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Constitution
VUS.5 Constitution
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Why were American political leaders fearful of a strong national government? | They did not want a strong government like England had |
| What document created the first national government in the United States? | The Articles of Confederation |
| What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? | No power to tax or regulate interstate commerce, no common currency, no executive or judicial branches |
| What could the national government do under the Articles of Confederation | Declare war, raise an army, sign treaties, run the post office |
| What is the basis for membership in the Senate? | Equality (2 senators from each state) |
| What is the basis for membership in the House of Representatives? | Population |
| What is the 3/5 Compromise? | Allowed southern states to count slaves as 3/5 of the population when determining representation in the House of Representatives |
| How did the government prevent any one branch from gaining too much power? | checks and balances |
| Who presided over the Constitutional Convention as Chairman? | George Washington |
| Who is considered the "Father of the Constitution?" | James Madison |
| What was the Virginia Plan and who authored it? | James Madison - proposed 3 separate branches and a bicameral Congress based on population |
| What was the Great Compromise? | Satisfied both large and small states by creating a bicameral Congress with the Senate based on equal representation and the House of Representatives based on population |
| Who authored the Bill of Rights? | James Madison |
| Who were the Federalists? | Those favoring the strong national government created by the Constitution that facilitated interstate commerce, managed foreign relations and national defense. |
| Why did the Federalists feel a Bill of Rights was not necessary? | It would be redundant since most states already had bills of rights that clearly defined basic rights in individual state constitutions |
| Who were the Anti-Federalists? | Those believing a strong national government would take power away from the states |
| How did the Federalists convince the Anti-Federalists to ratify the Constitution in Virginia? | They pledged to add a Bill of Rights clearly defining basic rights to the Constitution |
| What was the Virginia Declaration of Rights? | A list of basic human rights not to be violated by the state government in Virginia |
| Who wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights? | George Mason |
| What was the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom? | A law that outlawed the government from supporting a favored church |
| Who wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom? | Thomas Jefferson |
| What two documents did James Madison consult when writing the Bill of Rights? | The Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom |
| Who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who expanded the power of the federal courts? | John Marshall |
| What is the significance of the Marbury v. Madison decision? | John Marshall established judicial review (the right to check the constitutionality of a law) |
| What is the significance of the McCulloch v. Maryland decision? | States were prohibited from taxing the federal government "the power to tax is the power to destroy" (federal law is supreme to state law) |
| What is the significance of the Gibbons v. Ogden decision? | The court strengthened the power of the United States to regulate interstate commerce |
| Where did the Constitutional Convention meet? | Philadelphia |
| What rebellion showed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? | Shays' Rebellion |
| What is federalism? | the division of power between the national and the state governments |
| What was the New Jersey Plan? | proposed a unicameral legislature based on equal representation |
| What does separation of powers mean? | The division of power among different branches of the national government |
| What are the three branches of the government created by the Constitution and what do they do? | Legislative (makes laws), Executive (enforces laws), Judicial (interprets laws) |
| How many states were needed to ratify the Constitution? | 3/4 (9 states) |
| Who were the two leading Federalists from Virginia? | George Washington and James Madison |
| Who were the two leading Anti-Federalists from Virginia? | Patrick Henry and George Mason |
| What is the Bill of Rights? | First 10 amendments to the Constitution |
| What is an amendment? | An addition to the Constitution |
| What are the Federalist Papers? | a series of essays written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison used to convince New York to ratify the Constitution |
| What was created to ensure only the most educated citizens elected the president? | Electoral College |
| Why did the Anti-Federalists insist on a Bill of Rights? | To ensure the national government could not violate the basic human rights of the citizens |
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suireh
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