Civics exam unit 2

What is a legislature?

A group of people chosen to make laws.

What is a charter?

A document giving permission to create a government.

How did colonists respond when governors threatened their rights?

They defended their rights and often resisted unfair laws.

Who could actually vote in the colonies?

Very few people, mostly landowning white men.

Who was Roger Williams?

He protested against the role of religion in government and established Rhode Island on principles of tolerance.

Who was John Peter Zenger?

A printer who wrote articles against the governor; his trial helped establish freedom of the press.

What did colonists feel the British subjected them to?

Tyranny (unjust rule).

What is theocracy?

A system of government where religious leaders claim divine guidance.

Why were some colonists worried about not having a state church?

They believed a state church would guide people’s morality.

How many colonies had a state church?

9 out of 13.

Who was barred from voting in colonies?

People without certain church membership, women, and enslaved people.

What does "No taxation without representation" mean?

Colonists didn’t want to be taxed by Britain when they had no representatives in Parliament.

What is direct democracy?

A system where citizens vote directly on laws (Greece).

What is a republic?

A system where people elect representatives to make laws for them (Rome).

What type of government is the U.S.?

A representative republic.

What was Thomas Hobbes’ idea of the social contract?

People freely give up some rights to a leader in exchange for protection and cannot break the contract.

What was the Magna Carta (1215)?

A document that limited the power of the British king.

What was the English Bill of Rights (1689)?

Gave rights to British citizens under the king, like free elections and protection from cruel punishment.

What did John Locke believe about the social contract?

People have the right to break the contract if government doesn’t protect natural rights.

What were John Locke’s natural rights?

Life, liberty, and property.

What was Montesquieu’s idea?

Separation of powers to prevent one branch from gaining too much power.

What did revolutionaries believe about King George III?

That they could break the social contract with him.

Why were revolutionaries said to be “signing their own death warrants”?

If the Revolution failed, they could be executed for treason.

What pamphlet convinced colonists to want independence?

Common Sense by Thomas Paine.

What was the Boston Tea Party?

Colonists protested unfair taxes by dumping tea into Boston Harbor.

What was the Boston Massacre?

British soldiers killed 5 colonists, fueling anger and unity.

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson.

What are the four parts of the Declaration of Independence?

Preamble, Natural Rights, British Wrongs, Conclusion/Independence.

Who was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence?

John Hancock.

What did colonists have to do after declaring independence?

Organize a new government.

What were the Articles of Confederation?

The first U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1781, creating a weak central government.

What kind of union did the Articles of Confederation create?

A “league of friendship” among the states.

What were major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

No power to tax, regulate trade, or enforce laws; no president or national courts.

What problems did the Articles cause?

Debt, trade disputes, and lack of protection.

What was the Annapolis Convention?

A 1786 meeting to fix the Articles, but it failed and led to the decision to write a new Constitution.

What was the Constitutional Convention (1787)?

A meeting in Philadelphia to create a stronger government; George Washington presided over it.

How were delegates described at the Constitutional Convention?

“Well-read, well-fed, well-bed, and well-wed” — wealthy, educated men.

What was Shay’s Rebellion (1786)?

Farmers in Massachusetts rebelled against debts and foreclosures, showing the Articles were too weak.

Who led Shay’s Rebellion?

Daniel Shays, a farmer and Revolutionary War veteran.

What did Jefferson think of rebellions like Shay’s?

He thought they were healthy for democracy, saying “I like a little rebellion now and then.”

What was Jefferson’s famous quote about liberty?

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

What was the Virginia Plan?

Representation in Congress based on population (favored big states).

What was the New Jersey Plan?

Equal representation in Congress for all states (favored small states).

What was the Great Compromise?

Created a bicameral legislature: Senate with equal representation, House of Representatives based on population.

What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?

Each enslaved person counted as 3/5 of a person for representation and taxation.

What did the North and South disagree on?

Trade regulations, slavery, and representation.

What is bicameralism?

A two-house legislature: Senate (equal) and House (population).

What was the consensus at the Constitutional Convention?

Move away from monarchy and agree on a representative government.

What did they decide about western lands?

National government would own western lands to create new states.

What was the North vs. South compromise?

Counted enslaved people as 3/5 of a person for representation and taxation.

Who were Federalists?

People who supported a strong central government.

Who were Anti-Federalists?

People who wanted more power for states and protection of individual rights.

What was needed to ratify the Constitution?

9 out of 13 states’ approval.

What did Anti-Federalists demand before ratification?

A Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms.

What was added to appease Anti-Federalists?

The Bill of Rights.

When was the Bill of Rights ratified?

December 15, 1791.

What are the first ten amendments called?

The Bill of Rights.

What do the first ten amendments do?

Protect rights of Americans, limit government abuse of power, protect fairness in the legal system.

What does the Supreme Court do with the Bill of Rights?

Interprets what each right means and sets limits.

What did the 13th Amendment do?

Abolished slavery.

What did the 14th Amendment do?

Gave citizenship to African Americans and guaranteed equal protection under the law.

What did the 15th Amendment do?

Gave African American men the right to vote.

What did the 19th Amendment do?

Gave women the right to vote.

What did the 24th Amendment do?

Abolished poll taxes.

What did the 26th Amendment do?

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

What does it mean that the Constitution is a “living document”?

It can be changed with amendments and reinterpreted over time.

What case overturned Plessy v. Ferguson?

Brown v. Board of Education, showing the Constitution can be reinterpreted.

Amendment 1

Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.

Amendment 2

Right to bear arms.

Amendment 3

No quartering of soldiers in private homes without consent.

Amendment 4

Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Amendment 5

Right to due process; no double jeopardy; protection against self-incrimination.

Amendment 6

Right to a speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, and a lawyer.

Amendment 7

Right to a jury trial in civil cases over $20.

Amendment 8

No cruel or unusual punishment; no excessive bail or fines.

Amendment 9

Rights of the people not listed in the Constitution are still protected.

Amendment 10

Powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or the people.

Amendment 13

Abolished slavery.

Amendment 14

Gave citizenship to African Americans and guaranteed equal protection under the law.

Amendment 15

Gave African American men the right to vote.

Amendment 19

Gave women the right to vote.

Amendment 24

Abolished poll taxes.

Amendment 26

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.