VAUS 5: Establishing the Nation SOL Prep

VAUS 5: The Constitutional Era

The Constituional Era

Essential Understanding:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the issues involved in the creation and retification of the Constitution of the United States of America and how principles of limited government, consent of the governed, and the social contract are embodied in it by explaining the origins of the Constitution, including the Articles of Confederation.

• During the Constitional Era, the Americans made two attempts to establish a workable government based on republican principles.

The Constitutional Era

• Provided for a weak national government.

• Gave Congress no power to tax or regulate commerce among the states.

• Provided for no common currency.

• Gave each state one vote regardless of size.

• Provided for no executive or judicial branch.

Multiple Choice

During the Constitional Era, the Americans made two attempts to establish a workable government based on:

• The Constitution

• The Virginia Plan

• Republican Principles

• A Central Government

Multiple Choice

American political leaders, fearful of a powerful __ like England's, created the Articles of Confederation, adopted at the end of the Revolutionary War.

• Constitution

• State Government

• Central Government

• Republican Principles

Multiple Choice

The Articles of Confederation provided for a weak national government. It gave Congress no power to __, and no power to regulate insterstate commerce.

• print money
• appoint judges
• tax
• declare war

The Constitution of the United States

Essential Understanding:

• The Constitution of the United States of America established a government that shared power between the national government and state governments, protected the rights of states, and provided a system for orderly change through amendments to the Constitution itself.

Demonstrate knowledge of the issues involved in the creation and ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America and how the principles of limited government, consent of the governed, and the social contract are emboided in it by identifying major compromises necessary to produce the Constitution, and the roles of James Madison and George Washington.

The Constitution of the United States

• Made federal law the supreme law of the land when constitutional, but otherwise gave the states considerable leeway to govern themselves.

• Balanced power between large and small states by creating a Senate (where each state gets two senators) and a House of Representatives (with membership based on population).

• Placated the Southern states by counting the slaves as three-fifths of the population in the U.S. House of Representatives

• Avoided a too-powerful central government by establishing three co-equal branches - legislative, executive, and judicial - with numerous checks and balances among them.

• Limited the powers of the Federal government to those identified in the Constitution.

Key Issues and their resolution:

The Constitution of the United States

• George Washington, President of the Convention:

  • Washington presided at the convention and, although seldom participating in debates, lent his enormous prestige to the proceedings.

• James Madison, "Father of the Constitution"

  • Madison, a Virginian and a brilliant political philosopher, often led the debate and kept copious notes of the proceedings - the best record historians have of what transpired at the Convention.

  • Authored the Virginia Plan, which proposed a federal government of three seperate branches and bacame the foundation for the structure of the government.

  • He later authored much of the Bill of Rights.

Key Leaders:

Multiple Choice

The Constitution of the U.S. established a government that shared power between the __ and the state governments, protected the rights of the states, and provided a system for orderly change through amendments to the Constitution.

• National Government

• State Government

• Virgnia Government

• National Bill of Rights

Multiple Choice

The Constitution made federal law the __ law of the land when constitutional, but otherwise gave the states considerable power to govern themselves.

• dominant
• supreme
• primary
• inferior

Multiple Choice

The Constitution balanced power between large and small states by creating a Senate (where each state gets two senators) and a __ (with membership based on population).

• Congress of Delegates
• House of Representatives
• Parliament of States
• Assembly of Proportions

Multiple Choice

The Constitution placated the Southern states by counting the slaves as __ of the population when determining how many representatives a state will have in the House of Representatives.

• three-fifths
• four-fifths
• two-thirds
• one-half

Multiple Choice

It avoided a too-powerful central govenment by establishing three co-equal branches of government - legaslative, executive, and Judical - with many __ between them.

• barriers and partitions
• checks and balances
• separations and divisions
• boundaries and partitions

Multiple Choice

__ limted the powers of the Federal government to those identified.

• Constitution
• Emancipation Proclamation
• Declaration of Independence
• Bill of Rights

Multiple Choice

A key leader at the Constitutional convention was __, the President of the Convention. While presiding, he seldom participated in debates, but lent his enormous prestige to the proceedings.

• Benjamin Franklin
• John Adams
• Thomas Jefferson
• George Washington

Multiple Choice

__ The father of the Constitution, a Virginian and brilliant political philosopher, often led the debate and kept extensive notes of the proceedings - the best record historians have of what happened at the Constitutional Convention.

• James Madison
• Alexander Hamilton
• Benjamin Franklin
• Thomas Jefferson

Multiple Choice

At the Convention, Madison authored the __, which proposed a federal government of three separate branches and became the foundation for the structure of the new government.

• New Jersey Plan
• Pennsylvania Plan
• Georgia Plan
• Virginia Plan

Multiple Choice

Madision later authored much of the:

• Emancipation Proclamation
• Bill of Rights
• Federalist Papers
• Declaration of Independence

The Bill of Rights

Essential Understanding:

• The major principles of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution were based on earlier Virginia Statutes.

Demonstrate knowledge of the issues involved in the creation and ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America and how the principles of limited government, consent of the governed, and the social contract are emboided in it by examining the the significance of the Viriginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in the framing of the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights

Reiterated the notion that basic human rights should not be violated by governments.

Outlawed the established Church - that is, the practice of government support for one favored church.

Virginia Declaration of Rights

Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (Thomas Jefferson)

Bil of Rights

James Madison, a Virginian, consulted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom when drafting the amendments that eventually became the United States Bill of Rights.

Multiple Choice

The major principles of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution were based on earlier Virginia:

• Virginia Statutes

• Virginia Statues

• Pennsylvania Statutes

• New York Statutes

Multiple Choice

George Mason authored the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which reiterated the notion that basic human rights should not be __ by governments.

• infringed
• respected
• honored
• violated

Multiple Choice

__ authored the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which outlawed the established church - this is, the practice of government support for one favored church.

• Alexander Hamilton
• Thomas Jefferson
• George Washington
• Benjamin Franklin

Multiple Choice

James Madison, a Virginian, consulted the __ and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom when drafting the amendments that eventually became the United States Bill of Rights.

• Virginia Bill of Rights
• Virginia Constitution
• Virginia Declaration of Rights
• Virginia Declaration of Independence

Ratification Debates of the Constitution

Essential Understanding:

• Elements of the Federalist and Anti-Federalists thought are reflected in contemporary political debate on issues such as the size and role of the government, federalism, and the protection of individual rights.

Demonstrate knowledge of the issues involved in the creation and ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America and how the principles of limited government, consent of the governed, and the social contract are emboided in it by assessomg the arguments of Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the ratification debates and their relevance to political debate today.

Ratification Debates of the Constitution

• Advocated the importance of a strong central government, especially to promote economic development and public improvements.

• Today those who see a primary role for the federal government in solving national problems are heirs to this tradition

Federalists

Anit-Federalists

• Anti-Federalists feared an overly powerful central government destructive of the rights of individuals and the prerogatives of the States.

• Today more conservative thinkers echo these concerns and champion liberty, individual initative, and free markets.

• The leading Virginia opponents of ratification were Patrick Henry and George Mason; the leading Virginian propents were George Washington and James Madison.

Multiple Choice

Elements of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist thought are reflected in contemporary political debate on issues sch as the __ of government, federalism, and the protection of individual rights.

• power of government

• role of education

• role of government

• size of government

Multiple Choice

Federalists advocated the importance of a strong central government, especially to promote __ development and public improvements.

• social
• technological
• economic
• military

Multiple Choice

Today, those who see a __ role for the federal government in solving national problems are heirs to the Federalist tradition.

• weak
• limited
• primary

• secondary

Multiple Choice

Anti-Federalists feared an overly __ central government destructive of the rights of individuals and the prerogatives of the states.

• powerful

• weak

• totalitarian
• authoritarian

Multiple Choice

Today, more conservative thinkers echo the concerns of the Anti-Federalists and champion liberty, individual __, and free markets.

• security
• initiative

• equality
• freedom

Multiple Choice

Leading the Virginia opponents of __ were Patrick Henry and George Mason; the leading Virginia proponents of ratification were George Washington and James Madison.

• the Bill of Rights
• the Emancipation Proclamation
• the Declaration of Independence
• ratification

Establishing the Supreme Court

Essential Understanding:

• Important Legal precedents established by the Marshall Court strengthened the role of the U.S. Supreme Court as an equal branch of the National government.

Demonstrate knowledge of the issues involved in the creation and ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America and how the principles of limited government, consent of the governed, and the social contract are emboided in it by appraising how John Marshall's precedent-setting decisions established the Supreme Court as an independent and equal brach of the National government.

Establishing the Supreme Court:

Established the doctrine of judicial review - the power of the courts to determine acts of government unconstitutional.

Established the doctrine of implied powers - the court's ability to determine powers of the national government not expressly stated in the Constitution.

Marbury v. Madison

McCulloch v. Maryland

Gibbons v. Ogden

Established a broadly national view of economic affairs.

The Supreme Court decision in Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden are the foundation blocks of the Court's authority to mediate disagreements between branches of government, and competing business interests.

Multiple Choice

Important __ established by the Marshall Court strengthened the role of the U.S. Supreme Court as an equal branch of the National Government.

• thought

• legal precident

• power

• restitution

Multiple Choice

The doctrine of __ set forth in Marbury v. Madison, the doctrine of implied powers set forth in McCullough v. Maryland, and a broadly natural view of economic affairs set forth in Gibbons v. Ogden, are the foundation blocks of the Court's authority to mediate dissagreements bewteen branches of government, levels of government, and competing business interests.

• doctrine of legislative oversight

• doctrine of judicial review

• doctrine of executive privilege

• doctrine of stare decisis

Multiple Choice

The doctrine of Judicial Review is the power of the courts to declare a matter:

• unjust
• inappropriate
• unconstitutional
• illegal