Creating the Constitution: Constitutional Convention

What was the Constitutional Convention?

• The gathering that drafted the Constitution of the United States in 1789.

• The gathering that drafted the Constitution of the United States in 1787.

• A convention for the founding fathers

• A group that made the Declaration of Independence

The _____ believed in a strong, central government.

How many states attended the Constituional Convention?

• 7

• 13

• 15

• 12

Answer explanation

All 13 States were invited to attend, but Rhode Island boycotted the convention, leaving only 12 states present.

Who was the "father" of the Constitution?

• James Madison

• Thomas Jefferson

• George Washington

• Alexander Hamilton

Answer explanation

Madison’s influence was so great that later he would be called the “Father

of the Constitution.” One delegate wrote of

Madison, “In the management of every great question he evidently took the lead in the

Convention.”

How many people did the executive branch consist of in the first constitution?

• Nine

• Fifty (two for every state)

• One

• Three

Answer explanation

The framers agreed to a single executive, to be called the president.

The _____ Compromise accounted for slaveholding states' representation in the House of Representatives.

Answer explanation

An agreement made at the Constitutional

Convention stating that enslaved persons would be counted as three-fifths of a person when

determining a state’s population for representation in the House of Representatives]

What was a major weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

• Congress could not impose taxes

• The national government was too strong

• The president was too powerful

• The senate served life-terms

Why is Shay's Rebellion important?

• It was a slave revolt

• It propelled America toward the Civil War

• It showed how weak the government was

• It caused the death of half of the nation's population

True or false: The number of members in the House of Representatives is affected by the

state’s population.

• True

• False

Why did Congress fear a strong, central government after the American Revolution?