EOC Practice Part 1

The statements below are from the Declaration of Independence.

 

Which statement reflects the Enlightenment ideas of natural law as expressed by Locke?

 

• A

• B

• C

• D

Answer explanation

Founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson were influenced by many Enlightenment ideals. These ideas were incorporated in important founding documents like the Declaration of Independence. The statement, “All men…are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” reflects the Enlightenment ideals as expressed by John Locke. Locke wrote at length about natural law and natural rights. His writings argued that all people are born with natural rights to life, liberty and property. He believed these rights were independent of any government or social laws.

What did many American colonists use Thomas Paine's Common Sense to justify?

• Acts of sabotage against British merchants

• Declaring independence from Britain

• Joining the army instead of the militia

• Supporting the British monarchy

Answer explanation

The pamphlet Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine in 1776. It blamed King George III for the problems in American Colonies. It also challenged the authority of the British government and monarchy. Thomas Paine argued that the colonists should declare their independence from Britain. The pamphlet Common Sense emphasized the right to and benefits of self-government. It was widely read and encouraged support for independence from colonial rule among many colonists.

The diagram describes a cause that led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Which action completes the diagram?

• British eliminate all taxes on colonists

• Colonists vote to elect new member of Parliament

• British ignore colonist grievances

• Colonist send troops to Britain in protest

Answer explanation

The American colonists were upset over many polices imposed by the British. One of these polices was imposing taxes without the consent of the people. The colonists expressed their grievances with the taxes and lack of representation, but the British did not take actions that addressed the colonists concerns. Ultimately, the Continental Congress appointed five delegates to create a document declaring independence from the British government. This document became known as the Declaration of Independence

1.      The Declaration of Independence included these complaints:

·         Taxation without representation

·         Limiting judicial powers

·         Quartering Troops

·         Dissolving legislature

 Which complaint should be added to this list?

• Requiring colonists to send representation to Parliament

• Suspending trial by jury in many cases

• Ordering colonists to move from Native American land

• Allowing the wealthy to avoid local laws

Answer explanation

The Declaration of Independence has three main sections. The colonists began by describing their beliefs about government, including natural rights and the social contract. The middle section is the list of grievances or complaints against King George III. The document ends with the official statement of independence. Some of the complaints included in the Declaration of Independence include imposing taxes without the consent of the people, suspending trial by jury, limiting judicial powers, quartering soldiers on colonist property, and dissolving local legislatures.

The passage below was written by John Locke in his Second Treatise of Civil Government.

Based on this passage, with which complaint in the Declaration of Independence would John Locke agree?

• He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

• He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people...

• He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

• He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

Answer explanation

In this passage from Locke’s Second Treatise on Civil Government, he states that government should preserve the peoples’ rights, property and safety. The grievance from the Declaration of Independence “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good” explains that the colonists believe the King has refused to assent (or agree) to laws which are necessary for the public good. Based on the passage, it is reasonable to conclude that John Locke would have agreed that a ruler who did not create laws to protect the public good was not fulfilling his duties.

Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

• The government did not have a separate judicial branch.

• The states could not print their own currency.

• The president was able to spend taxes freely.

• The government had too much power over trade.

Answer explanation

The Articles of Confederation were written as the first plan of government for the United States. The Founding Fathers feared the tyranny a strong central government could encourage, so they restricted the powers of the new government. However, the weaknesses of the central government created several problems. These weaknesses included:

• Each state had one vote in the legislative branch.

• The government did not have an executive branch.

• The government did not have a separate judicial branch.

• Congress could not create taxes.

• Congress could not raise a national military separate from the states.

• Each state printed its own currency.

• Congress could not control trade between states and with other nations.

• New laws would require the support of nine of the 13 states, more than a majority.

• The Articles of Confederation required unanimous agreement of the states to amend the document.

How did the U.S. Constitution address the problem under the Articles of Confederation that Congress had no power to ensure its laws were followed by the states?

• It created an executive branch to enforce laws.

• It gave each state sovereign authority over its laws.

• It required the president to resolve disputes between states.

• It required unanimous consent of states to create new laws.

Answer explanation

One of the weaknesses of The Articles of Confederation was that the government did not have an executive branch. When Congress passed a law, the state governments were supposed to enforce it, but this did not always happen. The U.S. Constitution addressed this problem by creating an executive branch to enforce laws made by the U.S. Congress.

What does the phrase "insure domestic tranquility" in the Preamble of the Constitution mean?

• Give land to the homeless

• Fight wars on foreign soil

• Keep the homeland at peace

• Provide citizens with insurance

Answer explanation

The first section of the Constitution describes the purpose of the document. We call this section the "Preamble." The Preamble describes the purpose and duty of government to its citizens. One of the duties of government listed in the Preamble is to “insure domestic tranquility”.

Tranquility means to be free from commotion. Domestic refers to something inside a particular country. So, “insure domestic tranquility” best aligns with the statement “keep the homeland at peace”.

This diagram shows the purpose of government according to the Preamble of the Constitution.

Which phrases complete the diagram?

• depends on people; serve the people

• depends on law; maintain the law

• depends on legislators; serve legislators

• depends on liberty; maintain those liberties

Answer explanation

The first section of the Constitution describes the purpose of the document. We call this section the "Preamble." The Preamble reveals the concerns U.S. leaders had at the time. It also describes the purpose and duty of government to its citizens. The preamble, or introduction, of the Constitution, explains why the Constitution was written. "We the people" emphasizes that the government depends on people for its power and that the government exists to serve the people.

These boxes describe two events relating to the U.S. government. What constitutional principles are demonstrated in examples A and B?

• Example A: checks and balances; Example B: separation of powers

• Example A: checks and balances; Example B: judicial review

• Example A: separation of powers; Example B: individual rights

• Example A: separation of powers; Example B: checks and balances

Answer explanation

The Founding Fathers were afraid of a government with too much power, which it feared could take away people's basic rights. They believed in creating a limited and constitutional government. Therefore, the U.S. Constitution divides the powers of government into three separate branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. We call this the separation of powers.

Some of the powers of each branch were designed to limit, or "check," the overall power of the

other branches. The purpose of these checks is to balance the branches of government so that no one branch could become too powerful.

Example A is an example of checks and balances at work. The U.S. Supreme court (judicial branch) checked the power of the U.S. Congress (legislative branch) by declaring a law that they made unconstitutional. Example B shows separation of powers. The U.S. Congress (legislative branch) passed a law and the Internal Revenue Service (executive branch) enforces it. This is an example of how the U.S. Constitution divides the powers of government into three separate branches.