Foundations & Failures
What was the first government of the United States called?
A) The Declaration of Independence
B) The Articles of Confederation
C) The Constitution
D) The Bill of Rights
B) The Articles of Confederation
Who led the armed uprising in Massachusetts in 1786–1787?
A) Alexander Hamilton
B) James Madison
C) George Washington
D) Daniel Shays
D) Daniel Shays
Which plan proposed representation based on a state’s population?
A) The New Jersey Plan
B) The Virginia Plan
C) The Great Compromise
D) The Three-Fifths Plan
B) The Virginia Plan
What are the three branches of the United States government?
A) Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
B) Federal, State, and Local
C) President, Congress, and Military
D) Senate, House, and Governor
A) Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
What is the first part of the Constitution, beginning with "We the People," called?
A) The Bill of Rights
B) The Articles
C) The Declaration
D) The Preamble
D) The Preamble
Which was a major problem that made it hard for the national government to act under the Articles?
A) The national government could not collect taxes.
B) The President had too much power.
C) The Supreme Court kept overturning national laws.
D) There were too many federal soldiers in the states.
A) The national government could not collect taxes.
What was a primary cause of Shays' Rebellion?
A) Farmers wanted to return to British rule.
B) High taxes and debt led to the foreclosure of many farms.
C) The national government refused to provide farmers with seeds.
D) Protesters wanted to move the capital to Boston.
B) High taxes and debt led to the foreclosure of many farms.
Which plan proposed equal representation for each state regardless of size?
A) The New Jersey Plan
B) The Virginia Plan
C) The New York Plan
D) The Electoral College
A) The New Jersey Plan
Which branch is described in Article II, which establishes the office of the President?
A) Legislative Branch
B) Judicial Branch
C) State Branch
D) Executive Branch
D) Executive Branch
Which group feared a strong national government and demanded a Bill of Rights?
A) Anti-Federalists
B) Federalists
C) Loyalists
D) Abolitionists
A) Anti-Federalists
Why did states have more power than the national government under the Articles?
A) Americans feared a strong central leader and wanted to keep sovereignty.
B) The British King ordered the states to remain powerful.
C) The national government was located in a different country.
D) Most Americans wanted to return to being British colonies.
A) Americans feared a strong central leader and wanted to keep sovereignty.
How did Shays' Rebellion show a weakness of the national government?
A) It showed the government could not raise an army to maintain order.
B) It proved the national government was taxing farmers too heavily.
C) It proved that the states had too little power.
D) It showed the President was acting like a tyrant.
A) It showed the government could not raise an army to maintain order.
The "Great Compromise" settled representation disputes by:
A) Allowing only large states to vote on taxes.
B) Giving all states exactly three representatives.
C) Giving the President power to choose Congress.
D) Creating a Senate with equal representation and a House based on population.
D) Creating a Senate with equal representation and a House based on population.
What is an "enumerated power" of Congress?
A) A power that is kept hidden from the public.
B) A power that only the President can use.
C) A specific power listed in the Constitution, such as coining money.
D) A power that belongs only to the state governments.
C) A specific power listed in the Constitution, such as coining money.
Which statement best defines the concept of Federalism?
A) The President holds all the power in the country.
B) Power is divided between the national government and state governments.
C) Every state is its own independent country with its own military.
D) Only the Supreme Court can make new laws for the states.
B) Power is divided between the national government and state governments.
How did the inability to collect taxes weaken the national government?
A) It prevented the states from coining their own money.
B) It made it impossible for the government to create a postal system.
C) It left the government unable to pay off war debts or support a national army.
D) It forced the government to sell all its land to France.
C) It left the government unable to pay off war debts or support a national army.
From the perspective of a farmer in 1787, why was the rebellion seen as necessary?
A) Farmers wanted to seize power and crown Daniel Shays as King.
B) They felt the government was unfairly taking their land and ignoring their debts.
C) They believed the Articles of Confederation were too strong.
D) They wanted to force the states to join the British Empire.
B) They felt the government was unfairly taking their land and ignoring their debts.
The Great Compromise created a "bicameral" legislature. What does bicameral mean?
A) A government with three branches.
B) A system where the President makes all the laws.
C) A legislature with two separate houses (Senate and House).
D) A law that can never be changed.
C) A legislature with two separate houses (Senate and House).
Why is the "Elastic Clause" important to the US government?
A) It gives Congress the flexibility to create laws needed to carry out its duties.
B) It allows the government to take away state powers at any time.
C) It prevents the President from ever vetoing a bill.
D) It requires all laws to be voted on by the citizens directly.
A) It gives Congress the flexibility to create laws needed to carry out its duties.
The Three-Fifths Compromise decided that:
A) Only 3/5 of the states had to agree to pass a law.
B) The President would serve a term of 3 to 5 years.
C) 3/5 of the enslaved population would be counted for representation and taxes.
D) 3/5 of the Bill of Rights would apply to the states.
C) 3/5 of the enslaved population would be counted for representation and taxes.
Predict one long-term problem the US might face if the Articles had stayed unchanged.
A) The national government would have become too tyrannical.
B) The states would have merged into one giant super-state.
C) The Supreme Court would have taken over the Legislative branch.
D) The nation might have collapsed due to economic competition and lack of defense.
D) The nation might have collapsed due to economic competition and lack of defense.
Why would a wealthy merchant support a stronger national government after the rebellion?
A) They wanted the government to give everyone free land.
B) They hoped a new government would abolish all taxes.
C) They wanted to make sure every farmer had the right to vote.
D) They feared that "mob rule" and riots threatened their property and commerce.
D) They feared that "mob rule" and riots threatened their property and commerce.
How did the Great Compromise combine the Virginia and New Jersey plans?
A) It created a two-house Congress to satisfy both large and small states.
B) It kept the Articles of Confederation but added a President.
C) It moved the capital to a small state to satisfy the New Jersey Plan.
D) It gave small states more power in the Executive branch.
A) It created a two-house Congress to satisfy both large and small states.
Which of the following is an example of "Checks and Balances"?
A) Congress passing a law and the states ignoring it.
B) The President coining money without permission.
C) The President vetoing a bill passed by Congress.
D) The Supreme Court writing new laws for the states.
C) The President vetoing a bill passed by Congress.
Why was the Bill of Rights important to early Americans?
A) It gave the government the power to arrest anyone they wanted.
B) It allowed the President to serve for life.
C) It made the national government stronger than the state governments.
D) It guaranteed basic liberties and protected citizens from government abuse.
D) It guaranteed basic liberties and protected citizens from government abuse.