Founding of the United States Constitution Quiz

What was the main concern of the founding fathers when drafting the Articles of Confederation?

• To establish a strong central government

• To determine the power distribution between states and central government

• To declare war against Britain

• To abolish slavery

What was the major weakness of the central government under the Articles of Confederation?

• Inability to declare war

• Lack of a separate executive or judicial branch

• Inability to raise an army

• Inability to tax

Who proposed the Virginia Plan at the Philadelphia convention in 1787?

• James Madison

• Alexander Hamilton

• William Patterson

• Roger Sherman

What was the main goal of the Virginia Plan?

• To establish a unicameral legislature

• To abolish slavery

• To empower the states

• To strengthen the central government

What was the result of the Great Compromise at the Philadelphia convention?

• The central government was abolished

• The House of Representatives was based on state population

• The Senate was abolished

• All states had equal representation in the House of Representatives

What was the Three-fifths Compromise about?

• Counting of slaves for representation and taxation

• Abolition of slavery

• Taxation of the states

• Representation of states in the Senate

Who wrote the Federalist Papers to promote the Constitution?

• Alexander Hamilton

• James Madison

• John Jay

• George Mason

What was the main argument of the Anti-Federalists during the ratification process?

• The necessity of a strong central government

• The guarantee of specific rights for the people

• The importance of factions in government

• The need for a standing army loyal to the government

According to Federalist 10, what is the best form of government to reduce the harmful effects of factions?

• Dictatorship

• Monarchy

• Extensive republic

• Pure democracy

What did Madison emphasize in Federalist 51 about the government's role?

• The need for a government that governs the people and governs itself

• The importance of a government that governs the people only

• The necessity of a government that doesn't govern itself

• The need for a government that doesn't govern the people