Exam 2: The Founding and the Constitution

The Constitution's framers designed this institution to be the closest, and most democratically responsive, to the people:

The Constitution makes no direct mention of judicial review.

Compared to the confederation principle of the Articles of Confederation, federalism was a step toward:

Two of the three American presidents selected for the office between 2000 and 2016 won majorities in the Electoral College without winning the popular vote.

In the absence of an amendment, any power not specifically enumerated in the Constitution is conceived to be reserved to the national government.

Which constitutional provision was intended to ensure popular control over the federal government?

Imagine that states could still engage in unrelated commerce with foreign nations, as they could under the Articles of Confederation.Now, suppose an American president-going against the free trade-oriented, national economic policies of recent American history-placed steep tariffs on imports.What if a group of free trade-friendly states then sought an independent trade agreement with the affected countries? Why might this prove to be as much of a problem today as it was under the Articles?

In the system devised by the framers of the Constitution, sovereignty was vested in:

Why, a few years before the Constitutional Convention was held, had delegates from five states called on Congress to, at a later time, send commissioners to Philadelphia to make adjustments to the Articles of Confederation?

Why did the framers fear excessive democracy? Through what means were the framers able to limit democracy's influence on the structure of government?

Before a constitutional amendment led to direct election of U.S.senators, they were selected by:

The two major compromises that led to a successful conclusion of the Constitutional Convention of 1789 were developed, in part, to restore an alliance of southern planters and northern merchants after rifts developed over sectional interests, including slavery.

What was the main tool the framers of the Constitution used to insulate the president from excessively democratic pressures?

The issue of counting slaves for purposes of representation was settled by the:

Which proposal, offered by smaller states during the Constitutional Convention, argued each state should be equally represented regardless of its population?

Compare and contrast the powers of Congress under the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.Was Congress more or less powerful under the Articles of Confederation?

The U.S.Constitution has been amended 27 times, and just 15 times since 1791.What institutional factors help explain the (arguably) low number of amendments to the U.S.Constitution?

Different constituencies elect senators and representatives, and they serve terms that are different in length, because the Constitution's framers:

The decision of the Constitution's framers to allow federal judges, all unelected, to serve lifetime appointments demonstrated their concern with:

In Federalist 51, James Madison argued that the people ultimately control the government, but that experience has "taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions." He thought these were needed to: