8th Grade Unit 3 US Constitution Exam

The State of New Hampshire having ratified the constitution transmitted to them by the Act of the 28 of Sept last & transmitted to Congress their ratification & the same being read, the president reminded Congress that this was the ninth ratification transmitted & laid before them.

 

—Resolution of Congress, July 2, 1788

As a direct result of the action described in the excerpt, the U.S. government would soon —

• operate under a new federal constitution

• require the drafting of new state constitutions

• appoint legal scholars for crafting new federal laws

• establish state and federal courts to interpret laws

We the people of the United States, is part of the opening paragraph to the Constitution called what?

• Bill of Rights

• Preamble
• Articles of Confederation

• The Great Compromise

The seventeenth of September is the federal observance of Constitution Day. The purpose of the observation is to recognize the writing of the Constitution by delegates in Philadelphia in the year —

• 1788

• 1787

• 1789

• 1776

When creating the legislative branch there were two proposed plans.  Which plan wanted states to have representation based on population? 

• Connecticut Plan 
• New Jersey Plan
• Virginia Plan
• 3/5th's Plan 

A people deliberating in a temperate moment, and with the experience of other nations before them, on the plan of Government, most likely to secure their happiness, would first be aware, that those charged with the public happiness, might betray their trust. An obvious precaution against this danger would be to divide the trust between different bodies of men, who might watch and check each other.

 

—James Madison, Constitutional Convention debate, June 26, 1787

How were the concerns expressed by Madison in the excerpt above eventually addressed by the Constitution?

A

• The Constitution established term limits on representatives. 

• The Constitution created a republican system of government.

• The Constitution included a defined set of rights and liberties.

• The Constitution divided power into separate branches. 

Opponents of the Virginia Plan argued that the plan gave too much power to — 

• state governments

• the judicial branch

• populous states

• a presidential cabinet

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was originally convened to...

• write the Treaty of Paris.
• create a committee to write the constitution

• nominate a presidential candidate

• improve the Articles of Confederation.

Feared a strong central government. 

Believed a bill of rights needed to be added to the Constitution. 

Opponents of the Constitution. 

All describe-

• democrats
• anti-federalists
• federalists
• small states

The English Bill of Rights served as model for the Founding Fathers because it —

• contained a list of individual rights

• was the first constitution used in the colonies

• established the idea of majority rule in the colonies

• was the first document that limited the power of the king

The purpose of The Federalist Papers was to make an argument for —

• establishing a national bank

• ratifying the U.S. Constitution

• restricting the practice of slavery

• declaring independence from Britain