AP USGOPO
O’Conner Ch. 2 Reading Notes
Introduction: The Constitution
1. Give 3 examples of failed Constitutional amendments?
Roots of New American Nation
2. Describe three differences between traditional British society and life in the colonies.
3. Recreate and complete chart.
Date
Act
Description
Colonial Response
Sugar Act
Stamp Act
Quartering Act
Townshend Act
Tea Act
4. What was the impact of Common Sense by Thomas Paine on colonial opinion?
5. How does Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence echo the ideas of John Locke?
The First Attempt at Government: The Articles of Confederation
6. Give two synonyms for the Articles of Confederation?
7. Give 10 problematic weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
8. How did Shay’s rebellion exemplify the weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
The Miracle at Philadelphia: Writing the US Constitution
9. What was the sole purpose of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787? What did
Randolph and Madison propose?
10. Analyze the occupations of the framers on page 41. Were they a fair representation of the
American population?
11. Describe Beard’s take on why the framers created the Constitution they did?
12. What is Wood’s theory on what the framers wanted?
13. Summarize the Virginia Plan.
14. Summarize the New Jersey Plan.
15. How did the Great Compromise rectify the differences between the Virginia Plan and New Jersey
Plan?
16. Describe how slavery was addressed in the US Constitution.
17. What fears were on the minds of the framers as they created the Executive Branch?
18. According to Alexander Hamilton, why was the Electoral College selected as the means of electing
a president?
The US Constitution
19. How did the final edit of the preamble boldly proclaim a change in where the new government
derived its power?
20. What is federalism?
21. How do James Madison’s words on ambition connect to the Constitutions’ principle of the
separation of powers?
22. What are three key features of the separation of powers?
23. Recreate the chart on page 47, selecting what you believe to be the most powerful check each
branch possesses over one another.
24. How did the 17th Amendment change the accountability of a senator?
25. Give 2 examples of how the separation of powers have become what one scholar has called
“separate institution sharing powers”.
26. What are checks and balances?
27. Using Table 2.1 on page 48, Evaluate and compare the Articles of Confederation and the
Constitution using the 8 most important issues to you.
28. Briefly described the Articles of the US Constitution. (I-VII)
29. What is the difference between enumerated and implied powers?
30. What is so special about the final paragraph of Article I, section 8?
31. What are the most important powers given to the President in Article II?
32. Whose job is it to determine what the Constitution actually meant?
33. What is the Full Faith and Credit Clause? Where is it found?
34. Why is the supremacy clause the “linchpin of the entire federal system”?
35. What does ratification mean?
The Drive for Ratification of the US Constitution
36. Describe two fears of those who did not support the Constitution?
37. Using Table 2.2 on page 53, Describe the typical Federalist, Anti-Federalist and their main beliefs.
38. What are the federalist papers? Who wrote them?
39. Summarize the main idea of Federalist No. 10 and Federalist No. 51.
40. What was the purpose of the Bill of Rights? Who wanted these included?
Toward Reform: Methods of Amending the US Constitution
41. Why did the framers want changing the Constitution to be a slow process?
42. Describe the process that is commonly used to propose and ratify amendments to the Constitution.
43. How does judicial interpretation continue to “amend” the Constitution?
44. How does social and cultural change continue to amend the Constitution
45. How does technological change continue to amend the Constitution?
Test Yourself (page 60)
Answer Questions #1-8