US REGENTS PREP WEEK 1

Most of the northern boundary of the United States was created by treaties between the United States and

• France

• Spain

• Great Britain

• Mexico

In colonial America, geography most directly influenced

• religious practices

• economic activities

• voter eligibility

• family structure

European Enlightenment writers of the 17th and 18th centuries such as John Locke infl uenced America’s colonial development by providing

• justifi cation for state-supported churches

• a defense of the slave trade

• arguments for monarchy and rule by divine right

• ideas about self-government and political rights

Which document encouraged public support for declaring independence from Great Britain?

• Albany Plan of Union

• Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

• Alien and Sedition Acts

• Common Sense

What was a major success of the national government under the Articles of Confederation (1781–1788)?

• developing a plan for the admission of new states

• establishing the fi rst national export tax

• paying off all government debts

• gaining the respect of foreign nations

Which statement best illustrates the meaning of federalism?

• All citizens enjoy the basic rights of freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly.

• The Constitution delegates certain powers to the national government but reserves other powers for the states.

• The Constitution can be changed by amendments ratifi ed by Congress.

• The House of Representatives has the power to impeach the president, and the Senate has the power to conduct an impeachment trial

The authors of the United States Constitution established a bicameral legislature primarily because they

• wished states to retain their absolute sovereignty

• reached a compromise between the large states and the small states over representation

• hoped to weaken the power of Congress

• wanted to create an independent judiciary elected by the people

. . . But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department, the necessary constitutional means, and personal motives, to resist encroachments of the others. The provision for defence must in this, as in all other cases, be made commensurate [corresponding] to the danger of attack. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. . . . — James Madison, The Federalist No. 51, 1788

In this passage, James Madison argues for the governing principle known as

• checks and balances

• representative government

• executive privilege

• popular sovereignty

. . . But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department, the necessary constitutional means, and personal motives, to resist encroachments of the others. The provision for defence must in this, as in all other cases, be made commensurate [corresponding] to the danger of attack. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. . . . — James Madison, The Federalist No. 51, 1788

Madison was one of the statesmen who wrote articles for The Federalist primarily to

• encourage rebellion against the British

• find a permanent solution to the issue of slavery

• gain support for ratifying the United States Constitution

• oppose protection of property rights in the United States Constitution

. . . The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfi lled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop. . . . — George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796

President George Washington made this statement in response to concerns over United States involvement in the

• effort to end the slave trade in West Afric

• struggle to open Asian ports to foreign trade

• independence movements of the new Latin American nations

• continuing confl ict between England and France