Birth of a Nation Test Study Guide
The U.S. has what type of government?
republic
Who was the president when the two-party system emerged?
John Adams
As defined by the U.S. Constitution, what is the main responsibility of Congress?
Make laws
What did the Articles of Confederation establish?
Weak national government
Who drafted (created) the Virginia Plan?
James Madison
What was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
No judicial or executive branch
What did the Virginia Plan call for?
Government in which larger states would have more power
What U.S. President would have given these people the
Mission to explore land purchased from France?
Thomas Jefferson
Use the graph to answer the next TWO questions:
Which states had fewer than 100,000 people in 1790?
Rhode Island, Delaware, Georgia
Which of these states were most likely to favor representation in
Congress based on population? Massachusetts & Pennsylvania
Why is James Madison known as the “father of the Constitution”?
He was very influential Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention gave the job of choosing a chief executive to?
Electors chosen by the state
What was the Great Compromise primarily related to?
Representation in Congress
Who was the president when the federal court system was established?
George Washington
What did the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan call for?
Three branches of government
What president bought Louisiana from France?
Thomas Jefferson
What was one challenge facing the Constitutional Convention?
How to balance the interests of large and small states
What president warned European nations not to interfere with issues pertaining to the Western Hemisphere?
James Monroe
What did the U.S. gain from the war of 1812?
Respect from other countries
The Monroe Doctrine was a warning to ______?
European Nations
Use the chart to answer the next TWO questions
Which state stood to lose the most representatives in Congress
if slaves were not counted in any way? Virginia
How did the states on the graph want slaves to be counted in
determining representation in Congress? As 3/5 of a person
Why did the framers design a checks and balance system?
To keep from any one branch of government becoming to powerful
What is the most important task of the executive branch?
Enforce and carry out laws
The Supreme Courts power to declare a law unconstitutional is known as?
Judicial Review
Why has the Constitution survived for over 200 years?
Has a strong framework but can be amended to meet changing times
What is the judicial branch responsible for?
decide who is right in disputes using the law
Use the diagram to answer the next TWO questions
What does this picture illustrate?
System of Checks & Balances
What does the President have the power to do?
Veto bills
Why did the Articles of Confederation give more power to the states?
Fear of a national government being to strong
What colonial document inspired many of the ideas found in the U.S. Bill of Rights?
Virginia Bill of Rights
Use the Preamble of the Constitution to answer
Preamble to the Constitution of the United States
The next THREE questions
We the People of the United States, in order to
form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility,
provide for the common Defense,
promote the General Welfare, and
secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and our
Posterity,
do ordain and establish this Constitution for the
United States of America.
The first three words of the Preamble tell us that
the authority of the Constitution comes from?
The people of the U.S.
The Preamble lists the:
Goals of the government
To “provide a common defense” means to?
Protect Americans from foreign enemies
Who Am I?
An Astronomer & Surveyor
Helped to design the Nation’s Capital
Benjamin Banneker