Political Theory
Early Government
The Convention
Madisonian System
Changing the Constitution
100

He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

Who is Thomas Jefferson?

100

This is the name of the first constitution of the United States.

What is the Articles of Confederation?

100

This is the form of government decided upon at the Constitutional Convention, in which people select representatives to make laws.

What is a republic?

100

An approach where different branches of government divide up roles so that they are relatively independent.

What is separation of powers?

100

This is the name for a formal change to the Constitution.

What is an amendment?

200

These are the three natural rights listed by John Locke.

What are life, liberty, and property?

200

Under the Articles of Confederation, this is who had the most power.

What are state legislatures?

200

This is the solution to whether representation in congress should be based on population or should treat all states equally.

What is the Connecticut Compromise?

200

This is the system that forces each branch of government to gain the consent of the others in order to act.

What are checks and balances?

200

This is the fraction of states that need to ratify a constitutional amendment for it to go into law.

What is 3/4?

300

John Locke described this as the sole purpose of government.

What is preservation of property/natural rights?

300

The national government's lack of the authority to do this made maintaining an army and navy difficult.

What is levy taxes?

300

This deal resolved how to count slaves in the census for purposes of representation.

What is the three-fifths compromise?

300

This is the one group in the national government that were directly voted into office under Madison's original system.

What is the House of Representatives?

300

The case Marbury v. Madison established this principle.

What is judicial review?

400

The view that the governmental authority comes from the people.

What is the consent of the governed?

400

This event that benefited farmers at the expense of lenders helped trigger the calling of the Constitutional Convention.

What is Shays's Rebellion?

400

The Constitution required the government it formed to spend $54 million to do this.

What is pay the debt of the Continental Congress and Articles of Confederation.

400

This is the name of the group advocating for ratification of the Constitution.

Who are the Federalists?

400

This is the fraction of votes needed in each house of congress to successfully propose a constitutional amendment.

What is 2/3?

500

The vast majority of the Declaration of Independence focuses on this.

What are allegations of King George III's abuses of the colonies?

500

This is the requirement to ratify changes to the Articles of Confederation.

What is unanimous consent?

500

This is the name for a legislature with two houses.

What is bicameral?

500

This is the amendment that changed to direct election of senators.

What is the 17th amendment?

500

While a legal option, this has never been used to propose an amendment to the constitution.

What is a national convention.