Deck 6: Strengthening the New Nation

Question 1

The partisan divisions of the 1790s ended the friendship of Adams and Jefferson for an extended period.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Anti-Federalists favored a decentralized federal system of government.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The XYZ affair came about as part of the so-called Quasi War with France that Adams inherited
as president.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

On the issue of the assumption of state debts, James Madison agreed with Alexander Hamilton.

Question 5

George Washington was appointed president without any kind of election process.

Question 6

Under the Constitution, each slave would count as one person for purposes of representation, but
as only half a person for taxation.

Question 7

Which of the following was NOT part of the Northwest Ordinance?

A) Slavery was prohibited in the territory above the Ohio River.
B) Statehood was allowed when a territory had a population of 60,000 people.
C) Religious freedom was guaranteed in a "bill of rights."
D) New states formed from the Northwest Territory promised that Indian land would never be taken from them without their approval.
E) Territorial governors were to be chosen by Congress.

Question 8

The Constitution mentioned the word "slave" (or "slavery") eighteen times.

Question 9

By raising taxes in the early 1780s, the Confederation was able to reduce the national debt.

Question 10

The New Jersey Plan proposed keeping a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state.

Question 11

The Bill of Rights originally consisted of twelve amendments to the Constitution.

Question 12

The phrase "Critical Period" refers to:

A) the time of the Revolutionary War
B) the summer the Constitution was written
C) America under the Articles of Confederation
D) George Washington's presidency
E) the years of tension over British taxes

Question 13

The Supreme Court has final interpretive power over the Constitution.

Question 14

Which one of the following gave the Confederation government the most trouble?

A) finances
B) Indian affairs
C) land policy
D) postal service
E) immigration policy

Question 15

The 640-acre sections created by the Land Ordinance of 1785:

A) would be given to settlers for free
B) raised enough money to pay the national debt
C) would be reserved for veterans of the Revolution
D) would be sold by local banks
E) were part of six-square-mile townships

Question 16

Delegates to the Constitutional Convention sharply debated whether to establish a monarchy or
a republic.

Question 17

Under the Articles of Confederation, western lands would be:

A) divided up among the existing states
B) free of slavery
C) recognized as belonging to the Indians
D) owned by the national government
E) extended to the Pacific

Question 18

According to Alexander Hamilton, the United States needed a national bank to provide a stable currency and act as an engine of prosperity.

Question 19

Conflicts with Britain and France in the 1790s created a spirit of national unity.

Question 20

George Washington recognized Shays's Rebellion as an indicator of the need for a stronger form
of government.

Question 21

The Founding Fathers viewed the most democratic branch of the government as the:

A) presidency
B) Senate
C) Supreme Court
D) cabinet
E) House of Representatives

Question 22

The Constitution was to be considered ratified as soon as it had been approved by:

A) the Constitutional Convention
B) the Continental Congress
C) all thirteen states
D) nine of the states
E) a majority popular vote

Question 23

The convention, which assembled in May 1787, was supposed to:

A) write a new constitution
B) address the country's financial crisis
C) revise the Articles of Confederation
D) nominate someone for president
E) discuss better trade relations with Britain

Question 24

The Constitution addressed slavery by:

A) referring numerous times to "slaves" or "slavery"
B) counting slaves as three fifths of a person for the purposes of apportionment
C) requiring that all slaves count toward a state's congressional representation
D) making it legal in every state
E) requiring that slaves have full legal protections

Question 25

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787:

A) banned slavery in the Northwest
B) made Ohio and Indiana states immediately
C) established colonies in the Ohio Valley
D) denied self-government to that region
E) provided for joint occupation of that area with the British

Question 26

The delegates who met:

A) included John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
B) tended to be elderly
C) wanted a weaker central government
D) included many participants in the Revolution
E) arrived knowing what they wanted

Question 27

Shays's Rebellion:

A) spread to several northern states
B) was supported by George Washington and other elite figures
C) was repressed by state militia
D) resulted in massive bloodshed and property destruction
E) made Americans more fearful of strong central government

Question 28

One serious economic problem under the Articles of Confederation was:

A) a scarcity of good farmland
B) shortage of "hard money"
C) the impossibility of obtaining credit
D) excessively high income taxes
E) low wages caused by an oversupply of labor

Question 29

Shays's Rebellion broke out in:

A) Boston
B) New York City
C) Massachusetts
D) Rhode Island
E) Pennsylvania

Question 30

On the question of women's rights, the proposed Constitution:

A) denied the vote to females
B) was surprisingly progressive for its time
C) defined women as the property of their husbands
D) accepted the advice of prominent women
E) said nothing

Question 31

Shays's Rebellion was led by:

A) merchants
B) factory workers
C) bankers
D) indebted farmers
E) ambitious politicians

Question 32

The Federalist essays were written by:

A) Madison and Washington
B) John Jay
C) Patrick Henry
D) Hamilton, Madison, and Jay
E) John Adams

Question 33

Federalist essay Number 10 explains how a republic can:

A) defend itself
B) become a democracy
C) create a just society
D) pay its debts
E) be successful in a large, diverse society

Question 34

Who among the following was an anti-Federalist?

A) Alexander Hamilton
B) John Jay
C) George Mason
D) James Madison
E) George Washington

Question 35

After Shays's Rebellion:

A) Massachusetts was governed by martial law
B) farmers throughout America were watched by local safety committees
C) England prepared for the possibility of resuming the war
D) there were numerous calls promoting a stronger central government
E) taxes were increased

Question 36

Madison's Virginia Plan:

A) would create a president for life
B) would create a two-house Congress
C) was most favored by the small states
D) would simply amend the Articles of Confederation
E) would abolish the state governments

Question 37

According to the Constitution, the president has the authority to do all of the following EXCEPT:

A) veto acts of Congress
B) resign and choose his successor
C) serve a four-year term
D) act as commander in chief of the armed forces
E) appoint diplomats and judges

Question 38

The convention's most gifted political philosopher and the man who emerged as its central figure was:

A) Alexander Hamilton
B) George Washington
C) Benjamin Franklin
D) Patrick Henry
E) James Madison

Question 39

After the Revolutionary War, American trade with Britain:

A) was illegal
B) was limited to the West Indies
C) resumed, but without access to the West Indies
D) was minimal
E) was unrestricted

Question 40

The Great Compromise:

A) was negotiated by Benjamin Franklin
B) showed the South's determination to protect slavery
C) listed the explicit powers of Congress
D) created a four-year term for president
E) settled the question of congressional representation

Question 41

Under President Adams, a war between the United States and France:

A) was an undeclared naval conflict
B) was ended by the XYZ affair
C) halted partisan divisions
D) ended in American victory
E) led to French attacks on the U.S. coast

Question 42

The Bank of the United States:

A) would be totally owned by the federal government
B) had unanimous support in Congress
C) was specifically authorized by the Constitution
D) would provide a stable national currency
E) was ultimately opposed by President Washington

Question 43

Alexander Hamilton's basic vision of America was to make it:

A) a vibrant capitalist power
B) a democratic model for the world
C) a mighty empire like ancient Rome
D) committed to limited government and social equality
E) an example of racial tolerance and diversity

Question 44

The first of these states to ratify the Constitution was:

A) Delaware
B) New York
C) Rhode Island
D) Virginia
E) Massachusetts

Question 45

Washington's farewell address:

A) praised the emerging party system
B) urged greater involvement in Europe
C) was soon forgotten since Washington was a poor speaker
D) was pessimistic about the nation's future
E) opposed permanent alliances

Question 46

In regard to religion, the Constitution:

A) makes the United States a Christian nation
B) reflects the atheism of the Founding Fathers
C) prohibits the states from having official churches
D) expresses hostility toward religion
E) prevents Congress from establishing an official religion

Question 47

The emergence of political parties:

A) was anticipated by the writers of the Constitution
B) was strongly encouraged by President Washington
C) resulted from a division between monarchists and republicans
D) brought the United States to the brink of civil war
E) reflected basic philosophical differences between Jefferson and Hamilton

Question 48

The Federalist argued that:

A) the size and diversity of the large new country would make it impossible for any one faction to control the government
B) the Constitution was necessary to prevent one faction from taking control of the nation
C) a republican form of government could not work in a nation as large as the United States and therefore the Constitution was necessary
D) the Constitution would promote control of the government by one faction, which would be good for the nation
E) if the Constitution failed, the country could always go back to the Articles of Confederation

Question 49

Jay's Treaty:

A) shut American merchants out of the West Indies
B) ended a war with the British
C) was most strongly opposed in New England
D) infuriated Republicans for its concessions to the British
E) forced Hamilton's resignation from the cabinet

Question 50

When Britain and France went to war in 1793, the United States:

A) supported Britain because of its conservative government
B) supported France because of the Franco-American alliance
C) expressed neutrality, warning Americans not to aid either side
D) allied with other nations to oppose both Britain and France
E) sharply increased its military spending

Question 51

In early 1789, the new Congress gathered in the national capital, which was:

A) Philadelphia
B) New York City
C) Boston
D) Washington, D.C.
E) Baltimore

Question 52

Pinckney's Treaty resulted in:

A) American ownership of the Mississippi River
B) expulsion of the Indians from the Southwest
C) American trade access to Spanish New Orleans
D) Spain's withdrawal from Florida
E) the right of Americans to settle in Texas

Question 53

Edmond-Charles Genêt:

A) came to the United States to escape the revolutionary excesses of the French Revolution
B) encouraged Americans to attack English and Spanish vessels
C) quickly won the sympathy of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists
D) was deeply involved in the XYZ affair
E) became a leading member of the Republican party

Question 54

In his inaugural address, President Washington emphasized:

A) his economic plans
B) party politics
C) national unity
D) relations with Britain
E) his cabinet selections

Question 55

Opposition to Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey was strongest among:

A) merchants
B) Federalists
C) veterans
D) frontier farmers
E) churchgoers

Question 56

Madison decided to support Hamilton's debt proposals in return for an agreement to:

A) give more money to the original bondholders
B) make the states pay their own debts
C) cut taxes
D) limit future federal spending
E) relocate the nation's capital southward

Question 57

Daniel Boone's route into Kentucky was the:

A) Fincastle Turnpike
B) Great Valley Road
C) Appalachian Trail
D) Warriors' Path
E) Wilderness Road

Question 58

One key element of Hamilton's program to encourage manufacturing was his proposal for:

A) a cutoff of trade with Britain
B) high protective tariffs
C) government-owned factories
D) importation of cheap foreign labor
E) government colleges for industrial education

Question 59

The Bill of Rights did all of the following EXCEPT:

A) safeguard freedoms such as press, speech, and assembly
B) appease some initial critics of the Constitution
C) constitute the first ten amendments to the Constitution
D) protect against "cruel and unusual" punishment
E) settle all questions about federal versus state authority

Question 60

In his debate with Jefferson over the national bank's constitutionality, Hamilton:

A) emphasized states' rights
B) strictly interpreted the Constitution
C) used the doctrine of implied powers
D) emphasized the Tenth Amendment
E) had Madison's support

Question 61

It is sometimes assumed that because the Articles of Confederation were weak, they were unpopular. Discuss the merits of this statement.

Question 62

Examine the argument that the Alien and Sedition Acts destroyed John Adams's presidency.

Question 63

Describe the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. Why had the Articles been written that way?

Question 64

Discuss the conflict between Federalists and anti-Federalists in the writing and ratification of the Constitution.

Question 65

Trace the Confederation government's policies concerning diplomacy. How effective was the government in dealing with outside interests?

Question 66

What major compromises were made at the Constitutional Convention, and what issues did they settle? What issues remained unsettled?

Question 67

Describe the presidency of John Adams. Be sure to include both the domestic and foreign issues that confronted his administration and how he succeeded in dealing with these issues.

Question 68

Describe the system of checks and balances in the Constitution.

Question 69

The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions argued that:

A) states could nullify federal laws
B) taxes imposed by Congress were unconstitutional
C) immigrants should be expelled from the country if they were not loyal to the American cause
D) the "freedom of speech" clause in the Bill of Rights did not apply to purely political rhetoric
E) new western states should be admitted as quickly as possible

Question 70

Jefferson's election in 1800:

A) continued the Federalist domination of the U.S. government
B) had to be settled by the House of Representatives
C) was assured when Aaron Burr agreed to withdraw as a candidate for president
D) was assured when George Washington announced his support of Jefferson just three weeks before the election
E) ended party divisions

Question 71

Trace the development of political parties during Washington's administration and describe their basic philosophies.

Question 72

Examine George Washington's motives in declaring that the United States would remain neutral in the conflict between England and France.

Question 73

The Sedition Act was aimed primarily at:

A) foreign immigrants
B) anti-war Federalists
C) Republican newspaper editors
D) French spies
E) draft-evaders

Question 74

Examine the Whiskey Rebellion with an eye on the issue of whether or not it was a serious threat to the life of the young nation.

Question 75

What was George Washington's greatest achievement as president? What was his worst failure? Overall, was his administration a success for the nation? Was it a success for the Federalists?

Question 76

Examine the importance of the Bill of Rights regarding the establishment of trust and law between the new nation and its citizens.

Question 77

Assess Alexander Hamilton's contributions to establishing national economic policy.

Question 78

The Judiciary Act of 1801:

A) created three new positions on the Supreme Court
B) was the first act passed by the Republicans
C) allowed federal judges to be impeached under the Sedition Act
D) was the legacy of the Federalists as they left office
E) was vetoed by President Jefferson

Question 79

Just before he left office, Adams:

A) repealed Hamilton's tax policies
B) questioned the fair outcome of the election
C) cemented Federalism within the judiciary
D) destroyed his official records
E) renewed his friendship with Jefferson

Question 80

Discuss the background, details, and results of Shays's Rebellion. In what way did the rebellion impact the debate about the type of governmental structure America should adopt for its future?