Foundational Documents
What was NOT a reason for why the Articles of Confederation failed?
A. Ability to enforce laws
B. Ability to repay debts
C. Ability to maintain independence
D. Ability to raise taxes
E. Ability to create/pass laws
C. Ability to maintain independence
What were Locke’s natural rights? (there are 3)
Life, liberty, property
What was the 3/5ths Compromise?
Slaves would be counted as 3/5ths of a person when determining a state’s total population
What are denied powers and provide an example?
Powers explicitly denied to the national government.
ex:) suspending writ of habeas corpus, passing bill of attainders, ex post facto laws.
What was Shays’s Rebellion and what was its significance?
Farmers attack courthouses, no national militia
Exposed national gov weakness under AoC
What was the demographic of the Framers of the Constitution?
A. Common men (farmers and artisans)
B. Elite, business-minded men
C. A varied mix of elite and common men
B. Elite, business-minded men
Define federalism.
The division of power between various levels of government
What was the Great Compromise?
Bicameral legislature, all revenue bills must begin in the HoR, advise and consent in the Senate, President/VP have four-year terms, Supreme Court judges appointed for life, Congress can create lower courts if needed
What are concurrent powers and provide an example?
Powers shared by Federal and state governments.
ex.) power to tax and spend, establish courts, make laws
What are the two types of grants-in-aid?
Categorical and block grants
What is Madison’s main argument in Federalist 51?
Advocates for the separation of powers within the government
What are the three types of democracy?
Participatory, pluralist, and elitist
When drafting the Constitution, what were some of the Anti-Federalists’ main arguments for opposing a strong national government?
Strong national government wouldn’t protect individual liberties and states’ rights need to be upheld
What is extradition?
A legal process where an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one states to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed
What court case established the Supremacy Clause?
McCulloch vs Maryland
According to Madison’s Federalist 10, what is the main cause of factions?
A. The tyranny of national government
B. The disunity of American values
C. The encroaching power of states’ rights
D. The unequal distribution of wealth
E. Alexander Hamilton
D. The unequal distribution of wealth
Name 2 of the federal government’s ENUMERATED/EXPRESSED powers under the Constitution.
Declare war, regulate interstate trade, create army and navy, post office, coin money
The Articles of Confederation was considered the “first Constitution” of the nation, yet severely lacked national power to unify its states. Name 2 powers that the national government lacked under the AoC.
No direct taxation, cannot raise standing army, no control over foreign commerce, couldn’t force states to comply with national law
A person was declared guilty without trial. What is the unconstitutional legislative bill that this person received? (hint: “bills of…”)
Bills of Attainder
In a 1995 court hearing, the Gun Free School Zones Act (GFSZA) was ruled as unconstitutional since gun possession could not be regulated by Congress according to the Commerce clause. Name the court case.
US v. Lopez
What is full faith and credit?
States honor what happens in other states (extradition, privileges and immunities). Guarantees a republican form of government
What is the difference between dual federalism and cooperative federalism?
Dual federalism is where the constitution gives a limited list of powers to the national government, and the state can have the rest. Cooperative federalism is a shared power between states and the central government.
What is the Commerce Clause?
Interstate commerce is controlled by the national government, placed tariffs on imports but not exports
A person has been imprisoned WITHOUT receiving a court order explaining why an authority has lawfully placed custody over the person. What exactly did the person NOT receive?
Writ of habeas corpus
Title 9 of the Civil Rights Act prohibits gender discrimination in educational activities that receive federal funding. Which amendment is Title 9 based on?
14th Amendment