b. property rights

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10) The American Revolution is described by the text as a war of a. attrition b. ideology c. economic viewpoints d. political elites e. contending social systems

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b. ideology

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11) An unalienable right is one that is based on a. nature and Providence b. the Constitution and primary documents c. custom and tradition d. legal precedent e. executive proclamations

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a. nature and Providence

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12) By 1776, eight states a. had strong executive leaders b. had written constitutions c. had expanded voting rights considerably d. continued to rely on colonial charters e. had abolished elective offices

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b. had written constitutions

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13) One primary feature of MOST early state constitutions was a. a detailed bill of rights b. a planning for land use c. a strong executive branch d. disregard for individual rights e. economic regulation

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a. a detailed bill of rights

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14) Which statement MOST accurately summarizes the aftermath of the American Revolution? a. Many cities were in ruins, many farmers owned large debts, and the British were still a powerful presence. b. The economy was gaining in strength and the British military had left North America. c. Cities had strong economies, and the currency was strong. d. Taxes were low, and the currency was sound. e. Spain and Britain were no longer relevant on the North American continent.

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

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15) The Articles of Confederation created a. a strong central government b. strong military c. unitary system d. league of friendship e. federal system

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d. league of friendship

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16) All of the following were true of the government under the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT a. larger states had more votes in the national legislature b. there was no national judicial branch c. the national government could not levy taxes d. the national government could not regulate commerce e. amendment required the support of all thirteen states

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a. larger states had more votes in the national legislature

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17) Under the Articles of Confederation, delegates to the national legislature were a. elected by the people b. selected by state governors c. appointed by state committees d. chosen by the state legislatures e. none of the above is true

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d. chosen by the state legislatures

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18) The purpose of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was to a. prepare a new constitution b. consider revisions to the Articles of Confederation c. draft a declaration of independence d. adopt a common state constitution e. prepare for a second revolution

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b. consider revisions to the Articles of Confederation

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19) Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government could a. make peace b. levy taxes c. regulate interstate commerce d. establish a national judicial system e. establish a national bank

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a. make peace

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20) Pennsylvania's government was considered "radically democratic" because it featured no a. constitution b. written laws c. elected officials d. legislature e. governor

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e. governor

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21) The state of affairs in Pennsylvania seemed to suggest that a. state constitutions were generally successful b. the rights and liberties of citizens were secure in a confederation c. unitary systems were more liberal than confederations d. democracy and tyranny might not be all that far apart from one another e. it is not a good thing to create a separate, independent executive

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

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22) 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. a. Shays's Rebellion b. Bacon's Rebellion c. Whiskey Rebellion d. Clarke's Rebellion e. None of the above is true

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a. Shays's Rebellion

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23) To put down Shays's Rebellion, the governor of Massachusetts a. personally led Continental Army soldiers b. turned to state militia c. hired a volunteer army with private funds d. lobbied the Continental Congress to forgive the debts owned by the rebels e. asked Great Britain for help

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c. hired a volunteer army with private funds

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24) The Constitutional Convention attracted ________ delegates. a. 74 b. 55 c. 39 d. 30 e. 12

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b. 55

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25) Which state refused to send a delegate to the Constitutional Convention? a. New York b. Pennsylvania c. Massachusetts d. Virginia e. Rhode Island

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e. Rhode Island

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26) The "state of nature" refers to a. society without a government b. government without society c. formation of government along the lines of natural law d. the clash between government and society e. the very highest form of government

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a. society without government

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27) The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were, for the most part a. the same people who had written the Declaration of Independence b. rich c. intellectuals d. young, but experienced e. soldiers and veterans of the Revolutionary War

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d. young, but experienced

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28) The Constitutional Convention delegates' defense of liberty as a natural right was derived from the writings of the philosopher a. John Locke b. Montesquieu c. Rousseau d. Thomas Hobbes e. Kant

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a. John Locke

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29) Madison dramatized his perspective in a Federalist paper by observing that "if men were ________, no government would be necessary." a. Federalists b. Anti-Federalists c. angels d. aristocrats e. Puritans

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c. angels

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30) The central issue in the framing of the U.S. Constitution was that of a. how strong to make the national government b. how best to divide powers among the branches of government c. how best to break with Great Britain d. how to adopt liberty but still allow slaveholding e. how to create a truly independent judiciary

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a. how strong to make the national government

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31) This plan presented at the Constitutional Convention called for a bicameral legislative body with states' representation in each house based on population. a. Connecticut Plan b. New Jersey Plan c. Maryland Plan d. Virginia Plan e. Great Compromise

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d. Virginia Plan

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32) Each state would have had an equal number of votes in the legislature under the a. Connecticut Plan b. New Jersey Plan c. Maryland Plan d. Virginia Plan e. Georgia Plan

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b. New Jersey Plan

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33) The Great Compromise finally allocated representation on the basis of a. population, in both houses b. equality, in both houses c. population in the House and statehood equality in the Senate d. equality in the House and population in the Senate e. None of these choices is true

answer

c. population in the House and statehood equality in the Senate

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34) The importance of the Great Compromise was that it a. created a legislature similar in structure to that under the Articles of Confederation b. established a single, "one-state, one-vote" formula under which all states would benefit c. strengthened the power of larger states at the expense of smaller ones d. granted equal power to the three branches of the new central government e. ensured support for a strong national government from small as well as large states

answer

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

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35) This delegate at the Constitutional Convention suggested that the president be elected directly by the people a. James Madison b. Alexander Hamilton c. George Washington d. Aaron Burr e. James Wilson

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e. James Wilson

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36) The final report of the Constitutional Convention was approved on September 17, 1787 by a. all twelve states in attendance b. eleven of the twelve states attending c. every state and delegate attending d. every state in the Confederation e. None of these choices is true

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a. all twelve states in attendance

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37) This delegate to the Constitutional Convention presented the Virginia Plan but refused to sign the final document approved on September 17, 1787 a. James Madison b. Alexander Hamilton c. Roger Sherman d. Edmund Randolph e. William Patterson

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d. Edmund Randolph

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38) The goal of the Framers of the U.S. Constitution was to create a(n) a. political system in which majority rule was supreme b. pure democracy modeled after the New England town meeting c. pluralist democracy ruled by political elite d. autonomous collective e. republic based on a system of representation

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e. republic based on a system of representation

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39) Relative to the notion of democratic government, the Supreme Court's power of judicial review a. places limits on majority rule b. is limited to state issues c. generally favors the executive d. is sometimes democratic, sometimes not e. is applied frequently

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a. places limits on majority rule

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40) The nature of the amendment process has probably kept the amendments added to the U.S. Constitution a. relatively simple in nature b. legally complex in nature c. relatively few in number d. extremely controversial e. somewhat redundant

answer

c. relatively few in number

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41) The American version of representative democracy is based on two major principles: _________ and __________. a. separation of powers; federalism b. unicameralism; federalism c. judicial review; federalism d. party government; federalism e. None of these choices is true

answer

a. separation of powers; federalism

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42) Madison's confidence in the usefulness of separation of powers rested on the assumption that a. the strongest would survive b. human nature was basically good c. no one would purposely seek power d. ambitions would counteract each other e. government would create virtuous citizens

answer

d. ambitions could counteract each other

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43) 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 ______________. a. enumerated powers; reserved powers; concurrent powers b. reserved powers; states' rights; enumerated powers c. reserved powers; enumerated powers; concurrent powers d. national powers; state powers; federal powers e. concurrent powers; states' rights; federal powers

answer

a. enumerated powers; reserved powers; concurrent powers

question

44) The text suggests that the Antifederalists might have been more accurately called the a. nationalists b. states' rights advocates c. monarchists d. loyalists e. anarchists

answer

b. states' rights advocates

question

45) The U.S. Constitution was ratified by a. the Congress elected under the Articles of Confederation b. state legislatures c. special state conventions elected by the people d. unanimous acclaim by all thirteen states e. popular vote in state elections

answer

c. special state conventions elected by the people

question

46) Dividing power between the states and the national government is referred to as a. sovereignty b. dual legitimacy c. egalitarianism d. plutocracy e. federalism

answer

e. federalism

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47) Generally, the Antifederalists felt that the government created by the U.S. Constitution was a. an insufficient check on the power of the states b. too strong and too centralized c. too liberal d. barely strong enough to be effective e. overprotective of individual rights

answer

b. too strong and centralized

question

48) The Federalist papers were a. written at the Constitutional Convention as a way to explain the work that was done there b. composed by Hamilton and Washington just before the meeting at Annapolis c. articles written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to gain support for the Constitution d. adopted by the Constitutional Convention as a substitute for the Bill of Rights e. rejected by the Federalists as Antifederalist propoganda

answer

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

question

49) In Federalist No. 10 and No. 15, Madison argued in favor of a large republic, which went against the ideals of this political philosopher. a. John Locke b. Thomas Hobbes c. Plato d. Montesquieu e. None of these choices is true

answer

d. Montesquieu

question

50) Three-fifths of the slaves were counted for purposes of a. electing state legislatures b. appointing delegates to presidential conventions c. allotting seats in the House of Representatives d. assigning delegates to state conventions e. allotting seats in the Senate

answer

c. allotting seats in the House of Representatives

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51) The issue of slavery was deliberately left out of the Constitution due to a. the economic disaster it would present for the South b. the fact that many of the Framers owned slaves c. by deliberately abolishing slavery the Southern states would not ratify d. the Framers decided that was mostly an issue to be left up to the states e. all of these choices are correct

answer

e. all of these choices are correct

question

52) In 1913 this author wrote a book titled, "The Economic Interpretation of the Constitution" a. George Washington b. Charles Beard c. Edmond Randolph d. George Wallace e. John Dickinson

answer

b. Charles Beard

question

53) George Washington was sworn in on ______________________ as the first president of the US on a. June 21, 1788 b. July 4, 1789 c. April 30, 1789 d. June 25, 1789 e. April 25, 1788

answer

c. April 30, 1789

question

54) George Washington took the oath of office in which major US city a. Boston, MA b. Richmond, VA c. Trenton, NJ d. New York City, NY e. Philadelphia, PA

answer

d. New York City, NY

question

55) The Bill of Rights was officially added to the US Constitution as the first Amendments in a. 1788 b. 1789 c. 1790 d. 1791 e. 1792

answer

d. 1791

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56) The British constitution was a single written document that was a model for the colonists. a. True b. False

answer

b. False

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57) The colonists saw "higher law" as something that was discoverable in nature. a. True b. False

answer

a. True

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

answer

a. True

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59) The Framers' view of natural rights was heavily influenced by the writings of John Locke. a. True b. False

answer

a. True

question

60) During the ratification debate, the supporters of the U.S. Constitution called themselves Federalists. a. True b. False

answer

a. True

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