Origins of American Government

Which ancient civilization had the first direct democracy?

• Mesopotamia

• Rome

• Greece

• Babylon

The Magna Carta of 1215 is important for establishing which of the following?

• the Virginia Company

• the principle of limited government

• the scientific discoveries of the Enlightenment

• an agreement for governing the colony of Plymouth

Which right was established by Magna Carta in 1215?

• the right to a trial by jury

• the right to vote in elections

• the right to freedom of speech

• the right to choose the monarch

What is one right that the Magna Carta gave?

• It gave people property.

• It made it illegal for the king to tax the nobles without their permission.

• It encouraged people to question political authority.

• It established voting rights for wealthy men.

Which belief did the colonists hold based on rights granted by Magna Carta?

• All human beings are entitled to certain natural rights.

• The king only rules over his subjects by their consent.

• New taxes cannot be imposed on subjects without their approval.

• All criminals must be tried in England rather than in the colonies.

What view of government did the Magna Carta of 1215 have on the American colonists in 1776?

• All human beings possess certain natural rights.

• Natural law is based on the exercise of human reason.

• New taxes should be approved by the people’s representatives.

• The best governments separate their powers into three branches.

Which describes the impact of Magna Carta on the American colonists in the 1770s?

• They believed they could not be taxed without their consent.

• They believed they could not be governed by a far-away island.

• They favored a separation of the powers of government into different branches.

• They thought they had the right to overthrow a king who did not protect their rights.

What did the Mayflower Compact establish?

• individual rights

• direct democracy

• economic freedom

• separation of powers

How did the Mayflower Compact influence the colonists' view of government in 1620?

• The colonists declared their independence from English rule.

• The colonists declared their alliance with Parliament against the king.

• The king agreed not to collect new taxes without the approval of Parliament.

• The early colonists to America agreed to form their own community and to obey their own laws.

Which document from 1215 confirmed the right of English subjects to overthrow James II in the Glorious Revolution in 1688?

• Magna Carta

• Mayflower Compact

• English Bill of Rights

• Montesquieu’s Spirit of Laws