The Constitution

Following the American Revolution, what did Congress fear about a strong central government?

• another war would occur between Great Britain and America

• states would have too much power

• rights for which people fought would be lost

One weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that Congress could not

• set up a postal system

• declare war

• impose taxes

Why is James Madison known as the “Father of the Constitution”?

• He wrote the first draft of the Constitution.

• He was well prepared to lead the discussion at the convention.

• He was the oldest delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention agreed to establish a republic. Which of these describes a republic?

• a country led by elected representatives

• a parliamentary form of government

• government led by a powerful few

The number of members of which of these is affected by state population?

• The Senate

• The House of representatives

• The Supreme Court

Which group casts votes to elect the president?

• The Senate

• Congress

• The Electoral College

How is the Constitution organized?

• into paragraphs called statements

• into parts called articles

• into sentences called sections

Why did the delegates start the Preamble to the Constitution with the words “We, the people”?

• to provide an introduction that would interest readers

• to state that government power comes from the people

• to record that all the citizens wrote the Constitution

Why does each state have two senators?

• so the Senate does not become overcrowded

• to balance the rights of large and small states

• so that one can take over if the other is unavailable

What is the primary work of Congress?

• to debate whether laws are constitutional

• to determine who will be the candidate for president

• to make laws for the country