Underpinnings of the Constitution
1. What is the main purpose of government according to the natural rights philosophy?
Protect individual rights
2. What is the main purpose of government according to classical republican philosophy?
Promote the common good and civic virtue
3. What is meant by unalienable rights?
Rights that cannot be given up or taken away
4. Putting the common good above your own individual interests is what a tenet of which philosophy?
Classical republicanism
5. What is putting the common good above your own individual interests is the definition of?
Civic virtue
6. How do the ideals of civic virtue differ from Roman and Greek philosophy compared to Judeo-Christian
philosophy?
stresses the dignity and worth of each individual
7. How is feudalism important to the development of constitutional government?
introduced the idea of government based on contract
8. What important constitutional principles did the Magna Carta establish?
government based on rule of law
9. How did the rise of capitalism in society change the way people looked at civic virtue?
people paid greater attention to their private interests
10. What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
Stated the colonists' grievances against British rule as they related to political authority
11. Before the US Constitution, states had their own constitutions. Most if not all states felt which branch
should be supreme above the other two branches?
legislative branch
12. What is popular sovereignty?
political power is derived from the people
13. What is limited government?
The idea that government is limited to what they can do by a higher law or constitution
14. Explain federalism.
Levels of government with their own and shared powers
15. What is judicial review?
The theory that the judicial branch has the power to decide the constitutionality of laws and government
actions
16. Explain separation of powers and checks and balances.
Three branches of government each with their own individual power and the power to accept or deny the
other branches of their actions
17. What were the major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
Lack of authority to regulate interstate trade, no power to tax, no single executive
18. What were the successes of the Articles of Confederation?
Northwest Ordinance
19. What was the purpose of the Philadelphia Convention?
Amend the Articles of Confederation
20. What were the two sides in the debate over representation at the Philadelphia Convention?
New Jersey Plan favored the small states and wanted equal representation and Virginia favored large
states and wanted representation based on population size.
21. What side did the smaller states favor and why?
See 20
22. What side did the larger states favor and why?
See 20
23. How was the debate over representation settled?
Great Compromise or the Connecticut Compromise. Two Houses one based on population and on based
on equality
24. What was the debate over the issue of slavery?
The Southern states wanted the slaves counted for population but not for taxation and the Northern states
wanted the slaves counted for taxation and not population.
25. How was the debate over the issue of slavery settled?
Three-fifths compromise
26. How did the Founders decide the debate over the issue of electing the president?
Created the Electoral College
27. Who were the major Anti-federalists and what was their main objective to the constitution?
George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine
28. What was the most important goal of the Anti-federalist?
A bill of rights for the Constitution
29. What did the Federalist use to help the people understand the need for the Constitution and convince
the people in New York to support it?
Federalist Papers
30. What is contained in the Preamble to the Constitution?
The purposes of Government
31. Explain “secure the blessings of liberty” as it is expressed in the Preamble.
The Constitution protects the rights that we have such as speech, press, religion
32. Explain “establish justice” as it is expressed in the Preamble.
Fair laws that are equal for all
33. Explain “insure domestic tranquility” as it is expressed in the Preamble.
Peace here at home
34. Explain “provide for the common defense” as it is expressed in the Preamble.
Protection from enemy invaders
35. Explain “promote the general welfare” as it is expressed in the Preamble.
Make sure all citizens are taken care of
36. What is the importance of the first line “in order to form a more perfect union” in the Preamble?
Because the Articles did not form a perfect union
37. Which Article of the Constitution lays out the powers of the Executive Branch?
Article II
38. Which Article of the Constitution created the Constitution as the supreme law of the land?
Article VI
39. Which Article of the Constitution created the process for amending the Constitution?
Article V
40. Which Article of the Constitution lays out the powers of the Legislative Branch?
Article I
41. What clause is contained in Article IV of the Constitution?
The Full Faith and Credit clause
42. Which Article of the Constitution states the reasons a president shall be removed from office?
VI
43. Which Article of the Constitution created the necessary and proper clause?
I
44. What is the writ of habeas corpus?
A court order to have a prisoner appear before an officer of the court to be told why he or she is being held
45. What are bills of attainder?
Sentencing a person before he or she was given a fair trial
46. What are ex post facto laws?
Laws that were created after an act has been committed. A person may not be arrested for such laws
47. Which Article of the Constitution established judicial power?
III