Exam 2: The Founding and the Constitution

Why, despite the fact that the framers valued liberty above democracy, and even sought to protect liberty from a presumed tyranny of the mob, did the country quickly begin democratizing after the Constitution was ratified?

The framers of the Constitution worried that powerful leaders and institutions must be held accountable by other powerful leaders and institutions, which led them to adopt:

Had the Constitution's framers voted in favor of the Virginia Plan, which provided for a bicameral legislature with representation based on their populations or the size of their contributions to national tax revenues, or both, where might most of the power have likely flowed?

Presidential vetoes are not absolute, and may be overturned with a majority vote in both houses of Congress.

The Constitution does not explicitly mention the principle of the separation of powers.

Why did New England merchants seek support from radical factions in the American colonies?

What was the most difficult issue faced by the framers of the Constitution?

How did the cleavages between small states and large states, and between slave states and nonslave states, shape the institutional design of the Constitution?

In the chain of events leading up to the American Revolution, radical forces grew more politically influential because colonial elites were split by:

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:

Congress can overturn a presidential veto only through:

Under the Constitution as originally ratified, U.S.senators were to be appointed by state legislatures.

Under the Articles of Confederation, the nation's armed forces were composed of the state militias.

Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led a mob in a rebellion against the Massachusetts government, with the goal of:

The purpose of the ten amendments in the Bill of Rights was basically to give each of the three branches of government:

The First Continental Congress was created in response to which of the following?

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was given power to declare war and make peace.

How did the Founders ultimately balance the need for an effective national government with the need to protect the rights of states and individuals?

In what ways did the Constitution represent an improvement over the Articles of Confederation?

Each branch of the government of the United States is responsible to a different constituency.