Basic Terms
A system of government in which the people hold the power.
Democracy
Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
By signing the Declaration of Independence, the rebels knew that they
committed an act of treason and could be executed
How many votes did each state have under the Articles of Confederation?
One vote per state
What was the original purpose of the Constitutional Convention in 1787?
To revise the Articles of Confederation so it could address national emergencies.
The Great Compromise resolved what issue?
The power of large versus small population states
a loose association of independent states
confederation
Who was elected President of the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington
Which of the following was is a natural right listed by John Locke, but was replaced in the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson with a different word?
Locke: property, Jefferson: pursuit of happiness
Who held most of the power under the Articles of Confederation?
The states
Bicameral (two chambers) representation based on each states’ population in both chambers
Virginia Plan
For any legislation to be passed into law, it must be approved by whom?
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate
A system in which the government’s power comes from the people through their elected representatives is known as
republicanism
Which document had the main premise that “People have natural rights that cannot be taken away by government and that people have a right to revolt if government is denying their natural rights?
Declaration of Independence
In the closing paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, what did the representatives of “the United States of America” claim to be?
free and independent states, absolved of all allegiance to the British crown
How many votes were needed on legislation under the Articles of confederation?
9 states
Why did smaller, less-populous states prefer the New Jersey Plan regarding how the legislative branch was structured?
There would be one house, and all states would have equal representation in it.
How are the number of electors chosen for each state?
It is the sum of its representatives and senators
What is the definition of inalienable rights?
Rights that the government cannot take away
The Constitution was written in
1787
cutting off trade with all parts of the world
keeping standing armies in the colonies in times of peace without consent of the colonists
making judges dependent on the king alone for tenure of office and salaries
imposing taxes without consent of the colonists
transporting colonists to Great Britain to stand trial
quartering large bodies of armed troops among the colonists
charges made against the British government in the Declaration of Independence
For the Articles of Confederation itself to be changed, what had to occur?
All thirteen colonies had to agree.
Which type of state would have been in favor of the proposed Virginia Plan?
A state with a relatively large population
a two-chamber legislature with equal representation for all states in one chamber and population-based representation in the other.
The Great Compromise
farmers trying to prevent foreclosure on their property for debts and taxes owed.
Shays’s rebellion
Which of the original 13 colonies was the only state not to send delegates to the Constitutional convention?
Rhode Island
In the Declaration of Independence, how was it stated that the British government responded when the colonists “petitioned for redress in the most humble terms”?
petitions only answered by repeated injury
No independent leadership position to direct the government
Did not allow government to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.
Did not give the National government the power to tax.
weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
It showed that the national government wasn’t strong enough to adequately address national emergencies and that the Articles of Confederation needed to be revised.
Shays’s rebellion
To count an enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of calculating a state’s representation and taxation
Three-Fifths Compromise
What is the name of the idea that the government’s right to rule comes from the people?
popular sovereignty
A political scientist living in the American colonies during the late 1700s believes it is the duty of the people to hold their government accountable and replace a tyrannical government if necessary. Who would this political scientist likely agree with?
John Locke
In the closing paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, what powers did the representatives of “the United States of America” claim to have?
all acts and things which independent states may of right do such as contract alliances and establish commerce
Why was the federal government under the Articles of Confederation made to be intentionally weak?
Americans had just experienced tyranny under the rule of Great Britain and did not want to duplicate it with another powerful government.
The method for choosing the president with the Electoral College was designed to address which of the following concerns?
Distrust of the judgment of the people and the small states' fears that the large states would dominate the selection process
A compromise in the Constitution stated that the slave trade across the Atlantic Ocean
would not be abolished in the next twenty years