Political Influences
The author of Two Treatise of Government (1689): Who argued that government gets its power from the consent of the people and that individuals have natural rights to life, liberty, and property.
Who is John Locke?
What was the first governing document of the United States after independence?
What is the Articles of Confederation?
Who is often called the “Father of the Constitution” because of his major role in drafting the Virginia Plan?
Who is James Madison?
What are the first three words of the Preamble that emphasize that the government gets its authority from the people?
What is “We the People”?
What is the supreme law of the United States that establishes the national government and defines its powers?
What is the U.S. Constitution?
This document was written in 1215 and limited the powers of government.
What is the Magna Carta?
What weakness of the Articles made it difficult for the national government to pay debts or fund its operations?
What is the inability to levy (raise) taxes?
What compromise created a two-house Congress with representation based on population in the House and equal representation in the Senate?
What is the Great Compromise?
What is the primary purpose of the Preamble to the Constitution?
What is to introduce the Constitution and explain its purposes and goals?
The Constitution divides the federal government into three branches. What are they?
What are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches?
The philosopher who focused on the importance of separating the powers of government.
Who is Montesquieu?
What 1786–1787 uprising by Massachusetts farmers exposed the weakness of the national government under the Articles?
What is Shay's Rebellion?
What compromise determined that enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of representation and taxation?
What is the three fifths compromise?
The Preamble states that the government should “establish Justice.” What does this phrase generally mean as a goal of government?
What is creating a fair system of laws and ensuring justice for the people?
What constitutional principle prevents any one branch of government from becoming too powerful by giving each branch ways to limit the others?
What are Checks and Balances?
This philosopher warned against the formation of factions, stating that they would divide instead of unite a nation.
Who is Rousseau?
The Articles required approval from how many of the 13 states to amend the document, making major reforms extremely difficult?
What is all 13 states?
What debate at the Constitutional Convention centered on whether the new national government should have a strong central authority or remain primarily controlled by the states?
What is the debate over federalism and the balance of power between the states and the national government?
Which phrase in the Preamble reflects the goal of creating unity among the states and citizens of the United States?
What is "to form a more perfect union".
The first ten amendments to the Constitution were added to protect individual freedoms and limit government power. What are these amendments collectively known as?
What is the Bill of Rights?
A nation must be guided by this, which is a shared interests of all citizens working together for the common good.
What is general will?
This major weakness of the Articles contributed to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where delegates sought to create a stronger federal government.
What is the inability of the national government to effectively enforce laws, regulate interstate commerce, and raise revenue?
This compromise resolved the dispute between large and small states by creating a bicameral legislature with different methods of representation in each chamber.
What is the Great Compromise?
Why is the phrase “We the People” especially important to the concept of popular sovereignty in the United States?
What is the idea that government’s authority comes from the people, who ultimately have the power to establish and change their government?
Why did the Founders create a Constitution with both a strong national government and limits on that government’s power?
What is to create an effective government while preventing tyranny and protecting individual rights and liberties?