The Critical Period
What was the name of the first Constitution of the United States?
The Articles of Confederation
The Constitutional Convention was held is this city.
Philadelphia
This section of the Constitution lists the six goals the United States government was designed to accomplish, and begins with “We the People…”
Preamble
According to Article I of the Constitution, the legislative branch of government alone has the power to formally declare ___________.
War
The President is chosen by the…
Electoral College
What did the Land Ordinance and Northwest Ordinance do?
established a standardized system for surveying and selling western lands in the United States, outlined the process for admitting new states from that territory into the Union, guaranteed basic civil liberties to settlers, and most importantly, and banned slavery in the new territories
This man is often called the “Father of the Constitution” because he was the author of the basic plan of government that the Constitutional Convention adopted.
James Madison
The Framers borrowed the idea for Separation of Powers from the Ancient Romans and this French political philosopher.
Montesquieu
Congress meets in a building called…
The Capitol
How long is the term of a member of the Supreme Court?
For life.
Under the Articles of Confederation, how many branches of government were there?
One
Who was the chairman, or president, of the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington
In order to keep one branch from getting too much power, the Framers created a system of checks and _______________
balnaces
Senators are elected to terms that last how long?
6 years
The Supreme Court’s most important power is called ________________, which is the authority that it has to overturn laws that they believe are unconstitutional.
Judicial Review
What event caused many Americans and most of the Founding Fathers to want to strengthen the Articles of Confederation to make a stronger national government which could keep order and solve problems?
Shays' Rebellion
The Virginia Plan was favored by the large states because it based representation in Congress on…
Population
The Constitution created a federal system of government, in which power is divided between…
The Central government and the Sates
Today, in Congress, how many members are there?
535
What is the maximum amount of years that a President can serve?
8 years
Name 3 weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
Lack of power to tax, Inability to regulate commerce, Weak central government, Difficult to pass laws, No way to resolve disputes, Foreign nations doubted the value of treaties
How many, out of the 55 delegates at the Convention, signed the Constitution?
39
This is the name for the kind of powers, according to the Constitution, that are given directly to the federal government.
Enumerated Powers
In designing the legislative branch, the writers of the Constitution mainly based their ideas on the English ______________...
Parliament
To bring a charge of misconduct by the House of Representatives against the President is called ___________________. Only two presidents have had this done toward them.
Impeachment