Key United States Documents
US History REVIEW
1. Why is the Constitution a flexible, living
document?
14. What does the judicial branch of the US
government do?
2. Who wrote about a government’s
obligations to uphold people’s rights and
how the government should be based on
the consent of the governed? (2 people)
15. What is judicial review?
3. What should happen if the government
does NOT uphold the people’s rights?
4. What was the main problem with the
Article of Confederation?
5. What did the Constitution have to make
sure wouldn’t happen with a strong
national government?
16. Questions about interpreting the
Constitution are decided by which branch
of government?
17. According to the Declaration of
Independence and the US Constitution,
where does government get its power?
18. How long is a US Representative’s term of
office?
19. How long is a US Senator’s term of office?
6. Why did some delegates believe we had
to have a strong national government?
20. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was
important in terms of slavery because:
7. The national government did not have
the right to do what under the Articles of
Confederation?
21. What document did the colonists issue in
1776 when they felt their rights had been
violated?
8. Why was the idea of “checks and
balances” created?
22. The first national government for the
United States was
9. How did Montesquieu influence the
framework of the American government?
23. Define Amend
10. What branch of government did the
Articles of Confederation lack to enforce
its laws?
11. The English Bill of Rights (1689) was the
first document to contain the idea of …… rights that no government can arbitrarily
take away, and that no person can
permanently surrender.
12. What was the common idea created by
Locke and used by Thomas Jefferson?
13. Which founding father is known as the
“Father of the Constitution”?
24. Define Veto
25. Define unconstitutional
26. Define separation of powers
27. Define constitutionalism
28. Define due process
29. Define federalism
30. What powers are delegated totally to the
states by the Constitution?
31. The power to establish and maintain
schools belongs to
Key United States Documents
US History REVIEW
32. The separation of powers into 3 branches
was intended to prevent
33. The creation of the electoral college
shows that many Framers worried that
34. According to the Constitution, who has
the power to declare war?
35. What are the powers granted to
Congress?
36. Define the 10th Amendment
37. What is one way that the US Constitution
protects the rights of individuals by
limiting the government’s power?
38. Which philosopher felt that the social
contract was itself the source of
sovereignty?
39. How did John Locke’s philosophies have
a direct bearing on the Declaration of
Independence?
40. When using the phrase “all men are
created equal,” the writers of the
Declaration of Independence were saying
who was equal?
41. How many senators does each state
have?
42. Define popular sovereignty.
43. Explain how each branch checks the other
2 branches.
44. What is the Northwest Ordinance?
45. The Bill of Rights can be found where?
46. Which Enlightenment philosopher
basically wrote the Declaration of
Independence (with his ideas)?
47. What 3 early civilizations/cultures
contributed to the creation of the US
Constitution? (think ancient)
48. SHORT ANSWER: 2 POINTS
What evidence is contained in the
Constitution to indicate that the Framers
were distrustful of democracy? (Give 2
specific examples)
49. SHORT ANSWER: 2 POINTS
List 2 examples of how checks and
balances work in the Federal
Government.