"The resolutions of Parliament breathed a spirit of moderation and forbearance; conciliatory propositions accompanied the measures taken to enforce authority; and the coercive acts were adapted to cases of criminal combinations amongst subjects not then in arms. I have acted with the same temper; anxious to prevent, if it had been possible, the effusion of the blood of my subjects; and the calamities which are inseparable from a state of war; still hoping that my people in America would have discerned the traiterous views of their leaders, and have been convinced, that to be a subject of Great Britain, with all its consequences, is to be the freest member of any civil society in the known world."

King George III

According to the excerpt from King George III's speech to the British Parliament, on whom did the king place blame for starting the rebellion?

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

This passage reflects the influence of which Enlightenment political thinker?

Suppose the delegates of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 decided to make a constitution that would grant all governmental powers to the office of the President. Which Enlightenment thinker would be the MOST upset?

What is the fundamental purpose of government according to the Declaration of Independence?

Why did the Pilgrims create and sign the Mayflower Compact?

Which document was the first to guarantee citizens the right to bear arms?

Which document had the greatest effect on the other three documents, since it established the idea of limited government?

Why was Thomas Paine's Common Sense so important to the revolutionary cause?

Which document created one of the earliest forms of limited government, and later influenced the writers of the United States Constitution?

"...the said lords spiritual and temporal, and commons... do in the first place (as their ancestors in like case have usually done) for the vindicating and asserting their ancient rights and liberties, declare... That it is a right of the subjects to petition the King, and all committments {sic} and prosecutions for such petitioning are illegal."

English Bill of Rights

According to the excerpt, did the delegates of the Continental Congress have the right to send a letter expressing their concerns to King George III in 1774?

"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power."

Declaration of Independence

Who is the "he" to whom the signers of the Declaration of Independence are referring?

What was the Articles of Confederation?

How did Shay's Rebellion contribute to the development of the United States of America?

"Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any Court, or place out of Congress, and the members of Congress shall be protected in their persons from arrests and imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendance on Congress, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace."

Articles of Confederation, Article 5

Which earlier document influenced the inclusion of this right in the Articles of Confederation?

Despite its weaknesses, what did the Articles of Confederation accomplish?

"It is true, as has been before observed that facts, too stubborn to be resisted, have produced a species of general assent to the abstract proposition that there exist material defects in our national system...This renders a full display of the principal defects of the Confederation necessary, in order to show that the evils we experience do not proceed from minute or partial imperfections, but from fundamental errors in the structure of the building, which cannot be amended otherwise than by an alteration in the first principles and main pillars of the fabric.”

Alexander Hamilton, FEDERALIST No. 15

According to the excerpt from Federalist Paper 15, what does Alexander Hamilton want?

Which was a compromise made by the Federalist's in order to gain the support of the Anti-Federalists for the United States Constitution?

Which term describes Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, AND James Madison?

Which side ultimately won the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists?

What was the purpose of the Federalist Papers?

As a common farmer living in the late 1700s, Phillip Waterman enjoys the freedoms he has come to expect as a resident of Rhode Island. He supports both the protection of individual rights of citizens and states' rights.

With which group would Phillip Waterman most likely identify?

Which part of the U.S. Constitution states the six purposes of government?

In the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, what is the meaning of the phrase: “We the People?”

What is the Supreme Law of the Land in the United States?

The Founding Fathers divided the power to make, enforce, and interpret laws between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. What might have happened if they had given all of these powers to the executive branch?

Use the quotation to answer the question.

"...shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States ... to borrow Money ... to regulate Commerce ... to coin Money ..."

-U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8

To which branch of government does the quotation refer?

Which branch of government is established by Article 2 of the United States Constitution?

What happens to most of the bills introduced in the House of Representatives?

Section 8 of Article 1 to the United States Constitution gives Congress the power to:

“To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization and uniform laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States…”

What are these listed powers called?

What is the Executive Branch's primary responsibility?

Kenneth is a 28 year old resident of Florida. He was born in Miami and wants to run for a federal office. According to the United States Constitution, what is the only federal office Kenneth can run for at this time?

Which branch of the federal government creates laws?

Article 3 of the United States Constitution gives which branch of government the power to create lower courts within the federal system?

Use the quotation to answer the question.

"It is emphatically [definitely] the province [role] and duty of the Judicial Department to say what the law is. ... If two laws conflict with each other, the Courts must decide on the operation of each."

-Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803

According to the Supreme Court, which branch of government has the power and responsibility to interpret the law?

What is the correct sequence of events?

What are the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution called?

Oscar Nunez rents warehouse space from John Williams. Oscar wants to sue John for not fixing a major plumbing issue which resulted in over $100,000 worth of damage to Oscar's inventory. John believes he has a chance to win the case once his lawyer speaks to the jury.

What Amendment guarantees John the right to a jury trial in this civil case?

Where can a description of U.S. citizens' civil liberties be found?

What does the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution provide the states?

Which phrase has come to mean that each person's rights are as important as every other person's rights?

The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, but there are some limits to free-speech rights. Why are some forms of speech not protected?

Rights such as those in the First Amendment fulfill which purpose of government?

Which is the best reason that freedom of the press is vital to democracy?

Which article of the United States Constitution creates and explains the amendment process?

An amendment to the United States Constitution that limited Senators to two terms and Representatives to four terms failed because only two-thirds of the states ratified it.

How could the proposed amendment still be passed?

What does it mean to ratify an amendment to the Constitution?

Why did the British Parliament pass the Stamp Act?

The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first direct tax the British government placed on the colonists. Why did the colonists find this tax unacceptable?

Which feature completes the Venn diagram?

What is the next step in the lawmaking process?

What form of government does the U.S. have?

What system of government does the U.S. have?