Term
| The phrase “a lawyer’s brief justifying a revolution” has been used to describe the ________. |
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Definition
| Declaration of Independence |
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Term
| What the colonists sought in proclaiming independence from Great Britain was political power embodied in a __________. |
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Definition
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Term
| _________ rights are based on nature and Providence. |
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Definition
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Term
| Where were the essential rights demanded from the British--life, liberty, and property--derived from? |
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Definition
| Certain natural rights ordained by God. |
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Term
| The principal goal of the American Revolution was _______. |
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Definition
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Term
| One of the basic liberties sought by the colonists through independence from Great Britain was _____________. |
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Definition
| Freedom from taxation without representation. |
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Term
| The theory of ________ provided the basis for the colonists’ justification of the liberties they sought. |
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Definition
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Term
| Jefferson’s phrase, “the pursuit of happiness,” stated in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, was more specifically interpreted by the colonists to mean the right to ________. |
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Definition
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Term
| The list of the essential rights demanded by the colonists included life, liberty, and _______. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Constitution was signed in ______ and ratified by the thirteen states. |
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Definition
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Term
| The purpose of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was to ___________. |
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Definition
| Revise the Articles of Confederation |
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Term
| James Madison’s conclusions of examination of historical data on republics, confederations, and aristocracies to learn about the formation of government are found in the ___________. |
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Definition
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Term
| John Lock’s notion of the “________” might best be exemplified today by international relations between the superpowers. |
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Definition
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Term
| What was the central issue in the framing of the U.S. Constitution? |
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Definition
| How strong to make the central government. |
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Term
| Who were the two leaders that were conspicuously absent from the Constitutional Convention? |
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Definition
| Thomas Jefferson & Patrick Henry |
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Term
| In an early test of the powers of the Articles of Confederation, the Continental Congress failed to deal with an uprising in western Massachusetts known as __________. |
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Definition
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Term
| What was significant about Shay’s Rebellion to the colonists? |
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Definition
| It showed how weak the national government was and that it lacked the power to maintain peace and order. |
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Term
| A “council of revision” for acts of the national legislature was proposed in the _______. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Virginia Plan would have granted the national legislature the power to veto _______ any time it chose. |
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Definition
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Term
| The _______ was a reaction by some states primarily to the fear that the Virginia Plan gave too much power to populous states. |
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Definition
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Term
| The New Jersey plan would have allotted votes in Congress to states on the basis of ______. |
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Definition
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Term
| The _______ was intended merely to adopt amendments to the Articles of Confederation. |
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Definition
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Term
| What effect has the nature of the amendment process had on amendments to the U.S. Constitution? |
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Definition
| It has kept the number of amendments relatively few in number. |
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Term
| In the U.S. Constitution, a limitation on democratization was imposed with the creation of the ________. |
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Definition
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Term
| Relative to the notion of democratic government, the Supreme Court’s power of ________ places limits on democracy. |
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Definition
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Term
| What was a way the power of the people--popular majority rule-- limited by the U.S. Constitution? |
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Definition
| By making the amending of the U.S. Constitution relatively difficult. |
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Term
| The goal of the Framers of the U.S. Constitution was to create a __________ based on a system of representation. |
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Definition
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Term
| What was another compromise worked out at the Constitutional Convention after the Great Compromise relating to the election of the president? |
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Definition
| The use of an electoral college for choosing a president. |
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Term
| Seats in Congress were allocated on the basis of both equality (Senate) and population (House) under the _____________. |
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Definition
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Term
| Dividing power between the states and the national government is referred to as ________. |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the two ways an amendment to the Constitution can be proposed? |
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Definition
A 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress
A national convention called by Congress at the request of 2/3 of the states. |
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Term
| What are the two key principles in the framing of the U.S. Constitution that involves a system of checks and balances in which power is dispersed? |
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Definition
| Separation of power and Federalism |
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Term
| The concept of the _________ involves the division of the functions of government. |
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Definition
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Term
| Generally, the _________ felt that the government created by the U.S. Constitution was too strong and too centralized. |
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Definition
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Term
| How did ratification of the U.S. Constitution take place? |
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Definition
| By special conventions elected by the people. |
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Term
| To James Madison, an important source of national unity and a guarantee of liberty in society was ___________. |
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Definition
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Term
| What are three ways in which Congress can check the federal courts? |
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Definition
Refusing to confirm a nominee (Senate only)
Changing the number and jurisdiction of the lower courts
Impeaching a judge |
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Term
| ________ is when a person cannot be imprisoned without first being brought before a judge, who in turn finds sufficient cause for his or her detention. |
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Definition
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Term
| Why didn’t the Founders include a bill or rights in the beginning? |
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Definition
| They believed they were creating a government of limited powers & thought is was unnecessary. |
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Term
| James Madison’s main argument in favor of a federalist position, stated in Federalist 10 and 51, was in defense of ________. |
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Definition
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Term
| In which Federalist Paper does James Madison warn against the danger of factions? |
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Definition
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Term
| _____ of the slaves were counted for purposes of allotting seats in the House of Representatives. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution was intended to limit the power of ___________. |
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Definition
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Term
| Ratification of the U.S. Constitution was opposed by _________. |
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Definition
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Term
| What were the three reasons why state delegations at the Constitutional Convention voted down the bill of rights? |
|
Definition
The U.S. Const. already had a number of guarantees of individual freedom
Most states in 1787 had a bill of rights
Most individual rights were implied by the Const. |
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Term
| Why did the Constitution fail to outlaw slavery? |
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Definition
| Southern support was essential to the adoption of the document. |
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Term
| Until 1808, the national government was prohibited from ________. |
|
Definition
| Restricting the slave trade |
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Term
| What did the U.S. Constitution provide for slaves escaping to free states? |
|
Definition
| Be returned to their masters |
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Term
| How did the fact that some of the Founders of the U.S. Constitution held government IOUs influence their support for the Constitution? |
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Definition
| If you owned IOUs, you had a strong economic motive for wanting the national government to survive. |
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Term
| _______ tended to favor a weak decentralized government as a protection of liberty. |
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Definition
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Term
| Most amendments to the U.S. Constitution have been ratified by the vote of ________. |
|
Definition
| ¾ of the state legislatures |
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Term
| What is one of the reasons given why the U.S. government is poorly equipped to handle problems such as dependence on foreign oil? |
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Definition
| It is due to its separation of powers. |
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Term
| What is a major argument in favor of reducing the separation of powers called for in the U.S. Constitution? |
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Definition
| It would allow prompt, decisive leadership in times of crisis. |
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Term
| One of the criticisms of the separation of powers is that the president is suppose to be in charged of the bureaucracy, however, he has to share this authority with ________. |
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Definition
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Term
| The _______ would allow a president to veto part of a bill while approving the rest. |
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Definition
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Term
| Thomas Jefferson originally included _____ in his list of rights in drafting the Declaration of Independence. |
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Definition
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Term
| Under the ________ , the national government could neither levy taxes nor regulate commerce. |
|
Definition
| Articles of Confederation |
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Term
| _________ was elected president in 1785, but never showed up for the job. |
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Definition
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Term
| _______ between the states was greatly hampered during the era of the Articles of Confederation. |
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Definition
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Term
| George Washington believed the country could survive only with a __________. |
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Definition
| Strong national government |
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Term
| Shay’s Rebellion was put down with a ______. |
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Definition
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Term
| The ________ called for the creation of a two-house legislature with representation based on the size of the state. |
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Definition
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Term
| The _______ reconciled the interests of the small and large states over representation. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Founders sought to limit the _______ spirit of their times. |
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Definition
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Term
| A _______ is a government in which a system of representation operates. |
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Definition
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Term
| _______ was conceived as a system for keeping some factions from dominating others. |
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Definition
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Term
| The _________ favored a strong national government. |
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Definition
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Term
| The proponents of the U.S. Constitution were called ________. |
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Definition
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Term
| The great issued before the state conventions in 1787 was _______, not democracy. |
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Definition
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Term
| At the time the U.S. Constitution was written, ______ accounted for about 1/3 of the population of the southern states. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Constitution forbade outlawing _____ for 20 years. |
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Definition
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Term
| The ______ is favored by those who wish to put tighter controls on federal spending. |
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Definition
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Term
| What is needed to give the president a true line-item veto? |
|
Definition
| A Constitutional amendment |
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Term
| Each state had _____ votes under the Articles of Confederation. |
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Definition
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Term
| John Locke believed that the “end of government” was ____________. |
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Definition
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Term
| Reflecting the natural rights philosophy, the Declaration of Independence stated that government derive their just powers from ________. |
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Definition
| The consent of the governed. |
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Term
| The Declaration of Independence is based on John Locke’s two concepts of _________. |
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Definition
| Concept of natural rights and the idea that government be built on the consent of the governed. |
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Term
| John Locke’s ideas on natural rights were related to human law in that natural rights were considered __________ than human law. |
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Definition
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Term
| What were the four basic concepts of John Locke’s theory of government? |
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Definition
| Natural rights, consent of the governed, limited government, and property rights |
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Term
| What were the four basic concepts of John Locke’s theory of government? |
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Definition
| Natural rights, consent of the governed, limited government, and property rights |
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Term
| In _________ philosophy, the requirements that standing laws be known and private property be preserved impose two major limits on government. |
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Definition
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Term
| The justification for separation from England in the Declaration of Independence was based heavily on the ideas of the English philosopher _________. |
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Definition
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Term
| Thomas Jefferson’s phrase “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” was a modification of John Locke’s phrase “Life, liberty, and ________.” |
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Definition
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Term
| What was the sole purpose of government according to John Locke? |
|
Definition
| To protect natural rights. |
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Term
| The foundation of John Locke’s philosophy was that human beings derive their rights from ________. |
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Definition
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Term
| At the top of the political agenda during the period of the Articles of Confederation was __________. |
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Definition
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Term
| _________ was a n uprising by farmers to prevent judges from foreclosing on farms. |
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Definition
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Term
| Which state boycotted the Constitutional Convention? |
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Definition
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Term
| Shay’s rebellion was a dramatic example of the ________ of the national government under the Articles of Confederation. |
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Definition
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|
Term
| What was the significance of the Annapolis meeting? |
|
Definition
| It issued the original call for the constitutional convention in Philadelphia. |
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Term
| What were the three major groups that met at the Constitutional Convention in 1787? |
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Definition
| Wealthy planters, lawyers, and merchants. |
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Term
| Besides Shay’s rebellion, what happened after the Revolutionary War that showed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation? |
|
Definition
| Postwar depression that severely hurt small farmers and many others. |
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Term
| What was the original, sole and express purpose of the convention in Philadelphia? |
|
Definition
| To revise the Articles of Confederation. |
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Term
| The first two weeks of the Constitutional Convention were spent debating the nature of __________. |
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Definition
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Term
| The view of human nature most prevalent among the Founding Fathers was that people are self-interested in acquiring ___________. |
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Definition
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Term
| The most influential man at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was ___________. |
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Definition
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Term
| According to James Madison and many of the delegates at the constitutional convention, what was the primary source of political conflict? |
|
Definition
| Unequal distribution of wealth and property. |
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Term
| The philosophy of the writers of the Constitution was based in part on the belief that the principal object of government was the preservation of ______. |
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Definition
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Term
| Most delegates to the Constitutional Convention believed that the secret of good government is a _________. |
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Definition
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Term
| Most of the delegates at the constitutional convention regarded _________ as the greatest threat to government. |
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Definition
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Term
| How did the Constitutional Convention deal with slavery? |
|
Definition
| It recognized it by providing for the return of escaped slaves |
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Term
| The Virginia plan was based on _____ while the New Jersey Plan was based on ______. |
|
Definition
| Population; equal representation |
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Term
| The Connecticut Compromise gives more representation in Congress to people who live in states with ______ populations than it does people who live in _________ states. |
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Definition
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Term
| On the issue of slaves, the Constitution specified that slaves would count as ____ persons for counting the nation’s population and determining seats in the House. |
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Definition
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Term
| The government designed at the Constitutional Convention allowed the voters to directly elect __________. |
|
Definition
| Only the House of Representatives |
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Term
| Under the Constitution, the number of Senators is based on ________ and the members of the House are based on _________. |
|
Definition
| Two per state; population |
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Term
| How was the debate at the Philadelphia convention over eligibility to vote resolved? |
|
Definition
| It was left up to the individual states. |
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Term
| The framers of the Constitution gave the chief economic policy making role to ________. |
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Definition
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Term
| What were the four major prohibitions of states under the Constitution? |
|
Definition
Printing paper money, placing duties on imports from other states, interfering with lawfully contracted debts,
harboring slaves. |
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Term
| What did the Constitution do to put the national economy on sound footing? |
|
Definition
| It required the national gov’t. to repay all government debts incurred under the Continental Congress. |
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Term
| What negated the Constitution requirement of states to return runaway slaves to their rightful owners? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the four violations of individual rights forbidden in the original Constitution? |
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Definition
| Suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, passing ex post facto laws, passing bills of attainder, and strict limits on the prosecution of treason. |
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Term
| Madisonian principles in the Constitution were based on a concern that government would be dominated by a _________. |
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Definition
| Majority of minority faction. |
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Term
| What were the two key elements of the Madisonian model? |
|
Definition
Keep most of the gov’t. beyond the control of a popular majority.
Separate the powers of different institutions. |
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Term
| The system of ________ in the Constitution means that change usually comes slowly, if at all, and moderation and compromise are typical in our political system. |
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Definition
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Term
| Congress is prohibited under the Constitution from passing ________, which punish people or increase the penalties for acts that were not as punishable when committed. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Constitution prohibits Congress or the states from passing ________, which punish people without a trial. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Constitution includes a provision that persons detained by authorities must be held on specific charge or released. This is known as _____. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Madisonian system has a ______ bias favoring the status quo. |
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Definition
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Term
| Ratification of the Constitution needed the approval of __________ states. |
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Definition
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Term
| What was added to the Constitution in order to get it ratified? |
|
Definition
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Term
| The __________ were essays in support of ratification of the Constitution. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Constitution was ratified by _________ in each of the states. |
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Definition
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Term
| The “unwritten constitution” may have an impact on the ___________ of the Constitution. |
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Definition
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Term
| Political parties are an important example of the ________. |
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Definition
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Term
| To Propose a formal amendment to the Constitution, one needs to have a ______ vote in Congress. |
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Definition
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|
Term
| Constitutional amendments are usually ratified by _____________. |
|
Definition
| Legislatures of 3/4ths of the states. |
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|
Term
| What has been the impact of the amendments to the Constitution? |
|
Definition
| It has made it more eqalitarian and democratic. |
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|
Term
| What did the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment show? |
|
Definition
| That a national majority in favor of an amendment is not sufficient to add it to the Constitution. |
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Term
| The development of the two-party system is an example of informal constitutional change through _____. |
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Definition
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Term
| The ________ has increased in significance and power as a result of increased public demands for a broader scope of government. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Supreme Court case ______ asserted the power of the Court to check the actions of the other branches through judicial review. |
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Definition
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Term
| How has the Constitution changed in regard to voter eligibility? |
|
Definition
| It has been amended several times to expand the electorate. |
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Term
| What have some scholars suggested was a consequence of separation of powers and checks and balances? |
|
Definition
| A fragmented policy-making policy |
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Term
| The U.S. has the oldest written ________ in the world. |
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Definition
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Term
| The Jamestown colonists set a political precedent by instituting a ________ ________. |
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Definition
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Term
| The major historical and political significance of the ________ ________ was that it was the start of the first settlement in America by the British and it served as a prototype for many similar compacts. |
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Definition
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Term
| As a political document, the Mayflower Compact was a constitution of ________ _________. |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| Why were taxes imposed on the colonists? |
|
Definition
| To pay for England’s war debt |
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Term
| The tax called “taxation without representation” was the __________. |
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Definition
|
|
Term
| Why was the resolution of Independence significant? |
|
Definition
| Because it established the legitimacy of the new nation. |
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Term
| Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, advocated the idea that a government of our own is our _______. |
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Definition
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Term
| The colonists’ fury over taxation climaxed in the __________. |
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Definition
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Term
| What was one of the main actions of the Second Continental Congress? |
|
Definition
| To establish an army and appoint a commander in chief. |
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Term
| What was stated in the resolution passed by the First Continental Congress? |
|
Definition
| It expressed colonial grievances to King George. |
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Term
| What was the British response to the First Continental Congress? |
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Definition
| It treated the Congress’s first actions as an open act of rebellion. |
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Term
| What was the political significance of the First Continental Congress? |
|
Definition
| It represented the first formal act of cooperation among the colonies. |
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Term
| The original draft of the Declaration of Independence included a ____________. |
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Definition
|
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Term
| What did the Republicans oppose? |
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Definition
| The monarchy, a strong central government, and any restraint of the power of local groups. |
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Term
| What were the state governments doing during the time of the Revolution, 1776 to 1781? |
|
Definition
| Adopting their own written constitutions. |
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Term
| What were two of the major powers under the Articles of Confederation? |
|
Definition
| To regulate foreign affairs and establish coinage and weights and measures. |
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Term
| What was the Annapolis convention ostensibly called to do? |
|
Definition
| To discuss commercial problems. |
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Term
| What kind of government did the majority of delegates to the Philadelphia convention advocate? |
|
Definition
| A strong central government. |
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|
Term
| What kind of government did Alexander Hamilton advocate? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What does the Supremacy doctrine assert? |
|
Definition
| The superiority of national law over state law. |
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Term
| ________ drafted the Bill of Rights from over 200 state recommendations. |
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Definition
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