Quiz 1 U.S. Constitution

A  The Senate because each state gets equal representation.

B  The House of Representatives because of the unequal distribution of power based on the census.

C  The President because they are elected directly by the people.

D  The Supreme Court of the United States because they are appointed and serve for life.

A  It serves to educate and advise the President on matters of domestic and foreign policy.

B  Mitigates against the exercise of majority rule.

C  Educate the American people about the political process, in particular, perspective presidential candidates.

D  Ensure and protect the principle of ‘one man, one vote’.

E  To undermine and dilute the political power of the South following the American Revolution.

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  FALSE

B  TRUE

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  To simplify the legislative process and make it more responsive to the will of the people.

B  To enhance the power and status of the democratically elected House of Representatives within the structure of the federal government.

C  To enhance the political power of the larger states.

D  To enhance the political power of the smaller states.

E  To protect the federal government against factions and the political volatility of majority rule.

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  The U.S. Constitution did not explicitly deal with commerce and property rights. Rather, its language was limited to the expansion of political equality and freedom to all Americans.

B  It was understood that all contracts signed prior to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution would be voided. Property rights would be rewritten according to provisions found in state constitutions. Each state had discretion unilaterally uphold, or void, contracts within its territory.

C  The framers of the U.S. Constitution could not find agreement with respect to property rights and commerce. Rather, they found common ground in their similar cultural, religious, and ethical conceptions of a just society.

D  The framers sought to develop a system where proprietors held a preponderance of political power. Protecting property rights and promoting various types of commerce were of central importance in their drafting of the U.S. Constitution.

E  Property rights and commercial concerns were of secondary importance. The framers of the U.S. Constitution were primarily interested in establishing a distinct political order based on principles of social equality and individual freedom.

A  Disagreement over the status of slavery in the U.S.

B  The lack of protection for individual rights and liberties.

C  Mistrust between the Northern and Southern regions of the U.S.

D  Mistrust between the larger and smaller states.

E  All of the above.

A  There was more emphasis placed on defining and protecting the principles of political equality, rather than defining and protecting private property, during the Constitutional Convention.

B  The framers believed that the principles of democracy and majority rule would protect the variety of business interests in the new nation as well as safeguard private property.

C  The framers were less concerned with facilitating commerce and protecting private property than with safeguarding individual rights and liberties.

D  Federal protections and safeguards on private property represented a critical matter for the framers. Many held the belief that proprietors ought to rule in the United States, as they did in Great Britain.

E  All of the above.

A  Consensus was elusive amongst the delegates at the Constructional Convention and many key compromise were hard fought and difficult to achieve. Some key political alliances, which formed during the drafting of the Constitution, fell apart quickly following ratification.

B  Northern and Southern states had consensus (shared agreement) on nearly all economic, political, religious matters. It was having to express their agreement in a legally binding contract that made the delegates at the Constitutional Convention suspicious and concerned.

C  The Declaration of Independence, which included laws that directly contradicted the American Constitution.

D  Territorial expansion, more liberalized voting rights, and population growth—since ratification—have had the effect of making the agreement reached by the delegates at the Constitutional Convention more stable over time.

E  All of the above.

A  The original intent of the Framers of the Constitution was to promote ideals of demcracy, equality, and freedom throughout society.

B  Equality and freedom were of central importance to the Framers of the Constitutional Convention.

C  Developing more features of direct democracy defined the shift from the Articles of Confederation towards the U.S. Constitution.

D  The protection of private property was of central importance in the lead-up to the Constitutional Convention.

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  The universal embrace of democracy cemented the early union among the states.

B  Many of the states saw each other as political rivals.

C  A strong federal government instituted control over state governments and held the authority to arbitrate regional discord.

D  The religious and cultural similarities across the states contributed to feeling of unity and allegiance to the new United States.