Deck 3: Politics of the American Founding

Question 1

England won the battle with Spain for control of North America because ______.

A) its military and economic power was greater than Spain's
B) the Spanish decided to allow England to have North America while they controlled Central and South America
C) the Spanish did not appreciate the value of North America, but the English did
D) the Native Americans helped England
E) the pope decreed that England should control North America

Answer 1

A

Question 2

To justify the Revolution to the colonists,Thomas Jefferson included in the Declaration of Independence all of the following reasons EXCEPT this one:

A) a long list of grievances against King George III
B) the theory that government is a social contract
C) the argument that monarchy is illegitimate
D) the argument that men form governments to protect the pursuit of happiness, rather than Locke's argument that government is intended to protect property
E) the right to revolt against a government that does not protect rights

Answer 2

C

Question 3

All of the following statements concerning voting qualifications in the colonies are true EXCEPT this one:

A) Property qualifications were less restrictive in the colonies than in England.
B) Property qualifications were more important than religious or moral qualifications.
C) The justification for property qualifications was the belief that property owners had a greater stake in the community.
D) In some cases, there were fewer restrictions on voting in the colonial period than in the early years after the revolution.
E) They were irrelevant because the colonists did not elect anyone.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

When he argued that "all men are equal," John Locke stated all of the following EXCEPT this:

A) Slavery is an unjustified evil.
B) Men are naturally equal.
C) There are many justified differences in the treatment of men in society.
D) Age or virtue may justify differences of treatment in society.
E) There are differences in men's natural abilities that justify differences in the social status of men.

Question 5

Ideas of political change and challenges to British ideology were largely a result of American acceptance of the political ideas of ______.

A) Thomas Hobbes
B) Patrick Henry
C) John Calvin
D) John Locke
E) Plato

Question 6

The British government imposed taxes that the colonists resented in order to ______.

A) pay for the debt created by the French and Indian War
B) punish the colonists for acts of rebellion
C) pay for slaves England was shipping to the colonies
D) pay for the lavish lifestyles of the English nobility
E) shift the burden of the European wars from the people at home to the colonists

Question 7

One of the biggest differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution was that ______.

A) under the Articles a bicameral legislature existed, whereas under the Constitution a unicameral legislature existed
B) under the Articles a multiple executive existed, whereas under the Constitution a single executive existed
C) under the Articles the states were sovereign, whereas under the Constitution the people were sovereign
D) the Articles could not be amended, but the Constitution could
E) the Articles created a weak federal court system, whereas the Constitution created a strong federal court system

Question 8

Under the Articles of Confederation,the rights and obligations of citizens were ______.

A) stated explicitly
B) determined by each state constitution
C) negotiated among the several states
D) covered by the Declaration of Independence
E) left to be determined by Congress after the adoption of the Articles

Question 9

The difference between the Native American view of property and the European view of property was that ______.

A) Native Americans believed in private property, whereas the Europeans believed in communal property
B) Native Americans believed in communal property, whereas the Europeans believed in private property
C) Native Americans believed that all property was owned by the tribal chief, whereas the Europeans believed property could be owned by any citizen
D) Native Americans believed in communal property, whereas the Europeans believed that all property was owned by the monarch
E) Native Americans believed property belonged to the tribe, whereas the Europeans believed all property was owned solely by God

Question 10

In regard to the treatment of King George III in the Declaration of Independence,the authors of your text point out all of the following EXCEPT this:

A) He was unaware of the idea of a social contract, so he did not realize he was "violating" it.
B) The goal of the Declaration was to discredit King George III.
C) He was certainly a tyrant whose acts justified the revolution.
D) Many of the actions credited to the king in the Declaration were acts of Parliament.
E) Many of the acts the colonists complained about were normal acts of colonial power.

Question 11

Early colonists came to America ______.

A) for a wide range of economic and political agendas as well as for religious and philosophical reasons
B) solely to set up a democratic political system
C) solely to obtain land
D) mainly to avoid the widespread poverty and economic depression that was sweeping Europe
E) solely to escape religious persecution

Question 12

In declaring all men to be equal,the authors of the Declaration of Independence followed Locke in all of the following EXCEPT this:

A) Locke argued that men are naturally equal, whereas the authors argued that equality is created by society.
B) Locke believed that society could establish inequalities without violating natural equality.
C) Locke condemned slavery, whereas the colonists did not.
D) The authors of the Declaration declared that all men have certain rights.
E) The authors of the Declaration condemned slavery, whereas Locke did not.

Question 13

The end of the French and Indian War changed relations between England and the colonies because the ______.

A) English had made the colonies fund the French and Indian War, and the colonists were resentful
B) colonies felt they no longer needed English troops, but the English wanted the colonies to pay for the war
C) English government kept insisting on providing more aid to the colonies
D) colonies were grateful to the English government for saving them
E) English government was pleased about the tremendous gratitude expressed by the colonies for English sacrifices during the war

Question 14

Shays's rebellion demonstrated ______.

A) strong opposition to the Declaration of Independence
B) the frustration of debtors and the failure of the Articles of Confederation
C) the need for additional courthouses to process foreclosures
D) the unpopularity of the Revolutionary War
E) the power of England to stir up trouble in the new United States

Question 15

The authors of your text suggest that Thomas Jefferson might have changed John Locke's argument for government for the protection of property to government for protection of "the pursuit of happiness" because Jefferson ______.

A) liked the sound of "pursuit of happiness" better
B) was trying to avoid the suggestion the Declaration was arguing for the protection of slavery
C) could not remember what Locke had actually said
D) was trying to gain the support of those who had little property to protect
E) wanted to reflect the views of the colonists

Question 16

Under the Articles of Confederation,Congress had all of the following powers EXCEPT the power to ______.

A) make treaties
B) coin money
C) direct the armed forces
D) decide matters of war and peace
E) tax

Question 17

During the period of time when the United States was governed by the Articles of Confederation,elites came to fear tyranny by the ______.

A) king
B) legislature
C) judiciary
D) political parties
E) people

Question 18

John Locke's political philosophy nicely fit the needs of the colonial leaders because it ______.

A) justified both slavery and democracy
B) contained both a theory of revolution and a theory of constitutional government
C) was read by most Americans at the time of the American Revolution
D) insisted everyone should get to vote, even slaves and women
E) was strongly anti-British

Question 19

Slavery in the American colonies ______.

A) was introduced by English settlers from Barbados in the late 1600s
B) was introduced as a policy of the English government in the early 1700s
C) was introduced as part of the charters establishing the southern colonies
D) did not become important until after the Revolution, with the invention of the cotton gin
E) was established in the northern colonies first

Question 20

The Declaration of Independence was first and foremost a(n)______.

A) philosophical treatise
B) political document
C) attempt to persuade King George III to listen to the colonies
D) plan of action
E) moral argument opposing slavery in the colonies

Question 21

The Federalists believed that human tendencies toward ambition and corruption should be dealt with by ______.

A) socializing citizens to make decisions according to civic virtue
B) ignoring these characteristics because most people are basically good
C) creating institutions that made use of those characteristics to produce good outcomes and protect against bad outcomes
D) governing through monarchy
E) concentrating power in a legislature

Question 22

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were ______.

A) the most educated, powerful, and wealthy citizens of the new country
B) young merchants who wanted to achieve economic success
C) mainly farmers
D) ordinary Americans who confronted great challenges
E) made up entirely of the leaders of the Revolutionary Army

Question 23

In drafting the Constitution,the founders ______.

A) adopted the Virginia Plan completely
B) adopted the New Jersey Plan completely
C) rejected totally both the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan and started over
D) took from both the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan but took more from the Virginia Plan
E) took more from the New Jersey Plan than from the Virginia Plan

Question 24

James Madison believed that factions were particularly dangerous to a republic because ______.

A) they would create a split between the North and the South
B) they would likely pit the haves and have-nots against each other
C) they would try to eliminate the system of checks and balances in the Constitution
D) they would likely create tension between minorities
E) certain factions might replace the legislature

Question 25

All of the following statements concerning The Federalist Papers are true EXCEPT that they ______.

A) were published as editorials in support of the ratification of the Constitution
B) remain important as a source of insight into the arguments for the Constitution
C) were written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
D) were intended as a philosophical treatise in support of democracy
E) are one of the main texts on early American politics that we have today

Question 26

The Great Compromise ______.

A) provided strong powers to the state governments
B) established slaves as equal to three-fifths of a person when totaling populations for both representation and taxation
C) established a legislature with equal representation for each state in the Senate and representation by state population in the House
D) limited the importation of slaves for twenty years
E) created a confederate system of government

Question 27

What did James Madison mean when he stated that the founders needed to "discover a republican remedy for those diseases most incident to republican government"?

A) A Bill of Rights needed to be added to the Constitution.
B) Government had to contain the will of the people even though it was based on the will of the people.
C) The country needed to develop a court system to address the conflicting rights of citizens.
D) The country needed stronger state governments only in order to control the people.
E) The federal government needed to have the ability to collect taxes to provide services for citizens.

Question 28

The delegate to the Constitutional Convention who had the greatest impact on the document was ______.

A) George Washington
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) Alexander Hamilton
D) Ben Franklin
E) James Madison

Question 29

All of the following statements concerning the members of the Constitutional Convention are true EXCEPT this one:

A) Most of them were relatively young.
B) Most of them wanted only to modify the Articles of Confederation.
C) They were highly educated.
D) They were politically experienced.
E) They were members of the nation's economic and social elite.

Question 30

The Anti-Federalists feared the adoption of the Constitution would lead to ______.

A) a great deal of corruption in government
B) a weak national government
C) attacks on property rights
D) popular tyranny
E) attacks on slavery

Question 31

According to James Madison,the effects of factions are best managed by ______.

A) "pure democracy"
B) the judiciary
C) the use of force
D) a large republic
E) the legislative branch

Question 32

The group that believed in strong national power and supported the new constitution was the ______.

A) Jacksonian Democrats
B) New Nationalists
C) Federalists
D) Whigs
E) Jeffersonian Republicans

Question 33

All of the following are differences between the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan EXCEPT this:

A) The Virginia Plan created a much stronger national government.
B) The Virginia Plan weighted representation in the national legislature by population, whereas the New Jersey Plan gave each state one vote.
C) The New Jersey Plan created a multimember executive, whereas the Virginia Plan created a one-person executive.
D) The New Jersey Plan created a single legislature, whereas the Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature.
E) The Virginia Plan strengthened the national government, whereas the New Jersey Plan weakened the national government.

Question 34

Groups that are united by some common passion or interest,opposed to the rights of other citizens,or opposed to the interests of the community as a whole are known as ______.

A) political caucuses
B) political parties
C) segregationists
D) minorities
E) factions

Question 35

Under the Three-Fifths Compromise,______.

A) each slave would count as three-fifths of a person for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives
B) three-fifths of the states would have to ratify the Constitution for it to take effect
C) a three-fifths majority of the Senate would be required to adopt a treaty
D) three-fifths of the states would have to agree to constitutional amendments
E) three-fifths of the members of the Senate would have to vote to impeach a president

Question 36

The central goal of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention was to ______.

A) increase the power of the states
B) increase the power of the people
C) decrease the power of the national government
D) increase the power of the national government
E) increase the democratic nature of the government

Question 37

The founders adopted a federal political system ______.

A) because they hoped King George III would approve such an arrangement
B) because they were inspired by the writings of John Locke, who advocated such an arrangement
C) as a return to an ancient form of government
D) because a division of sovereignty between a central government and regional governments is a basic principle of democracy
E) as a compromise between those who wanted a strong central government and those who wanted to retain strong state governments

Question 38

The way the founders treated slavery in the Constitution indicated that ______.

A) it was not an important issue at the convention
B) they wanted to use the Constitution as a way to phase out slavery
C) they were unified in their desire to eventually eliminate it
D) they were united in their desire to protect it
E) slavery was such a divisive issue that they did not dare to mention it directly in the Constitution

Question 39

According to the Federalists,the advantage of federalism over a confederation was that it would ______.

A) give city governments significant amounts of power
B) divide power between the federal and state governments
C) give all the power to state governments
D) lead to the elimination of slavery
E) eliminate state governments

Question 40

In Federalist No.10,James Madison warned against the dangers of ______.

A) bureaucrats
B) slavery
C) political elites
D) factions
E) campaign contributions

Question 41

The central goal of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention was to ______ the power of the national government.

Question 42

The Declaration of Independence was first and foremost a political speech.

Question 43

Shays's Rebellion was a grassroots uprising during the confederation period by armed Massachusetts farmers protesting foreclosures.

Question 44

The New York Plan created a multimember executive,whereas the Albany Plan created a one-person executive.

Question 45

The significance of The Federalist Papers is that ______.

A) they convinced Anti-Federalists that strong state governments were desirable
B) they were the first writings that documented the idea of popular sovereignty
C) without them, we likely wouldn't have a Bill of Rights
D) they convinced the colonists to revolt against England
E) without them, New York might not have ratified the Constitution

Question 46

Which of the following were generally first to ratify the Constitution?

A) New England states
B) northern states
C) small states
D) large states
E) southern states

Question 47

What four groups competed for control of the North American continent in the early years of exploration and colonization?

Question 48

Under the Articles of Confederation,the rights and obligations of citizens were determined by each state constitution.

Question 49

The ______ established a legislature with equal representation for each state in the Senate and representation by state population in the House.

Question 50

Which of the following statements best describes the distribution of power during the founding period?

A) The divisiveness of the new nation's elites led to a stalemate in the attempt to solve the nation's problems.
B) The nation was composed of competing elites.
C) The new nation's elites went to great lengths to promote equality among ordinary citizens.
D) The new nation's elites were particularly concerned with promoting voters' rights.
E) With the rise of popular democracy, the influence of elites declined dramatically.

Question 51

The British government imposed taxes that the colonists resented in order to pay for the infrastructure created by the French and Indian War.

Question 52

The ______ states favored the Virginia Plan.

Question 53

One argument made in The Federalist Papers that was clearly rejected was that ______.

A) there was no need for a Bill of Rights in the Constitution
B) factions could be controlled by a large republic
C) federalism was a workable form of government
D) the national government would not become too strong under the proposed system
E) the president would not be too strong under the proposed system

Question 54

In Federalist No.51,what government structure did James Madison recommend to ensure "ambition ...be made to counteract ambition"?

A) direct democracy
B) a bicameral legislature
C) an executive branch with unchecked power
D) separation of powers among the branches of federal government
E) a unicameral legislature

Question 55

Slavery in the American colonies was introduced by English settlers from Barbados in the late 1600s.

Question 56

In Federalist No.10,James Madison warned against the dangers of ______.

Question 57

Which of the following best describes the new citizenship established by the original U.S.Constitution?

A) extraordinary citizens well informed on public issues
B) informed citizens
C) citizens who consented to be governed and who were ordinary people on whom equal rights had been conferred
D) uninformed citizens
E) elite citizens

Question 58

James Madison believed that factions were particularly dangerous to a republic because they would likely pit the haves and the have-nots against each other.

Question 59

______ were generally first to ratify the Constitution.

Question 60

Thomas Jefferson changed John Locke's argument for government to protect property to protection of "the pursuit of ______."

Question 61

Why did the founders adopt a federal system of government?

Question 62

In Federalist No.10,James Madison wrote about the danger of factions.Why did Madison think factions were problematic,and how would the new Constitution keep them under control?

Question 63

Why did the Articles of Confederation ultimately fail?

Question 64

What were the two major plans presented at the Philadelphia Convention,and what were the major provisions of each? How were the plans reconciled? Who do you think the winners and the losers were at the Constitutional Convention? Why do you think the winners were winners and the losers were losers?

Question 65

Compare and contrast the modern-day Tea Party movement with the Sons of Liberty and the Tea Party of the Revolutionary War time period.Additionally,discuss how living in a Web 2.0 world affected the growth of the modern Tea Party movement.

Question 66

Name two reasons why early colonists left England.

Question 67

Identify and discuss the three major compromises adopted at the Constitutional Convention.What issue did each compromise address? What were the concerns of each side? How was the compromise achieved? How well do you think each of the compromises has worked?

Question 68

Explain James Madison's statement that "ambition must be made to counteract ambition."

Question 69

Explain the nature of the conflict between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists.Who were likely to be Federalists and Anti-Federalists? How did each group view human nature and the role of government?

Question 70

Enlightenment philosophers,such as John Locke,had a new vision about the roles of government and citizenship.How did Locke's vision differ from the views of government and citizenship up until that time? In what ways did his writings influence the founding fathers?