Constitution Test Review
What was the first government
of the United States?

The Articles of Confederation
Why were the Articles of
Confederation written?

Americans realized they needed a central
government to deal with paying soldiers
and negotiating treaties.
What were the weaknesses of
the Articles of Confederation?
No chief executive
 No power to tax
 No court system

What had the most power
under the Articles, the federal
government or the state
governments?

State governments
What caused Shays’ Rebellion?
Farmers were mad about being taxed too
high
 People were angry at having their land
taken away from them
 the government was too weak to do
anything about it

What was Shays’ rebellion
about?
The farmers were having their land taken
away because they were in debt.
 The continental money was worthless.
 They were highly taxed.

Why was the Constitutional
Convention held?

To discuss ways to improve the Articles of
Confederation
What city did the Constitutional
Convention meet in?

Philadelphia
Who presided (led) over the
convention?

George Washington
What were the two main
disagreements about in the
Constitutional Convention?

Representation and slavery
How many Houses are there in
Congress?

2
What was the compromise
called that dealt with slavery?

The 3/5 Compromise
What did the 3/5 Compromise
do?

It allowed the southern states to count
each slave as 3/5 of a person so they
could have more representatives in the
House of Representatives
What are the first three words
of the Constitution?

We the people
What is the introduction to the
Constitution called?

The Preamble
What branch is Congress?

Legislative branch
How many branches of
government are there?
3
What branch makes the laws?

Legislative branch
Who is in charge of the
Executive Branch?

The president
How many representatives
serve in the House?

435
How old must a member of the
House be?

25
How many senators are there
from each state?

2
How many total senators are
there?

100
How long is a senator’s term of
office?

6 years
How old must a senator be to
be elected?

30
How long is the president’s
term of office?

4 years
How many terms can a
president serve?

2
How old must a person be to
become president?

35
What requirements are there to
be elected president?
A citizen by birth
 At least 35 years old

What branch is the Supreme
Court?

judicial
The Supreme Court ______ the
laws or decides if they are ____
interprets
 fair

The president nominates
Supreme Court justices and
they are approved by the …

Senate
Who is government based on
the consent of?

The people
How long are Supreme Court
justices appointed for?

life
How many amendments to the
Constitution have there been?

27
What are the first ten amendments to
the Constitution called?

The Bill of Rights
Why were the Bill of Rights
added to the Constitution?
Many states wouldn’t sign the Constitution
without a bill of rights
 Many people believed it was needed to
limit the power of the national government.
 The writers of the Constitution wanted to
protect the people’s personal rights and
freedoms.

Name the rights the 1st
Amendment guarantees.

Freedom of speech, religion, press,
assembly, petition
What does the 2nd Amendment
guarantee?

The right to own a gun
What does the 4th Amendment
protect?

Freedom from search or seizure without
a warrant
The 5th Amendment contains the double
jeopardy clause. What does that mean?

If you are found not guilty, you cannot be
tried again for the same crime.
Thomas Jefferson said there was
a wall of separation between

Chuch and state