Constitution Quiz

After the American Revolution, what did Congress fear about a strong central government?

• The rights the people fought for would be lost
• States would have far too much power
• Another war would occur between Britain and France
• Laws would prevent Americans from acquiring new territory

Why was it so difficult for America under the Articles of Confederation to pay off war debt, pay soldier pensions, and repay foreign debts?

• The national government had no power to tax
• The national government wanted to build up their own bank accounts
• Soldiers and foreign nations were unwilling to take money from the new nation
• People wanted paper currency

Why was Shays' Rebellion an important event during the “critical period” under the Articles of Confederation?

• It was the beginning of the Civil War
• It revealed the immorality of slavery
• It demonstrated that the national government needed to have the power to tax and raise an army
• It demonstrated the willingness of all states to work together

Which of the following phrases best describes the idea behind the Articles of Confederation?

• The states were to submit to the will of the national government
• State governments had no power
• States were joined in a league of friendship with each other
• The national government must control all state actions

Which of the following people is known as the “Father of the Constitution?”

• George Washington
• Thomas Jefferson
• James Madison
• Tanner Staus

Why was it so difficult to change the Articles of Confederation? For example, why couldn’t the Articles be amended to impose a 5% import tax?

• The Treaty of Paris could not be enforced
• The Articles required unanimity to be amended
• The Articles required the president enforce the laws, but he was unwilling to do so
• Foreign nations didn’t recognize America as a nation

All of the following were the direct results of the Articles of Confederation not allowing the national government to impose taxes except:

• Inability to raise an army to crush Shay’s rebellion
• Inability to pay foreign debt from the war
• Inability to pay the ransom of the Barbary pirates
• Settling the Northwest Territory (modern day Ohio)

The idea proposed at the Constitutional Convention that suggested three branches of government with both houses of Congress awarding seats based on a state’s population was:

• The Great Compromise
• The New Jersey Plan
• The Virginia Plan
• The 3/5th Compromise

Northern states did not push for abolition of slavery at the Constitutional Convention because ______________.

• The southern states would have left the Convention
• The northern states would have rebelled
• The northern states wanted the slave trade to continue
• The anti-federalists put up too much of a fight

Which compromises were included in the Constitution regarding slavery?

• Slaves would be counted as 3/5th of the population
• The slave trade could be ended in 1808
• Slavery was to be abolished in 1808
• Both ending the slave trade in 1808 and the 3/5th compromise