TEST REVIEW

Origins of American Government

What are the three branches of government that were established by the Constitution?

Branches of Government

Legislative Branch: Article I of the Constitution

Executive Branch: Article II of the Constitution

Judicial Branch: Article III of the Constitution

What is the main duty of each branch of government?

AnswerBranch Policy Function

Legislative Branch

(Congress)

Creates Laws

Executive Branch

(President)Carries Out Laws

Judicial Branch(Supreme Court) Evaluate Laws

What were some of the key ideas that Thomas Jefferson borrowed from John Locke when he wrote the Declaration

of Independence?

Answer

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government,….”

What three English Political Documents helped shape American Political

Philosophy?

Answer

1. The Magna Carta

2. The Petition of Rights

3. The English Bill of Rights

What was the main idea that all three of these documents had in common?

Answer

All three documents shared the key concept of limiting the power of government. They placed limits on those who governed.

In addition, all three documents included the concept of trial by jury.

What were the Articles of Confederation, and why were they

bound to fail?

What were the Articles of Confederation?

America’s first attempt at independent government

(A precursor to the Constitution)

The Articles were an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states.

What were three main weaknesses of the Articles?

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

1. The national government could not force the states to obey its laws

2. It did not have the power to tax

3. There was no national standing army or navy

4. Each state could issue its own paper money

5. Each state could put tariffs on trade between other states.

What was Shay’s Rebellion, and why did it Freak-Out some of the Founding

Fathers?

Answer

Daniel Shays amassed an army of over a 1,000 poor farmers, and they setout to free debtors from prisons and close courts that were hearing cases against farmers.

This highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. As a result, it freaked many of the Founding Fathers out because they knew they had to create a stronger national government. Stemming from a fear of losing property

What was the Connecticut Compromise (aka The Great Compromise)?

Answer

The Great Compromise was a combination of the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan in order to create the Constitution.

The result was the familiar Bicameral structure we have today. Each state has equal representation of two Senators in the Senate, with the number of Representatives in the House of Representatives based on population.

Compare and Contrast the Virginia Plan with the New Jersey Plan.

Answer

Virginia Plan (Large State Plan): It proposed an idea of the legislative branch as having two houses – both houses would be based on the population of states.

New Jersey Plan (Small State Plan): The plan called for only one house in Congress – and equal representation for all states to counteract the Virginia Plan.

What was the Three-Fifths Compromise. Why might this agreement be considered racist?

The compromise was to count three-fifths of the slave population for taxes and to determine representation.

This is racist because it literally counted African Americans as 3/5 of a human being.

How would the compromise on slavery at the Constitutional Convention come back to

haunt the United States?

The issue of States Rights Concerning slavery (Article 4 Section 2) was put off, and this would eventually lead to the bloodiest battle ever fought on American Soil (The Civil War).

What were 2 arguments given by the Federalists in support of the Constitution? What were 2 arguments given by the Anti-

Federalists against the Constitution?

Answer

Federalists Anti-Federalists

They wanted a Strong National Government, and they Favored limiting state power.

They wanted a Weaker National Government, and they strongly supported States Rights.

They did not need a Bill of Rights

They believed that a Bill of Rights was absolutely Essential!

They feared people more than government!

They feared government more than people.