 |
1 | |
By 1786, even defenders of the Articles of Confederation accepted the fact that which of the following needed to be strengthened? |
| | A) | The power to tax. |
| | B) | The executive. |
| | C) | The court system. |
| | D) | The army. |
|
|
2 | |
By the mid-1780s, advocates of a stronger central government included: |
| | A) | military veterans disgruntled by the refusal of Congress to fund their pensions. |
| | B) | American manufacturers upset with the imposition of high national tariffs. |
| | C) | creditors who demanded an inflation of the nation's money supply. |
| | D) | investors who wanted Confederation debts repudiated. |
|
|
3 | |
Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of the men who attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787? |
| | A) | They represented the great property interests. |
| | B) | They were relatively young. |
| | C) | They believed in democracy. |
| | D) | They were well-educated. |
|
|
4 | |
The most significant division in the Constitutional Convention was between: |
| | A) | slave and free states. |
| | B) | large and small states. |
| | C) | eastern and western interests. |
| | D) | agricultural and manufacturing interests. |
|
|
5 | |
James Madison's Virginia Plan proposed: |
| | A) | revision and strengthening of the Articles of Confederation. |
| | B) | larger influence within a new national government for the richer and more populous states. |
| | C) | a unicameral national legislature with equal representation for the states. |
| | D) | a bicameral national legislature with state representatives in both houses chosen by popular vote. |
|
|
6 | |
Historians have long debated whether the Constitution: |
| | A) | represented the triumph of slave states over free states. |
| | B) | represented the interests of an economic elite rather than those of the entire nation. |
| | C) | represented an improvement over the Articles of Confederation. |
| | D) | caused a significant shift in the development of an American nation. |
|
|
7 | |
The most important issue left unaddressed when the Constitutional Convention adjourned was: |
| | A) | the question of counting slaves for representation. |
| | B) | whether to have an executive or not. |
| | C) | the absence of a list of individual rights. |
| | D) | the question of the power of the national government to tax. |
|
|
8 | |
The Constitution's most distinctive feature was its: |
| | A) | separation of "powers" with "checks and balances." |
| | B) | system for the direct election of the executive. |
| | C) | lack of a national judicial system. |
| | D) | single house legislature. |
|
|
9 | |
The Antifederalists did all of the following EXCEPT: |
| | A) | presented themselves as the true protectors of the principles of the Revolution. |
| | B) | feared the potential for despotism in a strong centralized government. |
| | C) | showed a basic faith in human nature and man's ability to wield power justly. |
| | D) | argued that the Constitution represented the rights of the "well born" at the expense of the common people. |
|
|
10 | |
Which of the following was not addressed by the first Congress under the new Constitution? |
| | A) | A Bill of Rights. |
| | B) | A federal court system. |
| | C) | An executive department. |
| | D) | The role of political parties in the election of a president. |
|
|
11 | |
The number of Supreme Court justices was determined by: |
| | A) | Article III of the Constitution. |
| | B) | Congress |
| | C) | the President |
| | D) | a popular vote. |
|
|
12 | |
To prevent an "excess of democracy" and the tyranny of mob rule, the Constitution restricted direct popular election to: |
| | A) | the president. |
| | B) | federal judges. |
| | C) | senators. |
| | D) | representatives. |
|
|
13 | |
Which of the following was NOT a belief of Alexander Hamilton? |
| | A) | The best leaders are those democratically elected. |
| | B) | A stable and effective government required an elite ruling class. |
| | C) | The new government needed the support of the wealthy and powerful. |
| | D) | A permanent national debt was desirable. |
|
|
14 | |
Small farmers, who comprised the majority of the population, opposed Hamilton's plan on the grounds that it: |
| | A) | taxed them excessively |
| | B) | favored a small wealthy elite. |
| | C) | created too many government offices. |
| | D) | put power in the hands of slaveholders. |
| | E) | achieved both a and b. |
| | F) | achieved both c and d. |
|
|
15 | |
President Washington helped stabilize the western frontier by: |
| | A) | putting down the Whiskey Rebellion. |
| | B) | allowing existing states to incorporate additional land claims. |
| | C) | refusing to bargain with Indian resistance leaders. |
| | D) | relieving General "Mad Anthony" Wayne of his command. |
|
|
16 | |
Jefferson and his followers believed the Federalists were creating a political party because they were: |
| | A) | using their offices to reward supporters and in allies. |
| | B) | forming local associations to strengthen their stand in local communities. |
| | C) | working to establish a national network of influence. |
| | D) | doing all of the above. |
|
|
17 | |
The first British minister to the United States arrived how many years after the Revolution ended? |
| | A) | one year |
| | B) | five years |
| | C) | eight years |
| | D) | thirty years |
|
|
18 | |
Which of the following was NOT a belief held by Jefferson and his followers? |
| | A) | The ordinary farmer-citizen could, if properly educated, be trusted to govern through elected representatives. |
| | B) | Urban people posed a danger to a republic, because they could easily become a lawless mob. |
| | C) | The best citizen was one who tilled his own soil. |
| | D) | Commercial activity was a danger to the republic. |
|
|
19 | |
Under the Constitution, the status of the western Indian tribes was: |
| | A) | not clearly defined. |
| | B) | that of independent nations. |
| | C) | that of conquered nations. |
| | D) | the same as states. |
|
|
20 | |
Although the treaty between England and the United States that John Jay negotiated in 1794 fell short of his instructions, it did: |
| | A) | little to improve commercial relations with England. |
| | B) | give America undisputed sovereignty over the entire Northwest. |
| | C) | end the impressment of American soldiers. |
| | D) | indicate that the United States and France were not going to war. |
|
|
21 | |
In the election of 1796: |
| | A) | Thomas Jefferson was the choice of southern Federalists. |
| | B) | the Federalist Party united behind Adams. |
| | C) | George Washington took an active role. |
| | D) | the Federalist Party divided when southern Federalists refused to support Adams. |
|
|
22 | |
Republicans pinned their hopes for a reversal of the Alien and Sedition Acts on the: |
| | A) | Supreme Court. |
| | B) | state legislatures. |
| | C) | House of Representatives. |
| | D) | Army of the United States. |
|
|
23 | |
The Quasi War with France: |
| | A) | was started by American impressments of French sailors. |
| | B) | led to a series of humiliating defeats for the American navy. |
| | C) | led to the XYZ Affair. |
| | D) | allowed the United States to escape its "perpetual alliance" with France. |
|
|
24 | |
Which of the following is NOT true of the campaign and election of 1800? |
| | A) | It was probably the ugliest in American history. |
| | B) | Parties and party organization played an important role. |
| | C) | It underscored problems in the method of electing a president. |
| | D) | It resulted in a clear victory for the winning candidate. |
|
|
25 | |
The Federalists made a last gasp attempt to maintain power by: |
| | A) | repealing the Alien and Sedition Acts. |
| | B) | supporting Aaron Burr for President. |
| | C) | creating new federal courts and judges. |
| | D) | plotting a revolution to prevent the election of Jefferson. |
|