Chapter 2 : Constructing a Government: The Founding and ...
Chapter 2 : Constructing a Government: The Founding and the Constitution
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The words that stirred a generation of Americans long before they even dreamed of calling themselves Americans rather than Englishmen were
|a. |“No taxation without representation.” |
|b. |“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” |
|c. |“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up.” |
|d. |“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do |
| |for your country.” |
2. In reaction to English legislative attempts in 1765to extract tax revenue to pay for the troops that were being sent to defend the colonial frontier,protests erupted throughout the colonies against the infamous
|a. |Stamp Act. |
|b. |Coinage Act. |
|c. |Red Tape Act. |
|d. |Westchester Act. |
3. During the period leading to the Revolutionary War, England was attempting to extract revenues from its American colonies in order to
|a. |subsidize the East India Company. |
|b. |pay for providing military protection. |
|c. |supplement the low salaries in the House of Commons. |
|d. |compensate for travel expenses of colonial representatives to |
| |parliament. |
4. After years of relatively little interference in the local affairs of its American colonies, the English government passed a tax on all printed and legal documents, including newspapers, pamphlets, playing cards, advertisements, notes and bonds, leases, deeds, and licenses. Mass protests declaring “no taxation without representation” erupted throughout the colonies against the
|a. |Tea Act. |
|b. |Stamp Act. |
|c. |Royalist Tariff. |
|d. |Colonial Tariff. |
5. To show their displeasure with the Stamp Act of 1765, colonists in Boston
|a. |stormed Bunker Hill and took over its fort. |
|b. |hanged and burned in effigy a stamp agent. |
|c. |dumped tea into the harbor in what became known as the Boston |
| |Tea Party. |
|d. |killed twelve British soldiers in what became known as the |
| |Boston Massacre. |
6. In March, 1766, the British Parliament finally responded to colonial protests against the Stamp Act by
|a. |imposing martial law. |
|b. |repealing the detested law. |
|c. |boycotting all American goods. |
|d. |ordering British soldiers to fire on Cambridge protesters. |
7. Through such devices as public school texts and national holidays, a government attempts to unify and educate citizens by
|a. |ensuring that citizens learn from the mistakes of history. |
|b. |providing opportunities for controlled social interaction. |
|c. |encouraging a mythic and heroic view of the nations past. |
|d. |emphasizing internal and external forces that threaten national|
| |order. |
8. For years, the imperial center in London had left its American colonists to enjoy an immense amount of local control and home rule because the British Empire was
|a. |being ruled by an inattentive king. |
|b. |preoccupied by a war with France. |
|c. |in the midst of quelling the Irish rebellion. |
|d. |pursuing a deliberate laissez-faire policy toward its |
| |territorial possessions. |
9. According to James Madison in The Federalist, politics generally involves struggles
|a. |against tyranny. |
|b. |toward freedom. |
|c. |over economic disparities. |
|d. |among conflicting interests. |
10. In a democracy, the weapons developed by competing economic, social, and sectional interests to further their own causes are often
|a. |political ideas. |
|b. |tax exemptions. |
|c. |judicial reviews. |
|d. |constitutional amendments. |
11. In the United States, no set of institutional procedures is more important than the
|a. |Constitution. |
|b. |Bill of Rights. |
|c. |Articles of Confederation. |
|d. |Declaration of Independence. |
12. In the mid-eighteenth century, the revenues that governments relied on came mostly from
|a. |sales taxes. |
|b. |the income tax. |
|c. |tariffs and duties. |
|d. |voluntary citizen donations—usually from elite property owners.|
13. The Stamp Act of 1765 and the Sugar Act of 1764 most heavily affected the
|a. |small farmers. |
|b. |artisans and laborers. |
|c. |holders of royal land offices and patents. |
|d. |New England merchants and southern planters. |
14. In the chain of events leading up to the American Revolution, the radical forces were permitted to expand their political influence because the colonial elites were split by
|a. |disagreement over slavery. |
|b. |western boundary disputes. |
|c. |a lack of common currency. |
|d. |British tax and trade policies. |
15. Among the sectors of society that were important in colonial politics prior to the American Revolution, the more radical forces were represented by
|a. |the New England merchants. |
|b. |holders of lands, offices, and patents. |
|c. |the southern planters and ship builders. |
|d. |shopkeepers, artisans, and small farmers. |
16. On March 5, 1770, nervous British soldiers opened fire on the mob surrounding them, killing five colonists and wounding eight others. News of this event quickly spread throughout the colonies and was used by radicals to fan anti-British sentiment who called the incident the
|a. |Boston Massacre. |
|b. |Tuesday Butchery. |
|c. |Philadelphia Slaughter. |
|d. |Tragedy of the Commons. |
17. The British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre were defended by a pillar of Boston society and future president of the United States,
|a. |John Adams. |
|b. |James Madison. |
|c. |Thomas Jefferson. |
|d. |George Washington. |
18. The Boston Tea Party represented a direct response to the British governments
|a. |passage of the Stamp Act. |
|b. |military seizure of tea and other agricultural goods in Boston |
| |Harbor. |
|c. |granting the East India Company a monopoly on the export of tea|
| |from Britain. |
|d. |withdrawal of military protection from commercial ships sailing|
| |to the Americas. |
19. In 1773, the British government granted a monopoly on the export of tea from Britain to the politically powerful East India Company who sought to bypass the colonial merchants and sell the tea directly to the colonies. The merchants called on their radical adversaries for support and the most dramatic result was the
|a. |Boston Tea Party. |
|b. |attack on Fort Sill. |
|c. |Philadelphia Slaughter. |
|d. |ceremonial burning of the “Union Jack” flag in the Philadelphia|
| |Town Square. |
20. The Boston Tea Party was led by
|a. |Patrick Henry. |
|b. |Thomas Payne. |
|c. |Samuel Adams. |
|d. |Alexander Hamilton. |
21. The ultimate goal of Samuel Adams and other radicals participating in the Boston Tea Party was to
|a. |rescind the Tea Act. |
|b. |rescind the Stamp Act. |
|c. |close Boston Harbor to British commerce. |
|d. |alienate the British government from its colonial supporters. |
22. By dumping the East India Companys tea into Boston Harbor, Samuel Adams and his followers pressured the British into enacting a number of harsh reprisals that
|a. |radicalized Americans to resist British rule. |
|b. |effectively ended the slave trade in the northern states. |
|c. |temporarily softened public support for revolutionary forces. |
|d. |benefitted southern planters at the expense of New England |
| |merchants. |
23. The Boston Tea Party set into motion a cycle of provocation and retaliation that in 1774 resulted in the convening of an assembly of delegates from all parts of the colonies called the
|a. |First Colonial Convention. |
|b. |First Continental Congress. |
|c. |Boston Confederated Congress. |
|d. |Philadelphia Constitutional Convention. |
24. The Declaration of Independence was written by
|a. |James Madison. |
|b. |Thomas Jefferson. |
|c. |George Washington. |
|d. |Alexander Hamilton. |
25. The Declaration of Independence was remarkable for its assertion that there are certain unalienable rights including
|a. |life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. |
|b. |due process and equal protection under the law. |
|c. |justice, domestic tranquility, and general welfare. |
|d. |the freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of |
| |speech. |
26. In November of 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the United Statess first written constitution known as the
|a. |Virginia Plan. |
|b. |Annapolis Convention. |
|c. |Declaration of Independence. |
|d. |Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. |
27. The Articles of Confederation formed a constitution concerned primarily with
|a. |preventing domestic insurrection. |
|b. |limiting the powers of the central government. |
|c. |generating new tax revenues to help pay for armed resistance. |
|d. |regulating trade among the colonies as well as imports and |
| |exports. |
28. Under the Articles of Confederation, the Congress was given the power to
|a. |levy taxes. |
|b. |declare war. |
|c. |regulate commerce |
|d. |build a standing army. |
29. The relationship between Congress and the states under the Articles of Confederation was much like the contemporary relationship between the
|a. |state of Louisiana and its parishes. |
|b. |United Nations and its member states. |
|c. |General Motors and its subdivisions such as Chevrolet, Pontiac,|
| |and Cadillac. |
|d. |Disney Corporation and its media networks, production |
| |companies, and resorts. |
30. During the winter of 1786—1787, John Adams of Massachusetts was sent to negotiate a new treaty with the British to cover disputes left over from the war. The British government responded that it would
|a. |set a blockade around Boston Harbor. |
|b. |relinquish control over the lands to the west. |
|c. |negotiate with each of the thirteen states separately. |
|d. |require war reparations before signing any new treaty. |
31. Between 1783 and 1785, the Rhode Island legislature, dominated by representatives of small farmers, artisans, and shopkeepers, frightened businessmen and property owners throughout the country by instituting
|a. |free trade policies. |
|b. |economic policies including drastic currency inflation. |
|c. |generous agricultural subsidies and severely protective |
| |tariffs. |
|d. |eminent domain activities for an extensive statewide park |
| |system. |
32. The one positive thing that came out of the Annapolis Convention was a resolution calling for
|a. |a declaration of independence from England. |
|b. |a boycott of tea, linens, and other goods from England. |
|c. |ratification of the new Constitution of the United States. |
|d. |a later meeting in Philadelphia to reform the Articles of |
| |Confederation. |
33. It is possible that the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia would never have taken place at all except for a single event that occurred soon after the Annapolis Convention:
|a. |Shayss Rebellion. |
|b. |the Boston Massacre. |
|c. |the Boston Tea Party. |
|d. |the hanging in effigy of the tax man. |
34. The former army captain who led a mob of farmers in a rebellion against the government of Massachusetts was Daniel
|a. |Shays. |
|b. |Boone.. |
|c. |Webster. |
|d. |Day-Lewis. |
35. Daniel Shays, a former army captain, led a mob in a rebellion against the Massachusetts government in order to
|a. |open up western territories for expansion. |
|b. |prevent foreclosures on debt-ridden farm lands. |
|c. |release certain British loyalists from captivity as prisoners |
| |of war. |
|d. |receive full military pensions for service in the Revolutionary|
| |War. |
36. Shayss Rebellion was ultimately quelled by the
|a. |British army. |
|b. |American Army. |
|c. |First Continental Congress. |
|d. |Massachusetts state government. |
37. Delegates were sent to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia by every state except
|a. |Vermont. |
|b. |Delaware. |
|c. |Rhode Island. |
|d. |Massachusetts. |
38. According to historian Charles Beard, the framers of the Constitution were motivated primarily by
|a. |revenge. |
|b. |moral principles. |
|c. |the quest for justice. |
|d. |personal enrichment. |
39. Charles Beards interpretation of the framing of the Constitution was primarily
|a. |legal. |
|b. |ethical. |
|c. |economic. |
|d. |philosophical. |
40. The founder that probably had the most influence on the framing of the American constitution was
|a. |John Adams. |
|b. |James Madison. |
|c. |Thomas Jefferson. |
|d. |Alexander Hamilton. |
41. The proposal to alter the Articles of Confederation by providing for a system of representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state or the proportion of each states revenue contribution, or both was known as the
|a. |Virginia Plan. |
|b. |New Jersey Plan. |
|c. |Connecticut Plan. |
|d. |Massachusetts Plan. |
42. The proposal offered by the smaller states during the Constitutional Convention that argued each state should be equally represented in the new regime regardless of its population was known as the
|a. |Virginia Plan. |
|b. |New Jersey Plan. |
|c. |Connecticut Plan. |
|d. |Massachusetts Plan. |
43. The agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention to adopt the proposal that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of population, but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population became known as the
|a. |Boston Plan. |
|b. |Philadelphia Plan. |
|c. |Great Compromise. |
|d. |Three-Fifths Compromise. |
44. The great divide between northern and southern states during the Constitutional Convention was essentially over the issue of whether or not to
|a. |abolish the institution of slavery. |
|b. |count slaves for purposes of representation. |
|c. |impose a property tax on the ownership of slaves. |
|d. |restrict expansion of slavery into the Western territories. |
45. In the words of political scientist Donald Robinson, the Three-fifths Compromise gave Constitutional sanction to the fact that a citizen who
|a. |lived in the South was by definition corrupt and unethical. |
|b. |owned slaves had forty percent less vote than non-slave owning |
| |citizens. |
|c. |made his home in a large and wealthy state would have little |
| |political power. |
|d. |lived among slaves had a disproportionate share in the election|
| |of representatives. |
46. The most difficult issue faced by the framers of the Constitution was
|a. |taxes. |
|b. |slavery. |
|c. |foreign trade. |
|d. |the status of the Native American tribes. |
47. During the debates at the Constitutional Convention, the institution of slavery was
|a. |effectively preserved. |
|b. |almost completely ignored. |
|c. |scheduled for eventual abolishment. |
|d. |greatly expanded in both northern and southern states. |
48. Pierce Butler of South Carolina, who declared that the North and South were as different as Russian and Turkey, was ultimately vindicated by
|a. |the Civil War. |
|b. |Shays Rebellion. |
|c. |the Three-fifths Compromise. |
|d. |the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. |
49. The political significance of the Great Compromise and the Three-fifths Compromise was to
|a. |confirm the immorality of slavery. |
|b. |affirm the principle of checks and balances. |
|c. |support the unalienable rights of individuals. |
|d. |reinforce the unity of the mercantile and planter forces. |
50. A legislative assembly such as the Congress thats divided into two chambers (or houses) is best described as
|a. |bipolar. |
|b. |bilateral. |
|c. |bipartisan. |
|d. |bicameral. |
51. The framers of the American Constitution sought to prevent what they saw as the threat of “excessive democracy” by supporting bicameralism, that is the
|a. |existence of two sovereign levels of government. |
|b. |division of legislative assembly into two chambers. |
|c. |allocation of two senators per each state regardless of |
| |population. |
|d. |election of members of the House of Representatives every two |
| |years. |
52. Article I of the U.S. Constitution provides for the
|a. |judicial branch. |
|b. |executive branch. |
|c. |legislative branch. |
|d. |role of state governments. |
53. The constitution grants the power to ratify treaties to the
|a. |Senate. |
|b. |President. |
|c. |Supreme Court. |
|d. |House of Representatives. |
54. In 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment instituted direct election of senators for
|a. |two-year terms. |
|b. |four-year terms. |
|c. |six-year terms. |
|d. |eight-year terms. |
55. The terms of appointments for senators are staggered so that one third of the senators expire every
|a. |two years. |
|b. |four years. |
|c. |six years. |
|d. |eight years. |
56. Under the American Constitution, the sole power to originate revenue bills is vested in the
|a. |Senate. |
|b. |VicePresident. |
|c. |state legislatures. |
|d. |House of Representatives. |
57. Under the American constitution, the part of elected government designed to be directly responsible to the people was the
|a. |Senate. |
|b. |Judiciary. |
|c. |bureaucracy. |
|d. |House of Representatives. |
58. The idea that the federal government can exercise only the powers specifically articulated in the Constitution is known as the doctrine of
|a. |implied powers. |
|b. |expressed powers. |
|c. |separation of powers. |
|d. |necessary and proper powers. |
59. The framers intended an active and powerful government, so they included language to signify that the enumerated powers were meant to be a source of strength to the national government, not a limitation on it. This “elastic clause” is most commonly known as the
|a. |national supremacy clause. |
|b. |separation of powers clause. |
|c. |necessary and proper clause. |
|d. |privileges and immunities clause. |
60. The framers of the Constitution sought to insulate the president from excessively democratic pressures through
|a. |a lifetime appointment. |
|b. |direct oversight by independent departments. |
|c. |an indirect election through the Electoral College. |
|d. |a limitation of only two consecutive terms in office. |
61. Which branch of government has the power to create inferior (lower) courts, change the jurisdiction of federal courts, add or subtract federal judges, and even change the size of the Supreme Court?
|a. |Judiciary. |
|b. |Congress. |
|c. |President. |
|d. |Department of Justice. |
62. The power of the courts to render the final decision in cases involving a conflict of interpretation of the Constitution or of laws between the courts and Congress, the courts and the executive branch, or the courts and the states is referred to as
|a. |judicial review. |
|b. |ceteris paribus. |
|c. |juridic oversight. |
|d. |contra bonos mores. |
63. Article VI of the Constitution states that all laws passed by the national government and all treaties are superior to all laws adopted by any state in what has come to be known as the
|a. |supremacy clause. |
|b. |judicial review clause. |
|c. |full faith and credit clause. |
|d. |necessary and proper clause. |
64. No principle was more widely shared among the framers of the American Constitution than the principle espoused by Baron de Montesquieu that
|a. |the citizen must serve the state. |
|b. |power must be used to balance power. |
|c. |the accused are innocent until proven guilty. |
|d. |national powers must be delegated to the states. |
65. The presidential veto power over legislation, the power of the Senate to approve presidential appointments, and judicial review over acts of Congress and presidential actions are example of the principle in the American political system of
|a. |federalism. |
|b. |checks and balances. |
|c. |separation of powers. |
|d. |separated institutions sharing powers. |
66. Compared to the confederation principle of the Articles of Confederation, federalism was a step toward
|a. |greater centralization of power. |
|b. |eliminating the power of state governments. |
|c. |increasing sovereignty of state governments. |
|d. |weakening the power of the national government. |
67. During the Constitutional Convention, the motion to include a bill of rights was
|a. |overwhelmingly rejected. |
|b. |approved almost unanimously. |
|c. |incorporated as part of the full faith and credit clause after |
| |lengthy debate. |
|d. |included in the section enumerating the powers of the national |
| |government with little floor debate. |
68. The best-known arguments supporting ratification of the Constitution were the eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the name of “Publius.” These essays are collectively known today as
|a. |Common Sense. |
|b. |Modest Proposals. |
|c. |The Federalist Papers. |
|d. |The Democracy Dialogues. |
69. Unjust rule by the group in power is called
|a. |tyranny. |
|b. |supremacy. |
|c. |domination. |
|d. |enforcement. |
70. The Federalists understood that temporary majorities could abuse their power in a democracy but Madison argued that such an outcome is less likely if the nation is
|a. |large with diverse interests. |
|b. |small with diverse interests. |
|c. |large with common interests. |
|d. |small with common interests. |
71. In reference to governmental power, the Antifederalists argued against
|a. |a bill of rights. |
|b. |a strong national government. |
|c. |the principle of limited government. |
|d. |governmental institutions directly responsible to the people. |
72. The First Amendment to the Constitution was specifically concerned with limits on the
|a. |courts. |
|b. |Congress. |
|c. |President. |
|d. |state governments. |
73. Except for one, all of the amendments that have been added to the Constitution have passed in
|a. |the House and Senate by two-thirds vote; then ratified by a |
| |majority vote of the legislatures of three-fourths of the |
| |states. |
|b. |the House and Senate by two-thirds vote; then ratified by |
| |conventions called for the purpose in three-fourths of the |
| |states. |
|c. |a national convention called by Congress in response to |
| |petitions by two thirds of the states and ratified by a |
| |majority vote of the legislatures of three-fourths of the |
| |states. |
|d. |a national convention called by Congress in a response to |
| |petitions by two thirds of the states and ratified by |
| |conventions called for the purpose in three-fourths of the |
| |states. |
74. The purpose of the ten amendments in the Bill of Rights was basically to give each of the three branches of government
|a. |increased flexibility. |
|b. |broader and more explicit powers. |
|c. |clearer and more restricted boundaries. |
|d. |fewer opportunities to come into conflict with each other. |
75. Which amendment or set of amendments contained in the Bill of Rights specifically places limits on the powers of Congress?
|a. |First. |
|b. |Ninth and Tenth. |
|c. |Second, Third and Fourth. |
|d. |Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth. |
76. The Eighteenth Amendment, having the dubious distinction of being the only Constitutional amendment designed to deal directly with some substantive social problem and the only amendment to have been repealed, addressed the issue of
|a. |slavery. |
|b. |the income tax. |
|c. |presidential disability. |
|d. |prohibition of alcohol. |
TRUE/FALSE
1. The New England merchants who during the lead up to the American Revolution cried “no taxation without representation” cared more about expanded representation than about lower taxes.
2. During the 1750s, the British Crowns North American colonies on the whole paid remarkably little in taxes to the mother country.
3. The income tax represented the single most important source of government revenue for the British regime prior to the American Revolution.
4. In the United States, no set of institutional procedures is more important than the Declaration of Independence.
5. Most respectable Bostonians supported the actions of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre.
6. Collective action may emerge spontaneously.
7. The First Continental Congress called for a total boycott of British goods.
8. Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government was based entirely in Congress.
9. Under the Articles of Confederation, each state was represented in the Continental Congress in proportion to its population.
10. Under the Articles of Confederation, the presiding officer of the executive branch was appointed through a nomination and voting process of the assembled delegates.
11. Under the Articles of Confederation, the nations armed forces were composed of the state militias.
12. As a result of the peace treaty ending the Revolutionary War, a key segment of the colonial elitethe— royal land, office, and patent holders— were allowed to retain their economic and political privileges.
13. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was given power to declare war and make peace.
14. The principal advantage of the Articles of Confederation was that the central government could prevent one state from discriminating against other states in the quest for foreign commerce.
15. Delegates from all thirteen colonies attended the Annapolis Convention.
16. Shayss Rebellion was forcefully ended by the quick and decisive actions taken by Congress under the Confederation.
17. The American colonists who led the revolution against England and worked to construct a workable constitution were not very concerned about philosophical and ethical ideas.
18. The Constitutional Convention passed the New Jersey Plan with little compromise.
19. Governor Morris, delegate from Pennsylvania, manipulated the procedures at the convention in order to achieve final adoption of the Virginia Plan with negligible amendment.
20. The Three-fifths Compromise established the principle, new in republican theory, that a man who lives among slaves had a greater share in the election of representatives that the man who did not.
21. Even southerners like Edmund Randolph of Virginia, who conceded that slavery was immoral, insisted on including slaves in the allocation of congressional seats.
22. Under the Constitution as originally passed, the members of the Senate were to be appointed by the state legislatures.
23. Staggered terms of service in the Senate were intended to make that body even more politically responsive to popular opinion.
24. The Constitution implies that any powers not listed are not granted at all.
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