History Midpoint

The authors of the Declaration of Independence used the phase “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” to identify

natural rights

One of the principles stated in the Declaration of Independence is that government should

be based upon the consent of the governed

Which group had the most influence on the ideas stated in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution

philosophers of the Enlightenment

In colonial America, the house of burgesses, the Mayflower Compact, and the town hall meetings were all development that led to that

creation of representatives government

The Virginia House of Burgesses was important to the development of democracy in the thirteen colonies because it

provided an example of a representative form of government

During the early 1770s how did the British government respond to increasing American protests of British colonial policy?

It increased efforts to maintain order and enforce laws.

What was a main reason large plantations developed in the South during the colonial period?

The coastal plain in the South contained large areas of fertile soil.

American colonists showed their opposition to the British taxation and trade restrictions of the 1760s primarily by

boycotting products from Great Britain

The presence of which pair of geographic conditions discouraged the development of a plantation economy in the New England colonies

rocky soil and short growing season

IN the publication Common Sense, Thomas Paine argued that

the American colonies should break away from England

The main purpose for writing the the Declaration of Independence was to

state the colonists’ reasons for separating from Great Britain

Shays’ Rebellion (1786) became a concern for many national leaders because it

exposed fundamental weakness in government under the Articles of Confederation

Which idea guided the development of the Articles of Confederation

A strong central government would threaten the rights of the people

One accomplishment of the national government under the Articles of Confederation was the passage of legislation establishing

a process for admitting new states to the Union

The Great Compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention resulted in the

creation of a bicameral legislature

Which action did Alexander Hamilton support during the 1790s?

creation of the national bank

Delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 agreed to the Three Fifths compromise to solve a dispute directly related to

representation in Congress

During the debate over the ratification of the Constitution, Antifederalists argued that

the new Constitution would threaten the rights of individual citizens

Buildings support for the ratification of the United State Constitution was the purpose of the

Federalist Paper

The framers of the United States Constitution included the concepts of federalism, checks & balances, and separation of powers in the document because they

feared a government with unlimited power

The major reason the Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution was to

protect individual liberties against abuse by the Federal Government

Which action illustrates the president’s power as commander in chief

ordering American troops into a foreign country

Federalism is best defined as a principle of government that

divides power between the central government and state government

To win a presidential election, a candidate must win a

majority of the electoral college vote

The amendment process was included in the Constitution to

allow for change over time

To provide for change, the authors of the United States Constitution included the amendment process and the

elastic clause

Before ratification of the 22nd amendment in 1951, most presidents served no more than two terms because of

customs and tradition

One major reason that Alexander Hamilton proposed a national bank was to

improve the economic position of the United States government

What was one outcome of the Supreme Court decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803)

the principle of judicial review was established

during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, the spoils system resulted in

elected officials rewarding their supporters with government jobs

A strict interpretation verus a loose interpretation of the Constitution was most evident in the debate over the

creation of the bank of the united states in 1791

Alexander Hamilton’s proposal to create a national bank and Thomas Jefferson’s proposal to purchase the Louisiana territory were criticized because actions would

require a loose interpretation of the constitution

what was a significant effect of supreme court decisions under Chief Justice John Marshall (1801-1835)

the power of the federal government were increased.

a major reason for purchasing the Louisiana territory (1803) was to

secure control of the port of New Orleans

A belief in Manifest Destiny is most closely associated with the decision to

declare war on Mexico

Most Southern political leaders praised the Supreme court decision in Dred Scott v. Stanford (1857) because it

protected the property rights of slave owners in the territories

The publication of Uncle Toms Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, contributed to the start of the Civil War by

intensifying Northern dislike of slavery

Which 19th century event supported the movement for womens rights?

Seneca Falls Convention

President Andrew Jackson policy toward Native American Indians was created to

force Native American Indians to move west of the Mississippi River

why did the radical republicans in congress oppose President Abraham Lincolns plan for Reconstruction?

he rejected the idea of harsh punishment for the south

after the civil war, serious differences between congress and president Andrew Johnson about how to handle Reconstruction led to the

impeachment of President Johnson

neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duty convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” this statement is part of the

13th amendment to the Constitution

The 14th and 15th Amendments, passes during Reconstruction, resulted in

increased individual rights for African Americans

The poll tax, the literacy test, and the actions of the Ku Klux Klan were all attempts to limit the effectiveness of

the 14th and 15th amendments

Starting in the 1870s, Jim Crow laws were enacted in Southern states as a mean to

enforce racial segregation

After the Civil War, the sharecropping system emerged in the South primarily as a way to

provide a labor supply to plantation owners

Literacy tests and grandfather clauses were enacted in the South after the Reconstruction Era primarily to

limit the number of African American voters

The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 was mainly concerned with

expanding womens rights

As a result of President Andrew Jackson’s policies Native American Indians were

forcibly removed to areas west of the Mississippi River

William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Tubman and Harriet Beecher Stowe are best known for their efforts to

oppose the practice of slavery

The United States Congress can check the executive branch of government by

overriding vetos

Which individual’s action was directly protected by the first amendment?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s leading a march on Washington D.C in 1963

Passing marriage & divorce laws, creating vehicle and traffic regulations, and setting high school graduation requirement are examples of power traditionally

reserved to the state government

A major criticism of the electoral college is that it

allows a president to be elected without a majority of the popular vote

Which statement about the United States House of Representatives is accurate?

The number of representatives from each states is based on its population

Judicial review gives the United States Supreme Court the power to

declare state laws unconstitutional

Antifederalist objections to the ratification of the Constitution led to the

addition of a Bill of Rights

Conflicts between Jeffersonians and Hamiltonians during President George Washington’s first administration led directly to the

start of the first political parties

A major purpose of the president’s cabinet is to

offer advice on important issues

The Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) had a major impact on united states history because the decision

provided a constitutional basis for segregation laws

A system of checks and balances the authors were concerned about

one branch of government becoming too strong

Which statement most accurately describes federalism?

Power is divided between the national government and the states

The fact that the United States Constitution provided for federalism and a system of checks & balances suggests that

its writers feared of that time supported a military government

In the United States, Federal judges hold office for life to

decrease political interference in their decisions

The writings of John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
and Baron de Montesquieu are significant in United
States history because they

influenced the authors of the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution

The authors of the Declaration of Independence used
the phrase "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness" to identify

natural rights

In colonial America, the House of Burgesses, the
Mayflower Compact, and town hall meetings were all
developments that led to the

creation of representative government

The Proclamation of 1763 was intended to

avoid conflicts with Native American Indians
west of the Appalachian Mountains

One reason traditions of self-government developed
in the American colonies before the French and
Indian War was that the British

practiced salutary neglect in the colonies

Which statement about the British colonial policy of
mercantilism is most accurate?

Raw materials from the colonies were shipped
to England.

In his pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas Paine urged
American colonists to

establish their own nation

Which action by the British government was
considered by American colonists to be a violation of
their rights as Englishmen?

taxing the colonies without representation in
Parliament

The main purpose for writing the Declaration of
Independence was to

state the colonists’ reasons for separating
from Great Britain

A major argument for American independence found
in the Declaration of Independence was that the
British

deprived Americans of their natural rights

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established a
model for later settlement by providing for the

process for territories to become states

Critics of the Articles of Confederation argued that it

placed too much power in the hands of the
states

At the Constitutional Convention (1787), which
issue was resolved by the Great Compromise?

representation of states in Congress

The primary purpose of the Federalist Papers was
to

encourage ratification of the United States
Constitution

The Great Compromise reached at the Constitutional
Convention resulted in the

creation of a bicameral legislature

Antifederalists opposed ratification of the United
States Constitution until they were assured that

a bill of rights would be added to the original
document

Which action can be taken by the United States
Supreme Court to illustrate the concept that the
Constitution is “the supreme law of the land”?

declaring a state law unconstitutional

A republican form of government is described as one
in which

representatives are elected by the people

To prevent tyranny, the authors of the Constitution
drew on Montesquieu's concept of

separation of powers

According to the United States Constitution, the
president has the power to

nominate federal judges

Separation of powers and federalism are
constitutional principles that

establish limits on the powers of government

The adoption of the Bill of Rights (1791) addressed
Antifederalist criticism of the new Constitution by

protecting citizens from abuses of power by
the national government

Judicial review allows the Supreme Court to

determine the constitutionality of federal
laws

Federalism is best defined as a principle of
government that

divides power between the central
government and state governments

According to the Constitution, the president is
required to

sign or veto bills passed by Congress

To win a presidential election, a candidate must win
a

majority of the electoral college vote

The requirement to conduct a census was included in
the United States Constitution to

determine the number of members from
each state in the House of Representatives

The amendment process was included in the
Constitution to

allow for change over time

Before ratification of the 22nd amendment in 1951,
most presidents served no more than two terms
because of

custom and tradition

One immediate result of Alexander Hamilton's
financial plan was the

creation of a national bank

During George Washington’s presidency, the
authority of the federal government was
strengthened by the

suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion

In his Farewell Address, President George
Washington warned against establishing alliances
with European countries because he was concerned
primarily about

United States involvement in foreign wars

During the presidency of Andrew Jackson, the spoils
system resulted in

elected officials rewarding their supporters
with government jobs

Conflicts between Jeffersonians and Hamiltonians
during President George Washington’s first
administration led directly to the

start of the first political parties

The right of habeas corpus establishes the principle
that

no person should be held in custody unless
charged with a crime

Most Southern political leaders praised the Supreme
Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
because it

protected the property rights of slave owners
in the territories