Signed by King John in 1215, this document established the principle that all people, including the king, are subject to the rule of law. It influenced the Founding Fathers when they formed our government.

• Mayflower Compact

• Articles of Confederation

• Magna Carta

• English Bill of Rights

This English Enlightenment Thinker's philosophies deal with the relationship between a government and its people. Examples include Natural Rights and Social Contract.

• Benjamin Franklin

• Baron de Montesquieu

• John Locke

• Thomas Jefferson

This French philosopher who promoted separation of powers to limit governmental powers.

• Benjamin Franklin

• Baron de Montesquieu

• John Locke

• Thomas Jefferson

This document, written by Thomas Jefferson, instituted a law that no person could be forced to attend a church or pay taxes to a church. Today it is responsible for the idea of separation of church and state.

• Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom

• Declaration of Independence

• Articles of Confederation

• Toleration Act of Virginia

Under British rule, only free, white men who owned land could vote. Many of the new state constitutions expanded suffrage to any white man who paid taxes. What is suffrage?

• The right to hold public office.

• The right to vote.

• The right to serve in the armed forces.

• The right to a lawyer if accused of a crime.

Which of the following was the first national Constitution written for the United States government?

• Articles of Confederation

• U.S. Constitution

• Declaration of Independence

• Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Which of the following statements best explains the reason why the Founding Fathers created such a weak national government under the Articles of Confederation?

• The Founding Fathers created the document during the American Revolution, so they were in a hurry!

• The Founding Fathers saw Great Britain's model of government and attempted to copy their ideas.

• The Founding Fathers were fearful of the federal government becoming too powerful.

• The Founding Fathers created a strong federal government under the Articles of Confederation.

Which of the following weaknesses, under the Articles of Confederation, left the nation vulnerable to a foreign invasion?

• Congress could make treaties with other countries.

• No national court system.

• Congress had to ask states for soldiers.

• Congress could borrow money and issue coins.

One of the problems Congress faced after the war was debt. The Land Ordinance of 1785 solved this problem by...

• creating a system of banks and currency.

• dividing the western lands for sale to the public.

• taxing lead, glass, paper, iron, and tea.

• outlawing slavery.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established a political system for the Northwest Territory. Which of the following laws were established by this ordinance?

• Required public education

• Created a system for admitting new states into Union

• Outlawed slavery

• All options are correct.