ap gov ch 2

Terms in this set (119)

Which of these is TRUE about the United States Constitution?
None of these are true.
In setting the broad rules of the game of politics, constitutions
are never neutral; they give some participants advantages over others
By eighteenth-century standards, life was ________ for most people in the United States at the
time of the Revolution.
not bad
The British government stepped up its controls over the American colonies with new taxes
and stronger commerce regulations right after
the French and Indian War
During the colonial period,
the King and Parliament generally confined themselves to governing the coloniesʹ
foreign and trade policies
The British levied new taxes on its North American colonies in the eighteenth century in order
to pay for
defending new territories obtained after the French and Indian War.
Who issued the Declaration of Independence?
The continental Congress
The Declaration of Independence was a
bitter attack against the British king for abuses said to have been done to the colonists
over a long period of time.
The Declaration of Independence was primarily
a polemic, announcing and justifying a revolution.
The primary author of the Declaration of Independence was
Thomas Jefferson
The Declaration of Independence
became one of the most important statements of American political philosophy.
The American Revolution was based upon the ideas of
European political thinkers.
The foundation of John Lockeʹs philosophy was that human beings
derive their rights from nature
Which of these was NOT among John Lockeʹs key philosophical concepts?
checks and balances
John Lockeʹs ideas on natural rights were related to human law in that
natural rights were considered higher than human law.
John Locke believed in each of the following EXCEPT
divine rights of kings
The Declaration of Independence argued that
people should revolt when they suffer deep injustices.
Reflecting the natural rights philosophy, the Declaration of Independence stated that
governments derive their just powers from
the consent of the governed
The justification for separation from England in the Declaration of Independence was based
heavily on the ideas of the English philosopher
John Locke
The sole purpose of government, according to John Locke, was to
protect natural rights
John Locke believed that the ʺend of governmentʺ was
preservation of property
In John Lockeʹs philosophy, the requirements that standing laws be known and private
property be preserved
impose two major limits on government.
Lockean thought and the Declaration of Independence are similar in that both
support the concept of natural rights and the idea that government be built on the
consent of the governed.
Thomas Jeffersonʹs phrase ʺlife, liberty, and the pursuit of happinessʺ was a modification of
John Lockeʹs phrase ʺLife, liberty, and ________.ʺ
property
The American Revolution
was an essentially conservative movement that did not drastically alter the colonistsʹ way
of life.
The primary goal of the American Revolution was
to restore the colonistsʹ rights as British subjects.
The American Revolution was different from the French, Russian, and Iranian revolutions in
that
it produced little societal change.
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by
the Continental Congress.
Beginning in 1781, the United States was governed under the
Articles of Confederation.
The primary goal of the American Revolution was to
restore rights the colonists felt were already theirs as British subjects.
The American Revolution
did not drastically alter the colonistsʹ way of life.
Under the Articles of Confederation, most power rested with the
state legislatures.
Which of the following is FALSE about the United States government under the Articles of
Confederation?
Most authority rested with the United States Congress rather than the state governments.
Which of the following was NOT a problem with the national government under the Articles
of Confederation?
the lack of power given to state legislatures
After the Revolution, power in the state legislatures shifted
from the wealthy to those with more moderate incomes.
The United States government under the Articles of Confederation can best be described as
weak and ineffective.
Which of the following was NOT a source of revenue for the United States government under
the Articles of Confederation?
taxes levied by the Continental Congress
Which of the following was NOT a problem with the national government under the Articles
of Confederation?
the lack of power given to state legislatures
Under the Articles of Confederation most governmental power rested in
the state governments
After the Revolution, a major power shift occurred in the states from ________ to ________.
wealthy individuals; broad middle class
After the American Revolution, state legislatures were composed of
significantly more middle-class representatives and fewer wealthy members compared
to before the war.
Right after the Revolutionary War, a dramatic change swept through the new country
resulting in
a dramatic increase in democracy and freedom.
Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had the power to
maintain an army and navy
Which of the following was NOT occurring in the states during the time of the Articles of
Confederation?
upper-class dominance
Under the Articles of Confederation, power in the states began to shift to the hands of
middle-class farmers and craft workers.
In post-Revolutionary America, state governors were often selected by
state legislatures.
At the end of the Revolutionary War,
a postwar depression severely hurt small farmers and many others.
A small band of farmers in western Massachusetts took up arms in what is remembered as
Shaysʹ Rebellion.
After the Revolution, James Madison observed that ʺthe most common and durable source of
faction has been
the various and unequal divisions of property.ʺ
At the top of the political agenda during the period of the Articles of Confederation was
economic issues.
Among the factors that contributed to economic turmoil under the Articles of Confederation
was the
postwar depression that left many small farmers unable to pay their debts and
threatened mortgage foreclosures.
Shaysʹ Rebellion was
an uprising by farmers to prevent judges from foreclosing on farms.
Which state boycotted the Constitutional Convention?
Rhode Island
What was the significance of the Annapolis meeting?
It issued the original call for the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
In Annapolis, Maryland, in 1786, delegates from five states met to discuss
the problems of the national government under the Articles of Confederation.
Those who met at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 were
wealthy planters, lawyers, and merchants.
What was the original, sole, and express purpose of the convention in Philadelphia?
to revise the Articles of Confederation
Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of the 55 delegates who attended the
Constitutional Convention?
Most were residents of the western frontiers.
The first two weeks of the Constitutional Convention were spent debating
the nature of republican government
What view of human nature did the delegates at the Constitutional Convention have?
Cynical view: human beings are selfish and greedy.
According to James Madison and many of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention,
what is the primary source of political conflict?
unequal distribution of wealth
Most of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention regarded what as the greatest threat to
government?
factions
The view of human nature most prevalent among the Founding Fathers was that
people are self-interested in acquiring wealth and power.
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention generally agreed on each of the following EXCEPT
issues of equality.
The Founding Fathers believed that a major source of political conflict was the
unequal distribution of property.
The ________, offered as a proposal at the Constitutional Convention, called for each state to
be equally represented in Congress.
New Jersey Plan
Most delegates to the Constitutional Convention believed that the secret of good government
is a
balanced government
The Virginia and New Jersey Plans introduced at the Constitutional Convention differed
mainly over whether
states should send equal numbers of representatives to Congress.
Which of these was NOT one of the big three disagreements at the Constitutional Convention?
whether the courts should have the power of judicial review
According to the Constitution, each state was entitled to how many senators?
two
As originally established by the Constitution, the House of Representatives had how many
members from each state?
It depended on the stateʹs population.
At the time of the constitutional convention, slavery
was illegal only in Massachusetts.
The Connecticut Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
resolved the impasse between those who favored the New Jersey Plan and those who
preferred the Virginia Plan.
The Constitutional Convention dealt with slavery by
recognizing it by providing for the return of escaped slaves.
On the issue of slaves, the Constitution specified
that slaves would count as three-fifths persons for counting the nationʹs population and
determining seats in the House.
In determining congressional representation and taxation, the Constitution
counted slaves as three-fifths of a person.
Regarding the right to vote in national elections, the framers of the Constitution
decided to leave it up to the individual states to determine voter qualifications in their
own states.
Which of the following was NOT one of the economic difficulties the writers of the
Constitution attempted to address?
lack of unemployment compensation and welfare payments
The debate at the Philadelphia Convention over eligibility to vote was resolved by
leaving it up to the individual states.
A major purpose of the economic provisions in the Constitution was to
create a strong national government so as to bring stability out of economic chaos.
Which of the following situations was NOT considered an economic problem by the writers of
the Constitution?
National taxes were too high.
Compared to the government under the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution gave the
central government
more economic powers.
In order to put the national economy on sound footing, the Constitution obligated the new
government to ________ all the government debts incurred under the Continental Congress.
repay
The framers of the Constitution gave the chief economic policymaking role to
Congress
The Constitution prohibited the states from doing each of the following EXCEPT
establishing a republican form of government.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention did not worry about preserving individual
rights for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
they included a bill of rights in Article V.
Each of the following violations of individual rights is forbidden in the original Constitution
EXCEPT
suspension of freedom of speech.
The government designed at the Constitutional Convention allowed the voters to directly elect
only the House of Representatives.
Madisonian principles in the Constitution were based on
concern that government would be dominated by a majority or minority faction.
The one element of government that Madisonʹs plan placed within direct control of the voters
was the
House of Representatives.
Two key elements of the Madisonian model were to
keep most of the government beyond the control of a popular majority and separate the
powers of different institutions.
The system of checks and balances in the Constitution means that
change usually comes slowly, if at all, and moderation and compromise are typical in our
political system.
The Madisonian requirement that each branch of government acquire the consent of the others
for many of its actions created a system of
checks and balances
The Madisonian system
has a conservative bias favoring the status quo
Under the Madisonian model, people desiring change
must usually have a sizable majority
The Federalist Papers were
essays in support of ratification of the constitution.
Ratification of the Constitution
needed the approval of nine states.
Which of the following statements about the Anti-Federalists is FALSE?
The Anti-Federalists were basically unpatriotic and un-American.
The Anti-Federalists believed that the new constitution
was an enemy of freedom and designed to give control of the government to a rich elite.
Opposition to ratification of the Constitution was based on the belief that it would
provide for elite control, endanger liberty, and weaken the states.
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution
after the ratification process was complete, and partly to fulfill a promise to those who
supported ratification.
Ratification of the Constitution was done by
special conventions in each state.
The Constitution was ratified by
special conventions in each of the states.
The amendments that have been added to the Constitution have made it
more egalitarian and democratic
Constitutional amendments are usually ratified by
legislatures of three-fourths of the states
The most important effect of the constitutional amendments has been to
expand liberty and equality
Which of the following statements about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is FALSE?
Public opinion polls showed little support for the ERA after 1960.
To propose a formal amendment to the Constitution, one needs to have a
two-thirds vote in Congress
The failure of the Equal Rights Amendment showed that
a national majority in favor of an amendment is not sufficient to add it to the
Constitution.
Informal changes to the Constitution have reflected changes in all of the following EXCEPT
constitutional amendments.
How has the electoral college changed from the original intent of the framers?
Almost all electors now vote for the presidential candidate who wins the most popular
votes in their state.
The Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison (1803) asserted the power of the Court to
check the actions of the other branches through judicial review.
Political parties are an important example of the
unwritten constitution.
Which of the following statements about judicial interpretation is FALSE?
The power of judicial interpretation is explicitly stated in the Constitution.
The development of the two-party system is an example of informal constitutional change
through
political practice.
The United States Constitution
does not prescribe the function and structure of government in detail
Which of the following is FALSE about the Constitution?
It discourages hyperpluralism.
Some scholars have suggested that a consequence of separation of powers and checks and
balances has been
fragmented policymaking processes.
The separation of powers and the checks and balances established by the Constitution
allow almost all groups some place in the political system where their demands for
public policy can be heard.
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