Foundations of American Government

The video summarizes the critical period in American history between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutional Convention of 1787. It discusses the failures of the Articles of Confederation and state governments due to issues of centralization and decentralization. The video explains the reasons behind the chosen government structures and the lessons learned about threats to rights from both strong and weak governments.

What is the significance of the period between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutional Convention of 1787?

• It was a period of peace and stability.

• It was a critical period for establishing new government foundations.

• It was a time of economic prosperity.

• It marked the end of the American Revolution.

Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?

• They were never ratified by the states.

• They lacked a strong central authority to enforce laws.

• They were too similar to the British monarchy.

• They provided too much power to the central government.

What was a major flaw in the state constitutions during the revolutionary period?

• They lacked a legislative branch.

• They gave too much power to the executive branch.

• They concentrated power in the hands of the legislatures.

• They were too centralized.

What was the American judgment about the British monarchy that influenced their government structures?

• The monarchy was too weak.

• The monarchy was too decentralized.

• The monarchy had too much centralized power.

• The monarchy was too democratic.

How did the Articles of Confederation address the issue of centralization?

• By eliminating state governments.

• By decentralizing power in a confederacy.

• By creating a strong executive branch.

• By centralizing all power in the national government.

Why did Americans believe decentralizing power was the answer?

• They wanted to mimic the British system.

• They thought it would lead to economic growth.

• They believed centralization was the root problem.

• They wanted to eliminate state governments.

What was the problem with having legislative dominance in state constitutions?

• It caused hasty and ill-considered policies.

• It led to a lack of laws being passed.

• It resulted in too much power in the hands of one person.

• It made the executive branch too powerful.

What was the proposed solution to the problem of power being in one hand?

• Concentrate all power in the executive branch.

• Distribute power among many hands.

• Eliminate the legislative branch.

• Unite all power in the judiciary.

What did the founders learn about threats to rights during the critical period?

• Rights are only threatened by monarchies.

• Weak governments can also threaten rights.

• Only foreign governments can threaten rights.

• Rights are never threatened by governments.

What was a key lesson from the critical period regarding government structure?

• A balance between centralization and decentralization is crucial.

• A strong monarchy is necessary for stability.

• A single legislative body is most effective.

• Complete decentralization is the best approach.