POS 1041 EXAM STUDY GUIDE
What experience did the earliest citizens of our country have with governance prior to
the Articles of Confederation? - Answer they had experience with self-government; the
first and second continental congress and representative assembly
What were other influences on the constitutional drafters? - Answer distance from
English authority, representation, social mobility, covenants, individual rights, and
violent border
What was the primary subject of the grievances in the Declaration of Independence? -
Answer representations, standing army, loss of independent court, taxes
Who has been called the father of the Constitution? - Answer James Madison
What is a confederation? - Answer highly decentralized governmental system in which
national government derives limited authority from the states rather than directly from
its citizens
What were the problems of the Articles of Confederation? - Answer no national revenue
source, no chief executive, no judicial house, just one House, no punishment for inaction
What event led to the convening of the constitutional convention in 1787? - Answer
Shays rebellion
James Madison came to the convention with his Virginia Plan. What elements were put
in the constitution and what elements were not put in? - Answer PUT IN: bicameral
legislature, Judiciary/Supreme Court, H/R based on population, Congress would have a
legislature
TOOK OUT: Congress is electing the President, House voting for Senators
What were the four major principles in designing the constitution? - Answer
republicanism, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism
What were the compromises the Founders enacted? - Answer large/small state
representation, slaves representation, election of president
What was the New Jersey Plan? - Answer put forwards at the convention by the small
states, it left most government authority with the state governments;
What was the Connecticut compromise? - Answer the House would be based on
population and the Senate would have two representatives for each state
How was the electoral college a compromise? - Answer compromise between election
of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of
qualified citizens
How are amendments added to the constitution? - Answer 2/3 vote of the house and
, senate; and vote of 3/4 of state legislatures; and states can call a constitutional
convention(but never have)
Who were the Federalists? - Answer people who were in favor of the Constitution,
against factions and in large government
Who were the Anti-federalists? - Answer people who were against the new Constitution
and thought the government had too much power
Who is the most famous Anti-federalist? - Answer Patrick Henry
What were the concerns of the Anti-federalists with the newly drafted constitution and
what was their big "win"? - Answer stripped political control away from citizens,
president looked like a king, standing armies and navies were a threat to peace and
liberty, where is the Bill of Rights;
their big win was the Bill of Right's
Why were the Federalist Papers written and who were the authors? - Answer to defend
the Constitution and explain it to the voters of New York; written by James Madison,
Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
What are enumerated powers for the federal government contained in the Constitution
and why are they important? - Answer to borrow money on the credit of the US; to lay
and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises; admit new states into the union; declare
war and create/maintain armed forces; coin money; establish rules of naturalization and
bankruptcy; establish post offices; punish pirates
What are the requirements to change the US Constitution? - Answer requirements
needed to add an amendment
What type of government did we have in the US before the Constitution was ratified? -
Answer a confederacy
The First Amendment deals with what five components? - Answer religion, speech,
assembly, press, petition government
What component of the bill of rights was most supportive of states' rights? - Answer the
10th amendment
The Congress is set out in which article of the constitution? - Answer Article 1
The Presidency is set out in which article of the constitution? - Answer Article 2
How many amendments are there in the US Constitution? - Answer 27
The newest amendment is in some sense one of the oldest. How can this be? - Answer it
had been proposed with the first ten amendments and had been pending ever since
What are the terms of the US House members? - Answer 2 years
What experience did the earliest citizens of our country have with governance prior to
the Articles of Confederation? - Answer they had experience with self-government; the
first and second continental congress and representative assembly
What were other influences on the constitutional drafters? - Answer distance from
English authority, representation, social mobility, covenants, individual rights, and
violent border
What was the primary subject of the grievances in the Declaration of Independence? -
Answer representations, standing army, loss of independent court, taxes
Who has been called the father of the Constitution? - Answer James Madison
What is a confederation? - Answer highly decentralized governmental system in which
national government derives limited authority from the states rather than directly from
its citizens
What were the problems of the Articles of Confederation? - Answer no national revenue
source, no chief executive, no judicial house, just one House, no punishment for inaction
What event led to the convening of the constitutional convention in 1787? - Answer
Shays rebellion
James Madison came to the convention with his Virginia Plan. What elements were put
in the constitution and what elements were not put in? - Answer PUT IN: bicameral
legislature, Judiciary/Supreme Court, H/R based on population, Congress would have a
legislature
TOOK OUT: Congress is electing the President, House voting for Senators
What were the four major principles in designing the constitution? - Answer
republicanism, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism
What were the compromises the Founders enacted? - Answer large/small state
representation, slaves representation, election of president
What was the New Jersey Plan? - Answer put forwards at the convention by the small
states, it left most government authority with the state governments;
What was the Connecticut compromise? - Answer the House would be based on
population and the Senate would have two representatives for each state
How was the electoral college a compromise? - Answer compromise between election
of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of
qualified citizens
How are amendments added to the constitution? - Answer 2/3 vote of the house and
, senate; and vote of 3/4 of state legislatures; and states can call a constitutional
convention(but never have)
Who were the Federalists? - Answer people who were in favor of the Constitution,
against factions and in large government
Who were the Anti-federalists? - Answer people who were against the new Constitution
and thought the government had too much power
Who is the most famous Anti-federalist? - Answer Patrick Henry
What were the concerns of the Anti-federalists with the newly drafted constitution and
what was their big "win"? - Answer stripped political control away from citizens,
president looked like a king, standing armies and navies were a threat to peace and
liberty, where is the Bill of Rights;
their big win was the Bill of Right's
Why were the Federalist Papers written and who were the authors? - Answer to defend
the Constitution and explain it to the voters of New York; written by James Madison,
Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
What are enumerated powers for the federal government contained in the Constitution
and why are they important? - Answer to borrow money on the credit of the US; to lay
and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises; admit new states into the union; declare
war and create/maintain armed forces; coin money; establish rules of naturalization and
bankruptcy; establish post offices; punish pirates
What are the requirements to change the US Constitution? - Answer requirements
needed to add an amendment
What type of government did we have in the US before the Constitution was ratified? -
Answer a confederacy
The First Amendment deals with what five components? - Answer religion, speech,
assembly, press, petition government
What component of the bill of rights was most supportive of states' rights? - Answer the
10th amendment
The Congress is set out in which article of the constitution? - Answer Article 1
The Presidency is set out in which article of the constitution? - Answer Article 2
How many amendments are there in the US Constitution? - Answer 27
The newest amendment is in some sense one of the oldest. How can this be? - Answer it
had been proposed with the first ten amendments and had been pending ever since
What are the terms of the US House members? - Answer 2 years
