AP Gov 2 + 3

the constitution defines the structure of the national and state governments, as well as...

regulates the relationship between government and each individual citizen

theoretically, the colonies were governed by England, but the colonists were able to exercise a large measure of self-government because the...

distance between mother country and the colonies allowed more freedom

during the first continental congress, the delegates...

passed a resolution which planned to send a petition expressing grievances

while a peaceful settlement with the British parliament was still being discussed, the second continental congress...

established an army and named George Washington as commander in chief

Thomas Paine's work, "Common Sense", was important for both his ideas and his...

ability to make the arguments in plain language for the readers

the Declaration of Independence was necessary to...

establish the legitimacy of the new nation in the eyes of foreign governments and the colonists

the concept of a social contract existing between people and the government first occurred in the United States...

in the Plymouth colony

the Declaration of Independence reflects the philosophy of John Locke, who argued that...

all people possess certain natural rights and that it is the duty of the government to protect those rights

another purpose of the final version of the Declaration of Independence was to...

justify the colonists' revolt against Britain

a similarity that exists between the states of Pennsylvania and Georgia during the time of the American Revolution and the state of Nebraska today is that all three...

adopted a unicameral legislature

the Articles of Confederation established a voluntary association of independent states that...

agreed to only limited restraint on their freedom of action

the Articles of Confederation were drafted by...

the Second Continental Congress

the United States' first written constitution was the...

Articles of Confederation

under the Articles of Confederation, the Congress was headed by...

a presiding officer chosen from among its members

the two major accomplishments that occurred under the Articles of Confederation were...

settlement of states' claims to western lands, and passage of the Northwest Ordinance

under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had the power to...

establish and control armed forces

a major deficiency of the government under the Articles of Confederation was that...

each state retained its own sovereignty

the most fundamental weakness of the Articles of Confederation was a lack of...

power to raise funds for the militia

Shays' Rebellion plays an important role in American history because...

it made obvious the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation

a crucial weakness in the Articles of Confederation that forced the political leaders to meet in 1786 was...

the need for policies for economic stability

the publicly state purpose of the convention to be held in 1787 was to...

revise the Articles of Confederation

James Madison played a vital role at the convention because he...

maintained a personal journal that detailed discussions and votes

why did delegates Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania and John Rutledge of South Carolina favor a strong central government?

they believed the common people incapable of self-government

the Virginia Plan was favored by...

large states, since it emphasized the importance of population and wealth

Edmund Randolph's Virginia Plan was a proposal of 15 resolutions that...

called for a national executive who would be elected by the legislative body

the New Jersey Plan did little to change the Articles of Confederation with the exception of...

asserting national law over state law in the form of a supremacy doctrine

the Great Compromise resolved the impasse between the...

large and small states regarding representation

the Great Compromise created a(n)...

bicameral legislative body, one with representation based on population and the second with equal state representation

the Great Compromise allowed small states to have political power disproportionate to their size in the...

senate

the Connecticut Compromise is called the Great Compromise because it...

solved the problem of representation by creating a bicameral legislature

the Three-Fifths Compromise, which was crafted to address the impasse on slavery...

avoided the use of the word "slave," instead referring to "all other persons"

the Three-Fifths Compromise gets its name from the resolution that...

slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a person, in determining representation in the House of Representatives

at the Constitutional Convention, the South insisted that...

export taxes not be imposed

because the delegates wanted to prevent the imposition of tyranny, by either the majority or the minority, the government they proposed had...

a separation of powers

James Madison argued in Federalist Paper No. 51 that "the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department" was the...

granting of the means and the motive to each branch of the government to resist encroachment of others into their areas of authority

one of the underlying themes that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention incorporated into the final document was...

promoting cooperation among branches of government

the creation of the electoral college ensured...

independence of the President from Congress

the electoral college created a system in which...

the president was insulated from direct popular control

the Constitution created a...

federal system of government that divides powers between the states and the national government

during the Constitutional deliberations, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote 85 essays, known as _________, to sway public opinion

the Federalist Papers

special conventions in each state were used to ratify the Constitution because...

most legislatures were unlikely to approve the document

the Federalists had an advantage over the Anti-Federalists during the ratification process for the Constitution because...

the Federalists had been part of the deliberations surrounding the Constitution and understood the plan for the new government better than the Anti-Federalists

the Anti-Federalists can be described as...

those believing the Constitution created an overly powerful central government

Charles Beard argued that the framers of the Constitution were...

wealthy property owners who wanted a powerful government that could protect their property interests

which of the following statements is true about the ratification of the Constitution?

the struggle for ratification included thirteen separate campaigns conducted in each state

the Constitution would not have been ratified in several important states if the Federalists had not assured the states that...

amendments to the Constitution would be passed to protect individual liberties against incursions by the national government

some opponents of the Bill of Rights argued that...

carefully articulating certain rights might encourage the national government to abuse any rights that were not specifically defined

ex post facto lawmaking involves...

passing laws that make one liable for an act that has already occurred

______________ best explains the underlying reasons for the Bill of Rights

limited government

the Bill of Rights limits the power of...

the government over the rights and liberties of individuals

as originally written, the Bill of Rights imposed no restrictions on...

state government over the rights and liberties of individuals

the purpose of the first ten amendments of the Constitution was to...

provide clear limitations on the power of the national government

constitutional amendments can be proposed by a...

two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress

according to the Constitution, a national constitutional convention can be called by ______________ to propose an amendment

Congress at the request of two-thirds of state legislatures

constitutional amendments can be ratified by a positive vote by...

three-fourths of state legislatures

Congress has considered more than 11,000 amendments to the Constitution but has approved very few. Many amendments lack support because they...

address highly specific problems, such as burning or defacing the American flag

which of the following statements regarding Constitutional Conventions is true?

convening a body that could conceivably create a new form of government causes concern to national political and judicial leaders

the constitution has remained largely intact for more than 200 years because the principles set forth in the constitution...

are flexible enough to meet new events and concerns

informal methods of changing the US Constitution include...

congressional legislation, judicial review, and presidential action

which of the following statements represents an informal method used to adapt the constitution?

congress passes a law that regulates business conducted between different states because of the commerce clause

the Supreme Court adapts the Constitution to modern situations through...

judicial review

which of the following represents informal constitutional change specifically through interpretation, custom and usage?

nominations, campaigns, and electoral processes for presidential elections

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (now known as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) was an example of

categorical federalism

__ refers to the surrender of an accused/convicted criminal to the authorities of the state from which he or she fled.

Extradition

Block grants consist of federal aid to state or local gov’ts that is

to be spent within a certain policy area, and the state or local gov’t can decide how to spend within that area.

___ is a requirement in federal legislation that forces states and municipalities to comply with certain rules.

A federal mandate

Another noteworthy advantage of federalism is that it

brings government closer to the people.

An examination of the perspectives of select presidents on the issue of federalism reveals the following

George W. Bush increased federal funding and control of education, traditionally an area controlled by state and local governments.

In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court

established the doctrine of national supremacy

When examining the Constitution, the reserved powers are not clearly defined because

states had all the power when the Constitution was written because of the Articles of Confederation

___ are federal grants to state or local gov’ts that are for specific programs or projects.

Categorical grants

The advantages of a federal gov’t include which of the following?

State gov’ts are frequently testing grounds for new governmental initiatives

The constitution was amended in the years immediately following the Civil War so that the states would

not be able to deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

The Supreme court decision in ___ was the first time in sixty years that the Court ruled to limit congressional power by claiming Congress had exceeded its authority under the Commerce Clause.

United States v. Lopez

The theory that the states and the national gov’t should work together in solving the nation’s problems is known as

cooperative federalism

In the U.S. gov’t’s federal framework, supreme and independent political authority is

shared between the national and state gov’ts.

Article IV of the Constitution requires states to give full faith and credit to

the acts and judicial decisions of other states

The era of dual federalism ended when

citizens looked to the federal gov’t to address problems created by the Great Depression

During the time of the Constitutional Convention, federalism was an appealing compromise because it

maintained state traditions while creating a strong national government to handle common problems.

Since the 1990s, Supreme Court decisions on federalism have

established limits on the national gov’t’s powers under the commerce clause.

James Madison and political scientist Daniel Elazar would agree that one of federalism’s greatest virtues is

encouraging the development of multiple distinct political subcultures

As a whole, the states today depend on federal funding for ___ of their income.

about 35%

The doctrine of dual federalism maintains that

the national gov’t and the states have authority of defined and mutually exclusive policy areas

Federal preemptions allow Congress to impose priorities on states through national legislation, a power rooted in the Constitution’s ___ clause

Supremacy

What happened in 1937 that prompted the Supreme Court to cease its attempts to limit the power of the national gov’t under the Commerce Clause?

FDR proposed legislation allowing him to appoint six additional members to the Supreme Court, sending a clear message that the Supreme Court shouldn’t stand in his way any longer.

The system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers, and a central gov’t with limited powers is known as a ___ system

confederal

Which statement best describes current federal laws related to immigration?

All immigrants over the age of 14 who remain in the United States for more than 30 days are required to register with the U.S. government and to have registration documents in their possession at all times.

The Supreme Court, in the case of McCulloch v. Maryland, was asked to evaluate

if the national bank was constitutional, and if the state of Maryland could tax the bank.

Powers held jointly by the national gov’t and by state gov’ts are known as ___ powers

concurrent

While immigration policy is widely viewed as being under the control of the federal government, several states enacted their own immigration laws because

of inaction at the national level related to immigration policy.

Duel federalism is commonly characterized as a(n) ____ because state governments and the national government are seen as separate entities.

layer cake

Two examples, from Lyndon Johnson's administration, that illustrate the power of the national government to change society are

civil rights legislation and the War on Poverty.

An example of an interstate compact is the

establishment of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Critics of federalism maintain that

Americans suffer as a result of the inequalities across the states.

Which of the following is true about most concurrent powers?

They are not specifically stated in the Constitution, but are only implied.

In Gibbons v. Ogden, the Supreme Court ruled that

the power to regulate interstate commerce is one that is shared between the federal and state governments.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the federal government provided funds to states for highway improvement based on the condition that states would

raise the minimum drinking age to 21.

Chief Justice __________ did much to increase the power of the national government and to reduce that of the states in the early part of the nineteenth century.

John Marshall

The ruling in McCulloch v. Maryland is significant because it

established the doctrine of implied powers.

When a state government passes a law that forbids texting while operating a vehicle, it is exercising its _____ power.

police