Founding Documents Mini-Test: 20 points
Name: __________________________________ Class Period: __________
Multiple Choice – 1 pt per question – choose the BEST answer
_____1. The Declaration of Independence contains a
A. proposal for reuniting the colonies and England
B. statement of grievances against the King of England
C. request for a treaty between the colonies and Spain
D. plan for organizing the western territories
_____2. “… Article 6. There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory, otherwise than in the
punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted: Provided, always, That any person escaping into
the same, from whom labor or service is lawfully claimed in any one of the original States, such fugitive may be lawfully
reclaimed and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor or service as aforesaid.…”
— Northwest Ordinance, 1787
Based on this excerpt from the Northwest Ordinance, which statement is a valid conclusion?
A. The issue of slavery was largely ignored before the Civil War.
B. Abolitionists had gained control of the Constitutional Convention.
C. Slavery was legally banned in the Northwest Territory.
D. Enslaved persons had constitutionally protected civil rights.
_____3."We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator
with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; . . ."
This quotation is evidence that some of the basic ideas in the Declaration of Independence were
A. limitations of the principles underlying most European governments of the 1700’s.
B. adaptations of the laws of Spanish colonial governments in North America.
C. adoptions of rules used by the Holy Roman Empire.
D. reflections of the philosophies of the European Enlightenment.
_____4. Anti-federalists criticized the United States Constitution primarily because governing power was concentrated
in the:
A. State legislatures
B. President’s Cabinet
C. delegates to the Constitutional Convention
D. National Government
_____5. The Articles of Confederation are best described as a
A. statement of principles justifying the Revolutionary War
B. plan of union for the original thirteen states
C. set of arguments supporting ratification of the Constitution
D. list of reasons for the secession of the Southern States
_____6. The major reason the Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution was to
A. limit the power of state governments
B. protect individual liberties against abuse by the Federal Government
C. provide for equal treatment of all people
D. separate powers between the three branches of government
_____7. Which statement best explains why the Articles of Confederation established a weak rather than a strong
central government?
A. Americans were following the plan of government set up in the Declaration of Independence
B. The absence of national problems made a strong government unnecessary.
C. Colonial experiences under Great Britain had created a fear of unlimited government.
D. Revenues were not adequate to support a strong central government.
_____8. The Federalist Papers were a series of newspaper articles published in 1787 and 1788 to win support for the
A. right of the colonies to rebel against Great Britain
B. right of a state to secede from the Union
C. ratification of the United States Constitution
D. construction of an interstate canal system
_____ 9. The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights are similar in that both
A. support a federal system of government
B. maintain the importance of a strong chief executive
C. provide for a system of checks and balances
D. support limitations on governmental power
_____10. The basic purpose of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution is to
A. describe the powers of the three branches of government
B. limit the powers of state governments
C. guarantee the rights of individuals
D. establish a system of checks and balances
_____11. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was important because it
A. ensured universal suffrage for all males
B. extended slavery north of the Ohio River
C. provided a process for admission of new states to the Union
D. established reservations for Native American Indians
_____12. Which information on the writing of the Constitution is considered a primary source?
A. a newspaper editorial written in 1887
B. an encyclopedia article on the Constitution
C. the book, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution, by Charles Beard
D. notes from the Constitutional Convention taken by James Madison
_____13. An Ohio citizen thinks that a new law that the General Assembly passed keeps him/her from having
one of the rights listed in the Ohio Constitution. Which branch of the government is responsible for evaluating the new
law to see if it fits the Ohio Constitution?
A. Legislative branch
B. Executive branch
C. Judicial branch
D. Electoral branch
_____14. Which of the following explains a purpose of Ohio’s Constitution?
A. It lists Ohio’s 88 counties and states their locations and border lines.
B. It provides for the protection of natural resources by setting up the Environmental Protection Agency of Ohio.
C. It lists the mailing address, telephone numbers, and email addresses for Ohio’s elected officials.
D. It lists the rights of individual citizens.
Application Essay: 6 points
Explain what the following quote from the Declaration of Independence means to you describing each key point of the
passage.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with
certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; . .