Deck 7: Confederation and Constitution, 1783-1789

Question 1

Under the new Constitution, the federal government was not permitted to rule the individual.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Britain retained a few forts along the U.S.-Canadian border to ensure that the United States paid off its loans to British creditors.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

For the new Constitution to take effect, nine of the thirteen states had to ratify it.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The Electoral College was composed of delegates from each state, equal in number to each state's total apportionment in Congress.

Question 5

One of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was:

A)its discriminatory policies toward U.S. citizens.
B)its inability to establish the U.S. government as a government of laws.
C)its inability to create a national citizenship.
D)its lack of provisions for organizing western lands.
E)its lack of authority over internal trade.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is true of the Articles of Confederation?

A)They created a national citizenship, which gave equal rights to qualifying members.
B)They gave extensive powers to the Committee of the States.
C)They were drafted during the First Continental Congress.
D)They gave the federal government the right to levy taxes.
E)They provided a strong national policy on internal trade and commerce.

Question 7

Which of the following documents, drafted by the Continental Congress between 1776 and 1777, defined the colonies' collective sovereignty?

A)The Constitution
B)The Articles of Confederation
C)The Circular Letter
D)The Federalist Paper
E)The Resolve

Question 8

The Articles of Confederation provided a strong national policy on internal trade and commerce.

Question 9

The only large state to ratify the Constitution by the end of the winter of 1788 was Virginia.

Question 10

The Yazoo Strip was the boundary between Spanish Florida and American Georgia.

Question 11

The three-fifths clause demonstrated that despite the new nation's stated commitment to freedom and equality, white Americans still treated African Americans as far less than equal.

Question 12

One of the achievements of the Articles of Confederation was:

A)its condition of establishing unanimity in taking decisions.
B)its establishment of the U.S. government as a government of laws.
C)its clarity on international borders.
D)its ability to raise funds for the confederation.
E)its complete authority over internal trade.

Question 13

Under the Articles of Confederation, commerce between the states suffered because:

A)Congress could not reach at a consensus concerning trade policies.
B)there was no central authority to manage it.
C)states competed with each other to acquire western lands.
D)states had limited power to regulate commerce and levy taxes.
E)Britain prohibited American ships from trading in the West Indies.

Question 14

Which of the following rights was NOT part of the bills of rights incorporated into the various state constitutions between 1776 and 1780?

A)The right to freedom of the press
B)The right of popular consent before being taxed
C)The right to protection against general search warrants
D)The right to freedom of religion
E)The right to vote without discrimination

Question 15

Between 1776 and 1880, none of the state constitutions directly addressed the separation of powers among different branches of government.

Question 16

Which of the following statements best describes John Adams' concept of mixed government?

A)Both men and women would hold posts of eminence in government to prevent any gender discrimination in the governance of the country.
B)All the races would be equally represented in Congress to prevent any racial discrimination in government.
C)The powers of the government would be distributed among several different branches of government to prevent any one body from exerting an excess of authority.
D)A bicameral legislature of senators and representatives would be instated to ensure stability and equality in the decision-making process of the government.
E)The northern and southern states would mix evenly in the Senate and thereby avoid an escalation of the debate over slavery

Question 17

Which of the following weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation prevented Congress from making major decisions in legislative matters?

A)The need for unanimity to make changes
B)The lack of provisions to organize newly acquired lands
C)The discriminatory policies toward U.S. citizens
D)The inability to create a national citizenship
E)The inability to establish the U.S. as a government of laws

Question 18

Under the Articles of Confederation, the Continental Congress had the power to:

A)make international treaties.
B)levy taxes.
C)regulate commerce.
D)maintain a standing army.
E)dismiss states from the confederation.

Question 19

Which of the following is a true statement about the state constitutions drafted between 1776 and 1780?

A)They broadened the base of people who could participate in government.
B)They suppressed the freedom of the press and the freedom of religion.
C)They concentrated all the powers of the government on the legislative branch.
D)They were narrow in scope and were devoid of innovative ideas.
E)They failed to incorporate bills of rights which would protect Americans' natural rights.

Question 20

The Anti-Federalists preferred a weaker confederation of states and a more direct democracy than provided for in the Constitution.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true of the Virginia Plan?

A)It sought to reduce the powers of the federal government.
B)It suggested that the president should be elected by the Congress.
C)It favored the small states in the Union.
D)It called for revising the Articles of Confederation.
E)It was proposed by William Paterson.

Question 22

At the Constitutional Convention, the conflict between the eastern and western states on the issue of western expansion was settled by:

A)instituting the three-fifths clause in the Constitution.
B)granting each state equal representation in the upper house.
C)permitting slave trade for twenty more years.
D)granting Congress the power to admit new states to the nation.
E)conceding to the lower house the power to initiate funding bills.

Question 23

The new Constitution, after the Constitutional Convention in 1787, granted the president the power to:

A)collect taxes and raise revenue.
B)regulate both foreign and domestic commerce.
C)declare war and maintain an army.
D)make treaties without the consent of the Senate.
E)execute the laws passed in Congress.

Question 24

The purpose of legislation like the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was to:

A)tackle increasing levels of inflation.
B)settle border disputes with Canada.
C)gain control over British-occupied forts.
D)accommodate native inhabitants of the land.
E)organize the western territories.

Question 25

Which of the following incidents influenced the framers of the Constitution while creating the Electoral College?

A)The Boston massacre
B)Shays' Rebellion
C)The Gaspee incident
D)The Boston Tea Party
E)Fries's Rebellion

Question 26

The rural towns of Massachusetts that protested in 1786 demanded that the government:

A)grant Congress the powers to add new states to the nation.
B)declare a moratorium on taxes and on lawsuits against debtors.
C)legalize slavery for the coming twenty years.
D)grant all states equal representation in Congress.
E)allow access to markets in the West Indies.

Question 27

Roger Sherman's Great Compromise was finally accepted after Benjamin Franklin added the stipulation that:

A)slavery would be permitted for the coming twenty years.
B)the three-fifths clause would be included in the Constitution.
C)all the funding bills would originate in the lower house.
D)Congress would have the power to admit new states to the nation.
E)the president would be elected by the members of the Electoral College.

Question 28

Which of the following is a true statement about the Electoral College?

A)It was instituted under the Articles of Confederation.
B)It was to ensure that only qualified candidates got elected.
C)Each delegate in the college was entitled to vote for only a single candidate.
D)The person who received the most number of votes would be the vice-president.
E)It had the same number of delegates from all the thirteen states.

Question 29

Which of the following was an outcome of Shays' Rebellion?

A)The Spanish opened up the Mississippi river for American merchants.
B)A moratorium was placed on taxes and on lawsuits against debtors.
C)The Continental Congress was moved to Princeton from Philadelphia.
D)The federal government became aware of the need to address the issue of debt.
E)Democracy was established as a viable form of governance.

Question 30

According to the Great Compromise, the lower house of the legislature was to be called the:

A)House of Commons.
B)Senate.
C)House of Representatives.
D)House of Lords.
E)National Council.

Question 31

According to the Constitution, after the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Congress did NOT have the power to:

A)collect taxes and raise revenue.
B)regulate both foreign and domestic trade.
C)maintain an army.
D)declare war on other countries.
E)mediate on cases between two states.

Question 32

Which of the following laws surveyed the immense western territory, divided it into townships six miles square, and set prices for its sale to individuals?

A)The Land Ordinance of 1785
B)The Public Land Act of 1796
C)The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
D)The Quartering Act of 1765
E)The Declaratory Act of 1766

Question 33

The Virginia Plan sought to do all of the following EXCEPT:

A)establish a federal judiciary.
B)scrap the Articles of Confederation.
C)create a unicameral legislature.
D)grant veto power to Congress.
E)create a centralized government.

Question 34

Which of the following issues was a point of contention between the Americans and the English?

A)Access to the Mississippi river
B)Control of the Yazoo strip
C)Access to Spanish traders in the West Indies
D)Tackling Mediterranean pirates
E)Control of forts along the U.S.-Canadian border

Question 35

The three-fifths clause incorporated into the Constitution demonstrated that:

A)white Americans still treated African Americans as far less than equal.
B)the Articles of Confederation represented a viable model for governance.
C)the government was controlled by agricultural interests rather than commercial ones.
D)a centralized form of government would prove beneficial for the nation.
E)the federal government could not ignore the issue of debt.

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT a true statement about the members of the Constitutional Convention?

A)They were relatively young and wealthy.
B)They were elected by their respective states.
C)They were ardent advocates of democracy.
D)They wanted to strengthen the national government.
E)They were mostly members of the social and educational elite.

Question 37

Which of the following is a true statement about Shays' rebellion?

A)It was a warning about the dangers of true democracy, dangers that made many leading intellectuals incredibly nervous.
B)It forced the Spanish to grant Americans access to the Spanish West Indies.
C)It ensured that the English paid off their loans to British creditors.
D)It emerged in opposition to the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
E)It prompted the government to issue several promissory notes, mostly to farmers whose land was used during the war.

Question 38

The New Jersey Plan proposed by William Paterson sought to:

A)create a Congress with two houses.
B)scrap the Articles of Confederation.
C)establish a president who was elected by Congress.
D)establish a federal judiciary.
E)give each state equal representation in the legislature.

Question 39

Which of the following is a true statement about the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

A)It remained silent on the issue of slavery, thus encouraging the slave trade in the territories.
B)It stipulated that a territory could elect a legislature when its male population reached 1,000.
C)It allowed a territory to enter the Union as a state once its total population reached 60,000.
D)It respected the rights of the native inhabitants of the land, protecting them from white settlers.
E)It failed to incorporate a bill of rights, thus giving the Crown extensive power over the colonies.

Question 40

Which of the following was a difference between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan?

A)The Virginia Plan proposed a unicameral legislature, whereas the New Jersey Plan proposed a bicameral legislature.
B)The Virginia Plan sought to revise the Articles of Confederation, whereas the New Jersey Plan sought to remove the Articles of Confederation.
C)The Virginia Plan suggested giving Congress the veto power over the actions of the states, whereas the New Jersey plan ensured the federal government could not veto the actions of the states.
D)The Virginia Plan favored small states, whereas the New Jersey Plan favored large states.
E)The Virginia Plan suggested equal representation for all states in Congress, whereas the New Jersey Plan suggested determining the membership of Congress according to the population of the states.

Question 41

In June 1788, _________ voted to ratify the Constitution, becoming the critical ninth state and putting the Constitution into functional operation.
A. Virginia
B. Georgia
C. Connecticut
D. New Hampshire

Question 42

The Bill of Rights guaranteed Americans protection against all of the following EXCEPT:

A)the denial of a trial by one's peers.
B)the expansion of free speech.
C)the fear of an established church.
D)the forcible removal of private property.
E)the suspension of protections under the law.

Question 43

Which of the following statements is true of the Federalists?

A)They contemplated a bill of rights that would prevent the new centralized government from infringing on what were considered natural rights.
B)They preferred a weaker confederation of states and a more direct democracy.
C)They came from a variety of factions and included many prominent patriots, including Patrick Henry, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams.
D)They campaigned openly against the ratification of the Constitution.
E)They considered individual rights to be more important than federal security.

Question 44

What were the major problems the country faced under the Articles of Confederation?

Question 45

Describe the powers reserved for the federal government and the state governments in the Articles of Confederation.

Question 46

Explain how the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 organized the division of lands in the new territories.

Question 47

Which of the following was the reason that John Hancock, the Anti-Federalist leader, changed his stance on the Constitution?

A)The inclusion in the Constitution of the three-fifths clause, which allowed southerners to include three-fifths of their slave population for both representation and the apportionment of federal taxes.
B)Benjamin Franklin conceded to the larger states the power to have all funding bills originate in the lower house.
C)The Convention granted the Congress the power to admit new states to the nation.
D)The Federalists agreed that the insertion of a Bill of Rights into the Constitution would be the first order of business for the new federal government.
E)The framers of the Constitution included the Supremacy Clause, which made the Constitution supreme over state laws in all legal matters.

Question 48

Which of the following is a true statement about the Anti-Federalists?

A)They fervently opposed federalism.
B)They preferred a weaker confederation of states.
C)They attempted to assuage notions that the new government would slide into tyranny.
D)They supported the concentration of power in a centralized government.
E)They opposed the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.

Question 49

The _________ is a group of delegates from each state, with each state's delegates being equal in number to the state's total apportionment in Congress.
A. Electoral College
B. Senate
C. executive pool
D. committee of correspondence

Question 50

_________ was the proposal that suggested revising the Articles of Confederation rather than replacing them altogether.
A. The Virginia Plan
B. A Bill of Rights
C. The New Jersey Plan
D. Three-fifths clause

Question 51

The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights guaranteed protection against:

A)the quartering of soldiers in private homes.
B)the forcible removal of private property.
C)being forced to incriminate oneself in court.
D)denial of trial by a jury of one's peers.
E)the establishment of a national religion.

Question 52

In the 1780s, _________ of Massachusetts developed the theory behind the separation of powers.
A. John Dickinson
B. John Adams
C. Patrick Henry
D. John Hancock

Question 53

Which of the following clauses made the authority of the Constitution supersede that of state laws in all legal matters?

A)The Treaty Clause
B)The Sweeping Clause
C)The Three-Fifths clause
D)The Supremacy Clause
E)The Uniformity Clause

Question 54

According to the Constitution, after the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the judges appointed by the president had the power to:

A)maintain an army and declare war.
B)regulate both foreign and domestic trade.
C)preside over cases between two or more states.
D)name diplomats with the consent of the Senate.
E)impose federal income taxes.

Question 55

Describe the situation that led to the drafting of the Articles of Confederation.

Question 56

After the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the purpose behind disallowing states from making their own money was to:

A)retain the supremacy of the Constitution over state laws.
B)make Congress the most powerful branch of government.
C)ensure the necessary balance between the state and federal powers.
D)resolve the conflict between the southern states and the northern states.
E)promote economic and social stability in the states.

Question 57

_________ were the essays written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison in 1787; they were meant to influence the Constitutional ratification debate in New York State.
A. Circular letters
B. The Articles of Confederation
C. A Bills of Rights
D. The Federalist Papers

Question 58

Which of the following statements is true of the Bill of Rights?

A)Large states like Virginia opposed the inclusion of Bill of Rights in the Constitution.
B)Congress began the task of crafting the Bill of Rights after the Constitution was fully ratified.
C)The First Amendment specified the number of constituents for each representative.
D)Twelve amendments were suggested and all of them were passed.
E)Many protections guaranteed under the Bill of Rights were borrowed from various state constitutions.

Question 59

Which of the following were the framers of the Constitution who emphasized that the creation of the new federal government would not end state autonomy?

A)The Radical Whigs
B)The minutemen
C)The Federalists
D)The browncoats
E)The redcoats

Question 60

Explain the common characteristics of the state constitutions framed between 1776 and 1780.

Question 61

Discuss the arguments in the fight for ratification of the Constitution. How was the conflict resolved?

Question 62

How did the idea of separation of powers apply to the three branches of the U.S. government?

Question 63

An important issue confronted by the government under the Articles of Confederation had to do with foreign relations. Explain.

Question 64

Discuss Shays' Rebellion and its significance.

Question 65

Discuss the Bill of Rights and the amendments that were incorporated into it.

Question 66

Discuss the compromises that shaped the Constitution.

Question 67

How does the Bill of Rights reflect the fears that helped cause the Revolution, and how does it protect citizens? Explain with an example.

Question 68

Compare and contrast the Virginia and New Jersey Plans that were presented at the Constitutional Convention. Explain the compromise that brought the two sides together.

Question 69

Why were the state constitutions so important after the Revolution? How did they help shape the governing documents of the United States government?

Question 70

Why did the framers of the Constitution create the Electoral College? What was the Electoral College's role in the election of the president?