Epic Review
Part 1
1. What was Shays’ Rebellion? How was it
important to the development of the
Constitution?
Rebellion by farmers angry at the government.
Showed weakness of AOC
2. When the Founding Fathers first attempted to
create a government who did they NOT want
to give power to?
a king or powerful central government
3. What are natural rights?
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
4. What is the order of the first 3 articles of the
U.S. Constitution?
legislative, executive, judicial
5. What is the elastic clause?
it allows Congress the power to make new laws
not already in the Constitution
6. What was the original purpose for the
Constitutional Convention in 1787?
to amend the Articles of Confederation
7. Why were the Articles of Confederation
unsuccessful?
it created a weak central government
8. Who is known as the “Father of the
Constitution”?
James Madison
9. Define a federal system of government.
where a central government divides power
among states
10. What do “federalists” and “antifederalist”
support?
federalist support a strong central government
anti-federalists support a weak central
government and strong state governments
11. What was the significance of the 1964 Gulf
of Tonkin Resolution?
Congress gave it’s power to declare war to the
President
12. Which branch of the government has the
power to interpret the Constitution?
Judicial Branch (Supreme Court)
13. Give examples of checks and balances for
each branch of government.
the right of Congress to set the court’s size
the right of the court to rule legislation
unconstitutional
the right of the President to veto a bill
14. Define separation of powers.
power of our government is divided into 3
branches
15. How did the Founding Fathers expect
Congress to be?
the dominant institution in the national
government
16. How would Congress override a presidential
veto?
by a 2/3 majority vote
17. Which branch of government has the power
to enforce laws and treaties?
Executive Branch (president)
18. How does the Constitution organize the
executive branch?
it doesn’t, it allows each President to set it up
his own way
19. How does the War Powers Act of 1973
restrain the power of the president?
it limited the President’s ability to commit
troops
20. What is the purpose of the Bill of Rights?
Compromise between federalists and antifederalist
21. Describe the Virginia Plan.
a plan proposed by James Madison that favored
big states, it wanted representation in
Congress to be based on population
22. Which amendment to the Constitution
allows for the direct election of members to
the U.S. Senate?
17th Amendment
23. Which house of Congress has the power to
ratify treaties?
the Senate
24. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 helps to enforce
what amendment better?
the 14th amendment