Understanding the Constitutional Convention

What was the main reason the Articles of Confederation were replaced?

• Because they were too similar to the British government's system

• Because they provided too much power to the central government

• Because they did not create a strong enough central government

• Because the states preferred to have no central government at all

Who arrived early and worked on plans to scrap the old Constitution?

• Roger Sherman

• Charles Montesquieu

• James Madison

• Alexander Hamilton

What did the Virginia Plan propose?

• Equal representation for all states regardless of size

• A monarchy similar to Britain's system

• A two-house legislature with representation based on population

• A single-house Congress

What was the outcome of the debate over representation in Congress?

• All states would have proportional representation

• All states would have equal representation

• A compromise with a House of Representatives and a Senate

• The debate was never resolved

What was the Three-Fifths Compromise about?

• The number of states needed to ratify the Constitution

• The counting of enslaved people for representation in Congress

• The taxation of goods between states

• The length of terms for elected officials

How was the leader of the executive branch to be chosen according to the compromise?

• By a popular vote of the citizens

• By the state governors

• By the Congress

• By a special group of voters called the Electoral College

Who were the main supporters of the new Constitution?

• The Confederation Congress

• The Anti-Federalists

• The Federalists

• The British sympathizers

What did the Anti-Federalists fear?

• A weak central government

• A strong central government

• The loss of state sovereignty to foreign nations

• The abolition of slavery

Why was the Bill of Rights adopted?

• To strengthen the central government

• To outline the powers of the states

• To address the concerns of the Anti-Federalists

• To declare independence from Britain

What was James Madison's role in the Constitutional Convention?

• He worked on amending the Articles of Confederation

• He proposed the New Jersey Plan

• He led the debate against the Virginia Plan

• He worked on plans to replace the old Constitution