U.S. History Constitution Review

The primary aim of the writers of the United States Constitution was to

• eliminate the bicameral legislature

• strengthen the power of the central government

• preserve the supremacy of the states

• weaken the independence of the judiciary

Which area of the United States showed the strongest support for ratification of the Constitution?

• coastal areas near the Atlantic Ocean

• frontier areas west of the Appalachian Mountains

• farming areas in western New York and Pennsylvania

• mountain areas in the South

As stated in the United States Constitution, which group is directly elected by the people?

• Supreme Court justices

• presidential cabinet members

• members of the House of Representatives

• political party leaders

One reason Anti-federalist governors of New York and Virginia opposed ratification of the United States Constitution was because it would

• force them to abandon western land claims

• weaken the powers of state governments

• strengthen slavery

• make the amendment process more difficult

What was a major argument used by the Anti-federalists to oppose ratifying the Constitution?

• Congress was given the power to tax exports.

• The executive branch lacked the power to maintain order.

• The proposed Constitution contained no bill of rights.

• Only the national government could coin money.

Anti-federalists insisted that a bill of rights be added to the Constitution in order to

• grant more power to Congress

• provide a method of settling disputes between states

• prevent states from denying individuals the right to vote

• protect individual rights from the power of the central government

In 1790, the first census of the United States was taken in order to

• create immigration quotas

• determine each states' representation in Congress

• establish the number of appointed federal judges

• justify funding for public education

"No political truth is certainly of greater intrinsic [essential] value, or is stamped with the authority of more enlightened patrons of liberty, than that on which the objection is founded. The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self- appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny."

- James Madison, The Federalist, Number 47

Which constitutional principle was established to protect American citizens from the tyranny suggested in this quotation?

• due process of law

• States rights

• popular sovereignty

• separation of powers

What did the desire for a strong national government lead to?

• Magna Carta
• U.S. Constitution
• Declaration of Independence 
• Articles of Confederation

Why was Congress denied Trade regulation, Taxation, National military, and a National leader under the Articles of Confederation?

• Citizens feared a strong central government
• Citizens did not care
• citizens wanted a dictator
• Courts had all the power