Unit 4: A New Nation & the Constitution Review

The purpose of the first three articles of the Constitution is to define the

• principle of shared power between the national and state governments

• processes for holding elections & proposing amendments

• individual & political rights guaranteed to all citizens

• powers & responsibilities of the branches of the federal government

What does the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution explain?

• the purposes of the U.S. government

• the basic principles of the U.S. government

• the reasons for separating from Britain

• how the Constitution is organized

Which statement best describes the design of the federal government?

• Its powers are divided among three branches

• Its legislature reviews the constitutionality of laws

• Its courts execute laws

• Its powers are established by the president

Soon after the delegates to the Constitutional Convention began their meetings, they decided to

• design a new system of government

• decrease the powers of the national government

• establish a representative democracy with limited voting rights

• expand the authority of state and local governments

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention agreed that after 1808, Congress could

• abolish slavery

• stop the import of slaves

• begin taxing enslaved persons as property

• count enslaved persons for representation

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention debated how states would be represented in Congress. What resulted from these debates?

• a formal amendment process

• a two-house legislature

• an executive with a limited term

• a system of checks and balances

Who held the most power under the Articles of Confederation?

• the states

• average citizens

• local political leaders

• the national government

Why did Congress pass both the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

• to pay off war debts

• to manage the frontier

• to conduct foreign relations

• to promote economic development

The Articles of Confederation contributed most to which of the following?

• resistance to tax increases

• the difficulties of life on the frontier

• disputes about the expansion of slavery

• economic competition between the states

Which of these contributed most to Americans' desire to have a Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution?

• the failure of Shays' Rebellion

• the Quartering Act

• the signing of the Declaration of Independence

• the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation