Constitution at Work 2025

Which document contains these words listed below? "... We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...." - Thomas Jefferson, 1776

• Mayflower Compact

• Treaty of Paris

• Emancipation Proclamation

• Declaration of Independence

What document created the first government of the US?

• US Constitution

• Magna Carta

• Articles of Confederation

• Declaration of Independence

The authors of the Article of Confederation established a weak central government mainly to

• cancel state debts incurred during the Revolutionary War

• assist the southern states in their efforts to gain a manufacturing base

• promote the common goal of national sovereignty

• prevent the abuses of power that had existed under British rule

Under the Articles of Confederation, the Federal Government was weak. Who help most of the power under the Articles of Confederation?

• The President

• The Supreme Court

• Congress

• The States

Which governmental problem occurred under the Articles of Confederation?

• Congress constantly overrode the President's vetoes.

• The Supreme Court issued a series of unenforceable decisions.

• The states frequently did not cooperate with each other.

• The President often ignored the advice of his Cabinet.

What was one of the outcomes of Shays’ Rebellion?

• It led some national leaders to call for a stronger national government.

• Daniel Shays and two others were executed.

• Settlers across the Carolina backcountry had to flee their homes.

• George Washington once again took command of the Continental Army.

Which type of document usually describes the basic structure, functions, and powers of a government?

• constitution

• resolution

• proclamation

• treaty

What was the purpose of the Constitutional Convention of 1787?

• outlaw slavery in both the North and the South

• place taxes on imports and exports

• revise the Articles of Confederation

• reduce the power of the federal government

At the Constitutional Convention (1787), the Great Compromise resolved the issue of congressional representation by

• limiting the terms of elected lawmakers

• providing for direct election of senators

• creating a two-house legislature

• including the electoral college

Which feature of the Constitution prevents one branch of the national government from becoming too powerful?

• federal supremacy

• checks and balances

• electoral college

• boomerang clause