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| Shay's rebellion proved that the United States had ___________ in their national government. | weaknesses |
| Who was required to share the power to govern under the federal system? | national & state governments |
| What did the Constitutional Convention need to decide about representation in Congress? | if representation would be based on a state's population or if each state would have an equal vote |
| Why did some people want a stronger national government? | they thought they had to be strong to protect them and keep order |
| What was an issue that delegates spent a lot of time discussing? | the relationship between the states and national governments |
| Why did delegates from Virginia want a state's population to determine how many representatives it had in Congress? | because with lots of people in Virginia they would have more representation |
| Why did the New Jersey delegates want each state to have one representative in Congress? | they wanted small states to be equal in power to large states |
| How did delegates decide who would be on the committee to write the constitution? | they voted for men from large states & small states and they had to be good at solving problems & working with others |
| What did the large and small states give up under the Great Compromise? | Large states gave up the idea of having more representatives in each house and small states gave up the idea of having a one house of Congress with an equal number of representatives for each state |
| Why did the issue of slavery come up at the Convention? | Southern states wanted to count slaves as part of their population to increase their representation |
| What reason did northern delegates give for arguing that slaves should not be counted? | because they didn't have the same rights as citizens so they should not be represented |
| What did Gouveneur Morris believe? | that everyone had the right to freedom |
| Why did the delegates decide to give Congress two houses, or parts, and to base a state's representation in one house on its population? | to resolve the conflict between states with fewer people & states with more people |
| Why were the delegates careful to keep or preserve the separation of powers in the government? | to prevent one branch from having too much power |
| What are two ways in which Congress can limit the President's power? | 1. override the President's veto AND 2. impeach (remove from office) the President. |
| Why did delegates create a federal court system? | This court would decide cases that involve the whole nation or more than one state. |
| What is one way in which the Supreme Court limits the power of Congress? | if a law passed by Congress is unconstitutional and has to be thrown out. |
| Why did delegates make if difficult to change the Constitution? | If the Constitution were constantly being changed, the government and the nation would lack stability. |
| What did Hamilton and Jefferson disagree about? | They argued about how strong the central government should be. |
| Because Hamilton and Jefferson disagreed, what was the result? | The disagreement formed the first political parties. |
| Why is it necessary for the President to have a Cabinet? | The President needs people to keep him informed and to help him carry out his job. |
| How does the Constitution both empower and limit the federal government? | it gives the federal government certain powers but divides the powers between the 3 branches. |
| To approve an issue or bill, the people need to do this. | ratify it |
| What are two ways in which the legislative branch limits the power of the executive branch? | it can vote to override a presidential veto and refuse to give money for programs. |
| What powers do states have under the Constitution? | The states have powers that the federal government does not have AND build & manage state highways and parks, oversee public schools & state colleges. |
| What part of the Constitution describes the powers that states have? | the 10th Amendment |
| Why are the powers of the states protected? | so the federal government does not become too powerful. |
| What two things do federal, state, and local governments have in common? | They all have elected officials, and they all collect taxes. |
| Why are the powers of government shared across levels? | so the federal government does not become too powerful. |
| What do the first 10 amendments have in common? | They increase the citizens' power to control the government. |
| How do citizens give power to the government? | by voting to elect leaders |
| Why are both rights and responsibilities important? | people have the right to worship, speak freely, be treated fairly, and to read and write what they choose. Responsibilities help ensure that people's rights are protected. |
| What are some responsibilities that citizens in our nation have? | to obey laws, serve on juries, pay taxes, respect the rights of others, vote, volunteer, run for office, register for the military draft. |
| What branch of government enforces the laws? | executive branch |
| To protect the basic rights of the people the delegates insisted on adding what to the Constitution soon after it was ratified? | the first 10 amendments |
| Free speech is granted in which amendment? | The FIRST Amendment |
| Which branch of government has the power to approve the appointments of the Supreme Court justices? | Legislative |
| Which branch of government decides if the laws follow the Constitution? | Judicial |
| Under the first Amendment, what rights are you guaranteed? | the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right of people to assemble. |
| Checks and balances are important because __________. How are checks and balances able to make the federal government make more thoughtful decisions? | A. because it prevents any branch from becoming too powerful and hurting the government or the people B. Each branch is encouraged to make more thoughtful decisions because hey can be checked by the other branches |
