Unit 1: Early American Documents

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; . . ."​​

This quotation is evidence that some of the basic ideas in the Declaration of Independence were:

• adoptions of rules used by the Holy Roman Empire.

• adaptations of the laws of Spanish colonial governments in North America.

• reflections of the philosophies of the European Enlightenment.

• limitations of the principles underlying most European governments of the 1700’s.

Which phrase from the Declaration of Independence most clearly reflects the idea that the people are the source of government?

• “. . . that all men are created equal,...”

• “. .. all men are . . . endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"

• “. . . governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes . . ."

• “. . . deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. . .“

During the debates over the ratification of the United States Constitution, Federalists and Anti-Federalists disagreed most strongly over the

• provision for admitting new states to the Union

• division of powers between the federal and state governments

• distribution of power between the Senate and the House of Representatives

• method of amending the Constitution

One of John Locke’s theories as developed in the United States Declaration of Independence, stated that

• legislatures should have more power than kings

• monarchs could rule autocratically, but they had to grant certain rights to their subjects

• government should guarantee equal economic conditions to all people

• the people should revolt against a government that did not protect their rights

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was important because it

• provided a process for admission of new states to the Union

• extended slavery north of the Ohio River

• ensured universal suffrage for all males

• established reservations for Native American Indians

The Declaration of Independence (1776) has had a major influence on peoples throughout the world because it

• guarantees universal suffrage

• establishes a basic set of laws for every nation

• provides justification for revolting against unjust governments

• describes the importance of a strong central government

One way in which the authors of the Constitution tried to create “limited government” was by providing for

• a loyal opposition through a two-party system

• a division of power between the federal and state governments

• the establishment of naturalization laws

• the popular election of Federal judges

First found in the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the first amendment in the Bill of Rights protects which individual freedom?

• a lawmaking body

• a system of federal taxation

• Press and religious freedom

• equal representation in the Senate

Select ALL of the statements which were part of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787:

• Set aside land for public education.

• All individuals living in the territory had the right to vote

• Slavery was to be banned in all parts of the Northwest territory

• Citizens living in the territory were granted the right to a trial by a jury

• The territorial Governor had to deliver a State of the Union to Congress

The U.S. Bill of Rights was influenced by several historic precedents. Choose 2 of the documents that influenced the rights of the accused (someone accused of a crime) in the U.S. Bill of Rights.

• Freedom of the press from Virginia Declaration of Rights

• Due process of law (trial by jury) from the Northwest Ordinance

• Protection from excessive bail from the English Bill of Rights 1689

• Social contract from Enlightenment writings