1. The Magna Carta was a document that

a. shifted the power from the monarchs to the people in Britain.

b. required British royalty to obey the same laws as other English people.

c. limited the power of the people in the British government.

d. gave the power in the British government to members of Parliament.

b. required British royalty to obey the same laws as other English

people.

2. How did the Magna Carta influence American leaders when they were considering the structure of their

government?• a. It showed that the powers of

government should be balanced with another governing body.

• b. It showed that it was best to give the government a wide range of powers.

• c. It showed that a monarchy was the best form of government.

• d. It showed that it was important to limit the powers of government.

d. It showed that it was important to limit the powers of

government.

3. Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom declared that

a. governments could punish those who tried to control the religion of citizens.

b. it was the government’s responsibility to provide funding for churches.

c. church and state should not be separated when it came to matters of religion.

d. no person could be forced to attend church or to pay for a church with taxes.

d. no person could be forced to attend church or to pay for a church with taxes.

4. How did the ideas in Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom differ from previous ideas held by the government?

a. Thomas Jefferson felt that the government had no right to control religious choice.b. Thomas Jefferson felt that state governments should create “official” churches.c. Thomas Jefferson felt that the national government should determine the religions that could be practiced.d. Thomas Jefferson felt that all American citizens should practice the same religion.

a. Thomas Jefferson felt that the a. Thomas Jefferson felt that the government had no right to control government had no right to control religious choice.religious choice.

5. How did the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 affect education in the Northwest Territory?

a. It provided education for wealthy citizens by creating private schools.b. It created the first public university system in the United States.c. It made education a basic right by providing public education for all citizens.d. It made education available to slaves for the first time in the United States.

c. It made education a basic right by providing public education for all citizens.

6. What was the significance of the changes that the Northwest

Ordinance of 1787 made to slavery?a. It empowered slaves by granting them the basic right of a public education in the territories.b. It illustrated the fact that members of Congress were strong advocates of slavery in territories.c. It settled the disputes over slavery in the territories of the United States.d. It established a standard for slavery in future territories of the United States.

d. It established a standard for slavery in future territories of the United States.

7. Under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, a territory could apply to become

a state when it had a. a governor that had been approved by the national government.

b. 60,000 settlers and a drafted constitution.

c. met all of the conditions established by the ordinance.

d. assembled a governing body that had been elected by the people.

b. 60,000 settlers and a drafted constitution.

8. What was the purpose of the Land Ordinance of 1785?

a. to set up a system for surveying and dividing territory

b. to form a political system for the Northwest Territory

c. to create new states out of the Northwest Territory

d. to give away property to deserving citizens

a. to set up a system for surveying and dividing territory

9. Which of these was a reason why Congress decided to pass the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

a. Congress wanted to create a region where slavery was banned.

b. Americans were forcing Congress to divide up western land.

c. Congress had to decide what to do with the western lands under its control.

d. Land was needed for the homeless population of the U.S.

c. Congress had to decide what to do with the western lands under its control.

10. How were western lands divided by the Land Ordinance of

1785?a. The land was divided into counties, each under the control of the national government.b. The land was split into two sections, one section banning slavery and the other permitting slavery.c. The land was divided into five states, and then the governor of each state divided it into smaller portions.d. The land was split into townships and then each township was divided into a smaller lot.

d. The land was split into townships and then each township was divided into a smaller lot.

11. The banning of slavery in some state constitutions was

significant because it marked the beginnings of

a. the declaration of citizenship for African Americans.

b. the abolition movement.

c. the civil rights movement.

d. equal treatment for African Americans.

b. the abolition movement.

12. What characteristic of most state constitutions created during the American Revolution strongly influenced the ideas

behind the American government?

a. the laws that protected freedom of religion

b. the laws that protected the rights of government leaders

c. the inclusion of a clause banning slavery

d. the creation of governments with limited power

d. the creation of governments with limited power

13. How did the Declaration of Independence influence the Articles of Confederation?

a. The Declaration of Independence stated that when a government becomes controlling it should be destroyed, which was a law included in the Articles.b. The Declaration of Independence declared that all men were created equal, which was reflected in laws that gave equal opportunities to all citizens in the Articles.c. The Declaration of Independence condemned the power of the British king over the colonies, which was reflected in the creation of a limited government in the Articles.d. The Declaration of Independence stated that a state should have the power to make treaties with other countries, which was a law established in the Articles.

c. The Declaration of Independence condemned the power of the British king over the colonies, which was reflected in the creation of a limited government in the Articles.

14. What was the significance of the Articles of Confederation?

a. They created the first national court system in the United States.b. They established the first national government of the United States.c. They created a government for the U.S. that was very similar to Great Britain’s.d. They established America’s independence from Great Britain.

b. They established the first national government of the United States.

15. How did the national government eventually respond

to Shays’s Rebellion? a. It announced a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation to better meet the nation’s needs.b. It sentenced the rebels to death and followed through in the executions of those who participated in the rebellion.c. It overturned the Articles of Confederation and gave the Confederation Congress supreme power in the U.S.d. It forced states to provide soldiers for a national army to prevent future uprisings in the U.S.

a. It announced a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation to better meet the nation’s needs.

16. Which of these was the main cause of Shays’s Rebellion?

a. the depression that followed the severing of trade ties with Britainb. the Massachusetts policy that forced farmers to pay taxes on landc. the period of inflation in the United States after the ward.the inability of the national government to regulate trade

b. the Massachusetts policy that forced farmers to pay taxes on land

17. Following Shays’s Rebellion, most Americans called for establishing

a. laws to prevent rebellious behavior.

b. a national army.

c. a national court system.

d. a stronger central government.

d. a stronger central government.

18. What was the significance of Shays’s Rebellion?

a. It showed Americans that defiance would lead to change in the government.b. It marked the beginning of legislation to improve the rights of farmers.c. It showed Americans the weaknesses of the Confederation government.d. It marked the beginning of a period of civil unrest in the United States.

c. It showed Americans the weaknesses of the Confederation government.

19. Why did the Articles of Confederation make it hard for Congress to protect its land or

citizens against foreign threats? a. The Articles were established on the basis of peace and did not allow Congress to create a national army.b. The Articles gave sole power to army leaders to make decisions about relations with foreign countries.c. There was no army and the Articles did not allow Congress to force states to provide soldiers for an army.d. There were no laws about protecting the country against foreign threats so there was little that Congress could do.

c. There was no army and the Articles did not allow Congress to force states to provide soldiers for an army.

20. How did the Articles of Confederation contribute to the economic problems of the United States in the late 1700s?

a. The Articles gave Congress little power to pass or enforce nationwide laws and tariffs, which ultimately led to increased U.S. debt.b. The Articles banned trade with foreign nations, which caused a great deal of American businesses to suffer.c. The Articles gave Congress the power to print limitless amounts of paper money, which caused inflation in the U.S.d. The Articles included a clause stating that the U.S. would pay back all debts owed to Britain, which increased the U.S. debt.

a. The Articles gave Congress little power to pass or enforce nationwide laws and tariffs, which ultimately led to increased U.S. debt.

21. Why were the Articles of Confederation ineffective in solving internal problems that existed in the United States?

a. The Articles established a strong national army that was more concerned with settling foreign disputes than internal problems.b. The Articles created a governing body with excessive power that did not concern itself with the problems of individual states.c. The Articles established strong and independent state governments, which led to numerous disputes.d. The Articles created a weak central government that had little control over the actions of individual state governments.

d. The Articles created a weak central government that had little control over the actions of individual state governments.

22. How did the Articles of Confederation fail to implement the ideas set forth in the Declaration of Independence?

a. They failed to enforce tariffs with other countries.b. They failed to provide an executive branch of government.c. They failed to protect the ideals of individual liberty.d. They failed to create strong state governments.

c. They failed to protect the ideals of individual liberty.

23. Which of these BEST summarizes the trade relationship between Britain and America in the late 1700s?a. Britain placed a high tariff on imports and exports, which forced Americans to pay a higher price for goods.b. Britain allowed American ships to continue trading with the British West Indies, which boosted America’s economy.c. Britain opened many of its ports to American ships, which allowed Americans to increase trade with other European nations.d. Britain refused to participate in trade with America, which severely affected the American economy.

a. Britain placed a high tariff on imports and exports, which forced Americans to pay a higher price for goods.

24. In 1784 Spain closed which important trade route to the U.S. that was

used to send goods to eastern markets? a. the Chesapeake Bay

b. the Gulf of Mexico

c. the lower Mississippi River

d. the upper Missouri River

c. the lower Mississippi River

25. What were the specifics of the Virginia Plan?

a. It created a one-house legislative branch of government in which each state would have an equal number of votes or equal voice in the federal government and state governments kept a lot of powerb. It created a two-house legislative branch of government with both houses representation based on the state’s population and the central or federal government had supreme power.c. It created a three-house legislative branch of government in which one house was based on a states free population, a second was based upon the states slave population and the third house was based upon equal representation.d. It did not create a national legislature, but provided a President who would make national laws and a court system to decide if the laws the President made were legal.

b. It created a two-house legislative branch of government with both houses representation based on the state’s population and the central or federal government had supreme power.

26. How did the Great Compromise resolve the debate over state

representation in the federal government? a. It created a bicameral legislature, where the population of each individual state in the nation would determine the number of representatives in each house.b. It created a unicameral legislature, where the number of representatives in the house would be based on the population of a state.c. It created a bicameral legislature, where in one house state population determined the number of representatives and in the other the number of representatives were equal.d.It created a unicameral legislature, where the number of representatives in the house would be equal regardless of the size of the state.

c. It created a bicameral legislature, where in one house state population determined the number of representatives and in the other the number of representatives were equal.

27. In what way did northerners and southerners disagree about the issue of

slavery at the Constitutional Convention?

a. Northerners wanted slavery to be abolished under the constitution.b. Southerners wanted slaves to be counted as part of their state populations.c. Northerners wanted slaves to be included in the voting process.d. Southerners wanted slavery to extend into the western territories.

b. Southerners wanted slaves to be counted as part of their state populations.

28. How did the delegates resolve the debate over how slaves should factor into

representation in government?a. They decided that each individual slave should count as one person when determining representation.b. They decided that slaves were not citizens and should not be counted when determining representation.c. They reached a compromise that allowed every ten slaves to be counted as one person.d. They reached a compromise that allowed each individual slave to be counted as three-fifths of a person.

d. They reached a compromise that allowed each individual slave to be counted as three-fifths of a person.

29. What is federalism?

a. a system of government in which the central government has all the powers of governmentb. a system of government that keeps each branch of government from having too much powerc. a system of government in which powers of government are shared between the national and state governmentsd. a system of government in which the state governments have all the powers of government

c. a system of government in which powers of government are shared between the national and state governments

30. In what way did the Constitution attempt to implement the ideals set forth

in the Declaration of Independence?a. The Constitution adopted a system of checks and balances within the federal government.b. The Constitution protected popular sovereignty, the idea that political power belongs to the people.c. The Constitution called for a single leader of the country in the form of a president.d. The Constitution gave supreme power to the two houses of Congress in the United States.

b. The Constitution protected popular sovereignty, the idea that political power belongs to the people

31. Which of the following is a basic set of principals and laws that states the powers and duties of government?

a. A Declaration

b. A Bill of Rights

c. A Constitution

d. A Magna Carta

c. A Constitution

32. Which of the following means the right for a person to vote?

a. Election

b. Suffrage

c. Politics

d. Campaign

b. Suffrage

33. Why did the framers of the Constitution create a system of checks

and balances?

a. to outline the powers held by each branch of governmentb. to keep any one branch of government from becoming too powerfulc. to give the people an opportunity to control the branches of governmentd. to strengthen the powers held by each branch of government

b. to keep any one branch of government from becoming too powerful

34. The Constitution delegated the power to coin money to the federal government. Which

of these is an advantage of this decision?

a. The federal government could control the distribution of money to each state.b. A single currency would be used and accepted everywhere in the United States.c. The federal government could prevent the nation from going into debt.d. It ensured that there would never be another depression in the U.S.

b. A single currency would be used and accepted everywhere in the United States

35. What problem did Anti-Federalists have with the

Constitution? a. They felt that the central government had been given too much power.b. They felt that too many rights were guaranteed to individual citizens.c. They felt that merchants were not provided with enough protection.d. They felt that the nation should return to the Articles of Confederation.

a. They felt that the central government had been given too much power.

36. How did the Federalist Papers try to assure Americans about the new federal government created under the Constitution? a. by saying that the government would be more like Great Britain’sb. by saying that the government would not overpower the states c. by saying that the government would one day abolish slavery d. by saying that the government would protect the rights of citizens

b. by saying that the government would not overpower the states

37. How did the Bill of Rights, added to the Constitution in 1791, use the ideas introduced in the Declaration of Independence?

a. It included all of the rights that the Declaration of Independence stated were essential to the success of a nation.b. It served to further limit the rights and powers of the federal government, an idea included in the Declaration of Independence.c. It provided a new list of ways to maintain American independence based on ideas presented in the Declaration of Independence.d. It ensured the protection of individual rights so that the abuses listed in the Declaration of Independence would be illegal.

d. It ensured the protection of individual rights so that the abuses listed in the Declaration of Independence would be illegal.

38. What was the Bill of Rights?

a. a document added to the Constitution to protect the rights of individual citizensb. a document used to limit the powers of state governmentsc. a document outlining the rights of the federal governmentd. a document stating the ways in which citizens can participate in government

a. a document added to the Constitution to protect the rights of individual citizens

39. What is one reason the U.S. Constitution has survived for

more than 200 years? a. the Bill of Rightsb. the flexibility of the Constitution to meet the needs of a changing nationc. the Federalists and their arguments supporting the Constitutiond. the Antifederalists and their arguments against the Constitution

b. the flexibility of the Constitution to meet the needs of a changing nation

40. How many branches of government were created as part of the Articles of Confederation? a. One

b. Three

c. Two

d. Four

a. One

41. Which of the following means to officially grant approval of a new law? a. Veto

b. Ratification

c. Amendment

d. Compromise

b. Ratification

42. All of the following were part of the Northwest Territory under the

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 EXCEPT?

a. Indiana

b. Ohio

c. Kentucky

d. Wisconsin

c. Kentucky

43. Which of the following occurs when there are increased prices for goods and services combined with the reduced value of money?

a. Depression

b. Inflation

c. Recession

d. Progression

b. Inflation

44. Which of the following is a period of low economic activity

combined with a rise in unemployment?

a. Depression

b. Inflation

c. Recession

d. Progression

a. Depression

45. What was Shays’s Rebellion?

a. It was when the French decided to try and take St. Louis and a large group of ranchers led by Daniel Shays rose up to protect their propertyb. It was when the merchants in Atlanta led by Daniel Shays grew very upset at the high taxes that the British had placed on coffee and they took over the British customs houses in the Southc. It was when a group of farmers led by Daniel Shays became angry over the taxes, heavy debt and foreclosures of their land and they took the Supreme Court in Springfield., Massachusettsd. It was when the army began to protest their low wages by refusing to protect the citizens and they citizens began tarring and feathering the soldiers when they saw them walking by themselves in town.

c. It was when a group of farmers led by Daniel Shays became angry over the taxes, heavy debt and foreclosures of their land and they took the Supreme Court in Springfield., Massachusetts

46. Why did many of the participants at the Annapolis Convention in September

1786 call for a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787?

a. Because the participants at the Annapolis Convention wanted to get together to do away with the Articles of Confederation and write a new Constitutionb. Because the participants had promised the citizens in the Declaration of Independence that after 10 years of following the Articles of Confederation they would write new Constitution.c. Because there had been very poor attendance at the Annapolis Convention and nothing was able to be accomplished so they called for the Constitutional Convention to try and improve the Articles of Confederation.d. Because Benjamin Franklin was getting really old and leaders such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson feared that he wouldn’t live much longer and they wanted his knowledge as they tried to write a new Constitution.

c. Because there had been very poor attendance at the Annapolis Convention and nothing was able to be accomplished so they called for the Constitutional Convention to try and improve the Articles of Confederation.

47. What were most of the delegates like at the Constitutional Convention? a. They were poor farmers and indentured servants who represented the working man

b. They were rich, well-educated white men who owned businesses or were in state legislatures

c. They were a cross-section of society with men, women, African Americans and Native Americans represented

d. They were mostly preachers and religious men who had the best educations in the colonies

b. They were rich, well-educated white men who owned businesses or were in state legislatures

48. Which of the following men attended the Constitutional Convention while the others were either unable or chose not to attend?

a. Thomas Jefferson

b. John Adams

c. Patrick Henry

d. James Madison

d. James Madison

49. What were the specifics of the New Jersey plan?

a. It created a one-house legislative branch of government in which each state would have an equal number of votes or equal voice in the federal government and state governments kept a lot of powerb. It created a two-house legislative branch of government with both houses representation based on the state’s population and the central or federal government had supreme power.c. It created a three-house legislative branch of government in which one house was based on a states free population, a second was based upon the states slave population and the third house was based upon equal representation.d. It did not create a national legislature, but provided a President who would make national laws and a court system to decide if the laws the President made were legal.

a. It created a one-house legislative branch of government in which each state would have an equal number of votes or equal voice in the federal government and state governments kept a lot of power

50. Though the final draft of the United States Constitution was completed and signed in

September 1787 by 39 of the 42 delegates that remained at the convention it would not become

the law of the land until

a. it was sent to Congress and at least NINE of the thirteen states voted it in to lawb. it was sent to Congress and ALL of the thirteen states voted it in to lawc. it was sent to Congress and TWELVE of the thirteen states voted it in to lawd. it was sent to Congress and at least HALF of the thirteen states voted it in to law

a. it was sent to Congress and at least NINE of the thirteen states voted it in to law

51. All of the following were WEAKNESSES of the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT

a. There was only one branch of government

b. There was no system of Checks and Balances

c. Most of the power was held by the states

d. The Congress could make coins and borrow money

d. The Congress could make coins and borrow money

52. All of the following were WEAKNESSES of the Articles of

Confederation EXCEPT

a. There was not a Judicial System

b. There was not an Executive Branch

c. The Legislative Branch had very few powers

d. The Congress was able to make treaties

d. The Congress was able to make treaties

53. All of the following were STRENGTHS of the Constitution EXCEPT

for a. Most of the power was held by the national governmentb. There was a judicial branch to review the laws and decide on the constitutionality of the lawc. State governments were allowed to declare war on other countries and have an army representing their stated. There were three branches of government

c. State governments were allowed to declare war on other countries and have an army representing their state

54. All of the following were STRENGTHS

of the Constitution EXCEPT for a. The legislative branch had many distinct powersb. The U.S. Congress was allowed to set limits on education c. There was an executive branch led by the presidentd. There was a system of checks and balances

b. The U.S. Congress was allowed to set limits on education

55. What was the main problem that the Antifederalists had with the United States Constitution?

a. It did not have a section that guaranteed all citizens individual rightsb. It did not allow each state to assemble, arm and supply their won armed forcesc. It did not provide for adequate health care and salaries that were high enough to keep the Congressman from having to get second jobsd. It did not have term limits on Congress or the President meaning they could stay in office too long and gain too much power

a. It did not have a section that guaranteed all citizens individual rights

56. All of the following men were Antifederalists EXCEPT?

a. George Mason

c. Patrick Henry

b. Samuel Adams

d. James Madison

d. James Madison

57. What position did the Federalists

have in regards to the Constitution? a. They were very upset that the Constitution did not have a section in it to protect the rights of all citizensb. They did not like the idea that the Constitution provided one man such as the President so much powerc. They felt that the U.S. Court System should have a lot more power than provided for in the Constitutiond. They believed that the U.S. Constitution was an excellent plan of government for the United States

d. They believed that the U.S. Constitution was an excellent plan of government for the United States

58. All of the following were Federalist EXCEPT

a. George Washington

b. Richard Henry Lee

c. Benjamin Franklin

d. John Jay

b. Richard Henry Lee

59. Which of the following states ratified the Constitution in June of 1788 meaning that the Constitution was now the law of

the land? a. New Hampshire

b. Rhode Island

c. Vermont

d. Georgia

a. New Hampshire

60. Who was the last and final state that

ratified the Constitution in May of 1790? a. Kentucky

c. Rhode Island

b. Maine

d. Ohio

c. Rhode Island

61. Even though the Constitution already had enough states to ratify it, the country knew they needed which of the following

to ratify it because of their power? a. Massachusetts and Maryland

c. New York and Virginia

b. New Hampshire and Rhode Island

d. Connecticut and North Carolina

c. New York and Virginia

62. What was an official change to the

United States Constitution known as? a. An amendment

b. A proposal

c. A law

d. A warrant

a. An amendment

63. What fraction of both houses of the legislature or of the state legislatures must vote to propose a change to the Constitution before it can move forward?

a. one-third

b. two-thirds

c. one-half

d. three-fourths

b. two-thirds

64. What fraction of both houses of the legislature or of the state legislatures must vote to approve a change to the Constitution before it can passed and added?

a. one-third

b. two-thirds

c. one-half

d. three-fourths

d. three-fourths

65. How many amendments were approved and became part of the United States

Constitution and became the Bill of Rights? a. eight

b. twelve

c. ten

d. fifteen

c. ten

Good Luck