Amendments
Which amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures?
The Fourth Amendment
Which clause establishes that the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the “supreme Law of the Land”?
The Supremacy Clause
Which New York delegate argued for a strong national government and later became one of the authors of the Federalist Papers?
Alexander Hamilton
Which branch has the power to determine whether a federal law violates the Constitution?
The judicial branch
What collection of essays was written to argue in favor of ratifying the new U.S. Constitution?
The Federalist Papers
Which amendment is most directly associated with the constitutional principle that a person cannot be compelled to testify against themselves?
The Fifth Amendment
What constitutional principle divides governmental authority between the federal government and the states?
Federalism
Which delegate kept detailed notes of the Constitutional Convention that became an important historical record of the proceedings?
James Madison
Which branch has the constitutional power to declare war?
The legislative branch / Congress
What document served as the framework for the U.S. federal government before the Constitution was adopted?
The Articles of Confederation
Which amendment guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury in criminal prosecutions?
The Sixth Amendment
Article III establishes the federal judiciary, but which landmark Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review?
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Which delegate was unanimously chosen to preside over the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington
Which branch has the constitutional authority to nominate federal judges?
The executive branch, through the President
Which state was the first to ratify the Constitution?
Delaware
Which amendment is the only one in the Bill of Rights that has never been the primary basis of a Supreme Court decision?
The Third Amendment
Congress passes a law that is not explicitly listed among Congress's powers, but argues that the law is necessary to carry out one of its enumerated powers. Which constitutional clause would Congress most likely rely upon?
The Necessary and Proper Clause
Which elderly Pennsylvania delegate famously called for unity among the delegates and urged them to sign the Constitution despite their disagreements?
Benjamin Franklin
True or False: The Executive branch, through the President, can pardon any crime committed in the United States.
False: The President can only pardon federal charges
What event in 1786–1787, involving indebted Massachusetts farmers, helped convince many leaders that the Articles of Confederation needed to be replaced?
Shays’ Rebellion
Which amendment was originally proposed with language that would have prevented members of Congress from immediately receiving a pay increase, but was not ratified until 1992?
The Twenty-Seventh Amendment
What constitutional doctrine holds that Congress cannot delegate its legislative power without providing an intelligible principle to guide the delegation?
The nondelegation doctrine
Which Virginia delegate refused to sign the Constitution because it lacked a Bill of Rights and because he believed the new federal government was given too much power?
George Mason
Which chamber has the constitutional power to originate bills that raise revenue?
House of Representatives
Which state refused to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, making it the only state absent from the Convention?
Rhode Island