Chapter 11 - The Influence from Sources on the Bill of Rights

The Mayflower Compact was an important step in the development of American democracy because it

• established the principle of separation on church and state

• provided an example of colonial self-government

• defined relations with local Native American Indians

• outlawed slavery in the Massachusetts Bay Colony

What role did the Virginia Declaration of Rights play in the development of the Bill of Rights?

• It was the first document to guarantee voting rights to minorities

• It created the first written constitution in Colonial American

• It included a list of rights that were a precedent for the Bill of Rights

• It was the first document to introduce the principle of electing judges

A group of documents provided the historical precedent for the rights that became the Bill of Rights. Which documents are in the correct order in which they occurred?

• English Bill of Rights-> Magna Carta-> Virginia Declaration of Rights

• Magna Carta-> Virginia Declaration of Rights-> English Bill of Rights

• Colonial town meetings-> Magna Carta-> Virginia Declaration of Rights

• Magna Carta-> English Bill of Rights ->Virginia Declaration of Rights

"...no warrants shall issue, but upon reasonable cause, supported by oath, describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized."

-4th Amendment

"No person shall be held to answer for a capital...crime, unless on [an] indictment of a grand jury"

-5th Amendment

"...the accused shall be confronted with the witnesses against him; and have the assistance of counsel."

-6th Amendment

Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea behind the above amendments?

• Persons accused of a crime enjoy certain basic rights

• Criminal defendants must be fully prosecuted

• Criminal acts should lead to the loss of a person's liberty

• Accused persons are usually guilty of committing some crime

The Quartering Act of 1765 permitted the housing of British soldiers in the homes of American colonists. This abuse of Parliamentary power became a practice that would be prohibited by which document?

• Declaration of Independence

• Articles of Confederation

• Virginia Declaration of Rights

• Bill of Rights

Which statement best describes a precedent that became a part of the Bill of Rights?

• The Supreme Court can declare acts of Congress unconstitutional

• Only Congress has the power to control interstate commerce

• The President shares control of foreign policy with the legislature

• The police cannot enter your home without a search warrant

"It is the right of the subjects to petition the king, and all commitments [imprisonments] and prosecutions for such petitioning are illegal. That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed; no cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

Which historical document later gave similar guarantees to American citizens?

• Declaration of Independence

• Articles of Confederation

• The Federalist Papers

• Bill of Rights

The Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Bill of Rights found in the U.S. Constitution are similar in that both provide for

• a lawmaking body

• a system of federal taxation

• protections for the press and religious freedom

• equal representation in the Senate

Protections first stated in the English Bill of Rights of 1689 and then by Enlightenment thinkers about the social contract were later included in the Bill of rights to

• prevent states from becoming too powerful

• allow the Constitution to adjust to changing times

• protect the liberties of the people from abuse by the government

• prevent any branch of government from exceeding its power

The ideas of various Enlightenment thinkers contributed to the creation of the Bill of Rights by

• showing there was a need for a powerful chief executive

• providing the national with a national court system

• demonstrating a need to protect the rights of individuals

• encouraging development by the national government