Exam 2: The Founding and the Constitution

Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays, frustrated by a postwar economic downturn that harmed the colonial elite class, led a mob in a rebellion against the national government, as constituted under the Articles of Confederation.

The Constitution's framers decided to have senators appointed for six-year terms because:

Under the Articles of Confederation, the presiding officer of the executive branch was appointed through a nomination and voting process of the assembled delegates in the Electoral College.

It is accepted among historians and political scientists that sectional and economic differences, especially ones involving slavery, shaped debate among delegates to the Constitutional Constitution.Madison, in his convention notes, suggested that it even shaped his idea of the indirect selection of the president through the Electoral College, rather than direct election, despite the fact that he thought that latter would clearly be the best means of selecting the executive.More people could vote in the nonslave states of the North, he noted, something that he thought would lead the southern states to reject a direct election. Given that slavery was outlawed by the Thirteenth Amendment, would it be useful to reconsider the Electoral College and other aspects of the Constitution, or even its basic framework, in light of how sectional differences shaped its ratification?

The upper house of Germany's parliament, the Bundesrat, has delegate members selected by their state (or Länder) governments, not elected members.How, in this manner, is the Bundesrat similar to the U.S.Senate, as originally envisioned by the Constitution's framers?

A right to privacy, while recognized over time by federal judges, is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.It can be said that such a right is protected under the Constitution, all the same, because:

Which government institution 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?

The idea that the federal government can exercise only the powers specifically articulated in the Constitution is known as the doctrine of:

The framers developed four constitutional principles that prevent the threat of excessive democracy: bicameralism, checks and balances, staggered terms of office, and indirect election.What are these principles, and how do they prevent the federal government from directly reflecting the will of the people?

For Congress to send an amendment to the Constitution to state legislatures or to ratifying conventions for approval, it must pass in:

On his last full day in office in 2016, President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 330 federal inmates, most of them drug offenders who he felt were serving overly harsh sentences.His actions were an example:

Federal judges are given lifetime appointments.

During the Constitutional Convention, the motion to include a bill of rights was:

The power of federal judges to interpret the Constitution in cases that involve questions about federal law or the Constitution is referred to as:

Since the Bill of Rights' ratification, thousands of amendments to the Constitution have been proposed, but only 15 have been added.Why have so few made it past the finish line?

Why did the framers feel a need to replace the Articles of Confederation?

What compromises were made during the Constitutional Convention and why?

The Constitution implies that any power not explicitly granted to the federal government is not granted at all.

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, the proportion of each state's revenue contribution, or both was known as the:

All American states have their own constitutions, ones that establish their institutional frameworks, much like the national Constitution.They are considered subordinate to the latter document, however, under: