Colonial Protest and Independence
Patrick Henry's Virginia Hours of Burgesses resolution argued that colonists could be taxed only by representatives chosen by the people. It was adopted in protest against his 1765 law.
What is the Stamp Act?
In 1777, enslaved petitioners in Massachusetts argued that freedom was a "natural right of all men" and asked the legislature to restore it to them. This is the group whose freedom the petition sought.
Who are enslaved people?
Article II of the Articles of Confederation reserved to each state powers not expressly to Congress. This feature show that they Articles created a government with this basic allocation of power.
What is state sovereignty, with limited powers delegated to the central government?
Federalist No. 51 says the government's parts should "keep each other in their proper places." This constitutional principle is being described.
What are checks and balances?
In his Farewell Address, George Washington advised the United States to avoid becoming politically entangled in Europe's conflicts and to follow this foreign-policy approach.
What is neutrality?
In Common Sense, Thomas Paine argued that its was "absurd" for a continent to be governed by an island. His pamphlet urged colonists toward this political step.
What is declaring independence from Britiain?
In her 1776 letter, Abigail Adams asked John Adams to "Remember the Ladies" and objected to laws made without women's voice or representation. This inequality was her concern.
What is inequality between men and women?
In an 1786 letter, Henry Knox warned that the government had made "no adequate provision" against unrest and urged that it be strengthened or altered. His warning pointed to this governing framework's weakness.
What are the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
Brutus argued that government's parts needed firm limits and a bill of rights; Hamilton argued that a bill of rights was unnecessary because the national government had only delegated powers. This was the larger political process they were debating.
What is ratification of the Constitution?
Hamilton supported a national bank as useful to public credit and government finances; Jefferson argued the Constitution did not delegate the power to create one. Their dispute centered on this constitutional question.
What is whether the Constitution grants the federal government power to create a national bank?
Paul Revere's 1770 engraving depicts British soldiers firing on a crown on King Street in Boston. This event became a powerful image of colonial conflict with Britian.
What is the Boston Massacre?
At the Constitutional Convention, Oliver Ellsworth defended allowing the slave trade to continue, while George Mason condemned slavery as morally wrong. This specific practice was at the center of their disagreement.
What is the slave trade?
The 10th Amendment reserves undelegated powers to the states. Like Article II of the Articles, it addresses theis division of authority.
What is the division of power between state and national governments?
The First Amendment protects religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. The assessment identifies this example of a right protected from congressional restriction.
What is First Amendment protection?
This case upheld a broad reading of national powers, strengthening the federal goverment.
What is McCulloch v. Maryland?
The Declaration passage says governments receive "their just powers from the consent of the governed." This principle means legitimate government depends on the people's agreement.
What is consent of the governed?
The assessment connects Abigail Adams's concerns about women's rights to a later document that directly addressed women's equality and rights. This is the document.
What is the Declaration of Sentiments?
The assessment's account of postwar unrest describes people rebelling over poverty and debt, alarming property owners and exposing weak national authority. This type of unrest helped prompt call for government reform.
What is Shays-style unrest or rebellion?
In McCulloch v. Maryland, Chief Justice John Marshall relied on the constitutional authority for Congress to make laws "necessary and proper" to carry out its powers. This clause is called.
What is the Necessary and Proper Clause, or Elastic Clause?
A 2000 political cartoon shows a voter's ballot traveling through the Electoral College and suggests that the process may not directly reflect the popular vote. The cartoon criticizes this feature of presidential elections.
What is the Electoral College?
The Declaration passage say people may "alter or abolish" a government that destroys their rights. Together with the argument in Common Sense, this idea helped justify this break from British rule.
What is independence from Britain?
The 1787 debate over the slave trade ended in a compromise allowing it to continue until this year.
Under the Articles, states retained broad sovereignty; under the Constitution, national powers were more capable of action while some powers remained reserved to the states or people. This principle describes the division of power between national and state governments.
What is federalism?
Brutus feared that a bill of rights was necessary to restrain government; Hamilton believed listing rights could imply powers the government did not have. This proposed set of amendments became a key issue in the Constitution's ratification debate.
What is the Bill of Rights?
Article II gives Congress authority to provide for presidential succession beyond the vice president; the 22nd Amendment later established this limit on presidential service.
What is a two-term limit?