02/24 Homework #2 James Madison

According to the text, what does the U.S. federal system divide power between?

• Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court

• the central government and the states

• the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

• the White House and other government buildings

Based on the text, how can you best describe the War of 1812?

• It was a challenging but important win for America.

• Burning the White House helped America win the war.

• The war was an easy victory for America.

• The war was an easy victory for Britain.

Based on the text, what describes the correct sequence of events in Madison's life?

• He wrote the Bill of Rights, served as president, served as Jefferson's secretary of state, and designed the system of checks and balances.

• He served as president, fought in the war with the British in 1812, argued with the British king, and served as Jefferson's secretary of state.

• He wrote the Bill of Rights, fled the White House while it was burning, won the war with the British in 1815, and helped write the Constitution.

• He designed the system of checks and balances, wrote the Bill of Rights, served as Jefferson's secretary of state, and served as president.

Read this paragraph from the text. James Madison was the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. He is best known as the father of the Constitution for his leading role in shaping the document. Madison designed the Constitution's system of checks and balances at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The system balances the power between Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court. It gives each branch some control over the actions of the others. This way, one branch of government can't become too powerful. Madison also helped create the U.S. federal system. This system divides power between the central government and the states. Most importantly, in 1789, he drafted the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. The amendments are called the Bill of Rights. What can you conclude about James Madison based on the evidence in this paragraph?

• James Madison valued individual freedoms and a balance of power in the government.

• James Madison was more concerned about creating the Bill of Rights than creating the system of checks and balances.

• James Madison believed the government should be strong, and he also believed the president should have absolute power.

• James Madison wasn't well known until he became famous during the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

What is the main idea of the text?

• James Madison had a lot in common with previous presidents, as he had played an important role in creating the new United States government.

• The British burned down the White House during the War of 1812. This caused James Madison and his wife to flee the city, but it did not stop Dolly from throwing lavish parties.

• James Madison is considered the father of the Constitution because of his work in creating the system of checks and balances and the federal system.

• After playing an important role in writing the U.S. Constitution, James Madison went on to become the fourth president and led the country through the War of 1812.

Read these sentences from the text. In 1812, however, Madison led America into a war with Great Britain. Great Britain was interfering with American trading ships. They were also becoming allies with the indigenous peoples in the west. The British encouraged the indigenous people to attack Americans. What does the word "allies" mean here?

• enemies

• partners

• opponents

• family

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence. ______ Madison wanted to keep the peace, he was forced to declare war on the British in 1812.

• Because

• For

• So

• Although