US Constitution
Study Questions
What is Thomas Paine’s famous quote in 1776—one that captures the opportunity
colonists had if they were to seek independence from Great Britain?
The Basics
Article I of the US Constitution defines the powers of which branch of government?
Article II of the US Constitution defines the powers of which branch of government?
What are the 3 basic components of a republican form of government?
The “war powers” were vaguely defined in the Constitution. Given the evolution of our
political system, can the president send troops into battle without receiving approval from
Congress via a declaration of war?
Did the framers of the Constitution get anything wrong? (Give a couple of examples)
Key Concepts of Constitutional Design
Separation of Powers
What did our founding fathers call what we today would call “dictatorship?”
Why are there no military coups in America? Who makes the final decision on all
military decisions—the top generals or who?
The “Checks”
What “check” on power did the Constitution give to the president that during the first 50
years of our country many believed was a mistake—and why?
What was part of the “original” checks on the power of a potentially rouge US military—
a check that no longer exists? Where was this check codified in the US Constitution?
The “Balances”
Who were the main constituents in American society who the framers of the Constitution
felt needed to be represented in government—1) who was the constituent the president
was to represent? 2) Who was the constituent the US House was to represent? 3) Who
was the constituent the US Senate was to represent?
Did the federal courts have a constituency? Why might members of the federal courts
feel independent of (or not beholden to) the president and the US Senate?
If a “faction” was to take over the national government, theoretically, how many years
would pass before that faction could take over the presidency and Congress?
Theoretically, how many years would pass before that faction could take over the federal
courts?
Civil Liberties
Where are many of our “civil liberties” codified (i.e., formally written down)?
What are “civil liberties” called internationally? (For example, officials at the United
Nations would call “civil liberties” what?)
Ideas and Shaping Events of the US Constitution
The Declaration of Independence borrowed from John Locke’s phrase, “life, liberty and
estates,” but why did Thomas Jefferson change the phrase to “life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness?”
What did the US Constitution borrow from the ideas of Montesquieu:
Do we have the same 3 branches of government?
Do we have a bicameral design of the legislature—and does our legislature represent the
same interests in society?
Is our chief executive the same?
Can our chief executive veto legislation?
Do we limit military funding to one year at a time?
Do we deny the legislature the power to impeach and remove our chief executive?
Why did the colonists object to the way the British governors ruled over the colonies—
were they consistent in their rule in the colonies with the way the executive ruled in
England?
The American colonists viewed the British as tyrants, but how did the British view the
American colonists?
Who were Deists—and—what made them different from mainstream Christians?
What was the principle concern of the first 9 Federalist Papers?
Why were property rights so important in the founding era?
Original Intent
Which of the following institutions have grown in power—Congress, the President, or the
Supreme Court—more so than our founders originally intended?
Why are property rights weaker today than they were in our founding era?