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Principles Contained in Founding Documents

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 14mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Match the following definitions with the correct principle.

a)

Citizens give authority to the government for protection

1.

Consent of the Governed

b)

Government is not all-powerful

2.

Limited Government

c)

Everyone is equal under the law

3.

Rule of Law

d)

The people rule!

4.

Democracy

e)

Citizens elect politicians to rule on their behalf

5.

Representative Government

2.

What principle states that citizens give authority to the government in exchange for the protection of their rights?

a)

Limited Government

b)

Rule of Law

c)

Consent of the Governed

d)

Democracy

3.

Which principle means that the government is not all-powerful and may do only those things the people have given it the power to do?

a)

Rule of Law

b)

Limited Government

c)

Democracy

d)

Representative Government

4.

What does the principle of Rule of Law state?

a)

Everyone, including government officials, must follow the law.

b)

Citizens give authority to the government in exchange for protection.

c)

The people elect public officeholders to make laws.

d)

The people rule in a democratic system.

5.

In which system of government do the people rule?

a)

Limited Government

b)

Rule of Law

c)

Democracy

d)

Representative Government

6.

What is the principle of Representative Government?

a)

The government is not all-powerful.

b)

The people elect public officeholders to make laws and conduct government on the people's behalf.

c)

Everyone must follow the law.

d)

Citizens give authority to the government in exchange for protection.

7.

Which document established for the first time the principle that everyone, including the king, was subject to the law?

a)

The Constitution of the United States

b)

Magna Carta

c)

Virginia Declaration of Rights

d)

Articles of Confederation

8.

What did the Charters of the Virginia Company of London guarantee?

a)

Freedom of religion

b)

Rights of Englishmen to the colonists

c)

Independence from Great Britain

d)

The structure of the United States government

9.

Which document served as a model for the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States?

a)

Magna Carta

b)

Virginia Declaration of Rights

c)

Declaration of Independence

d)

Articles of Confederation

10.

Which document declared the colonies' independence from Great Britain?

a)

Magna Carta

b)

Virginia Declaration of Rights

c)

Declaration of Independence

d)

Articles of Confederation

11.

What did the Articles of Confederation establish?

a)

The first national government for the new U.S. states

b)

The Bill of Rights

c)

The structure of the United States government

d)

The principle that everyone is subject to the law

12.

Which document stated freedom of religious beliefs and opinions?

a)

Magna Carta

b)

Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

c)

Declaration of Independence

d)

Articles of Confederation

13.

What did the Constitution of the United States establish?

a)

The first national government for the new U.S. states

b)

The principle that everyone is subject to the law

c)

The structure of the United States government

d)

Freedom of religious beliefs and opinions

14.

Which document guarantees equality under the law with majority rule and the rights of minority protected?

a)

Magna Carta

b)

Virginia Declaration of Rights

c)

Declaration of Independence

d)

The Constitution of the United States

15.

Which document protects the fundamental freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition?

a)

Magna Carta

b)

Virginia Declaration of Rights

c)

Declaration of Independence

d)

The Constitution of the United States

16.

Match the following clue with the correct document.

a)

Rule of Law

1.

Magna Carta

b)

English rights to colonists in the New World

2.

Charters of the VA Company of London

c)

Model for the Bill of Rights

3.

VA Declaration of Rights

d)

Our first constitution; states had too much power

4.

Article of Confederation

e)

VA Statue for Religious Freedom

5.

Freedom of religious beliefs

17.
The people rule. 
a)
Rule of law
b)
Representative government
c)
Consent of the governed
d)
Democracy
18.

Consent of the Governed means that government can only get their power from _____________.

a)

God

b)

The King

c)

The People

d)

Parliament

19.

Place following documents in the order they were created.

(1 is the most long ago & 5 is the most recent)

a)

Magna Carta

b)

Declaration of Independence

c)

Articles of Confederation

d)

U.S. Constitution

e)

Bill of Rights (Amendments to the Constitution)

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
20.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare...

This is known as the preamble and is the opening paragraph in which document?

a)
Bill of Rights
b)
Declaration of Independence
c)
Articles of Confederation
d)
Constitution of the United States