. U.S. Government .
People and Government – Chapter 2 (Section 1-4)
Ratified - Approved
Unicameral - Single-chamber Congress that chooses the executive position
Extralegal - Not sanctioned by law
Revenue - The money a government collects from taxes or other sources
Embargo - An agreement prohibiting trade
Anarchy - Political disorder
1. Fill in according to sequence in time and definition:
1. Magna Carta - Great Charter of 1215 stating that monarchy/government is not absolute
2. Petition of Right - in 1628 Parliament severely limited the king’s power
3. English Bill of Rights - from the Glorious revolution in 1688 stated what a ruler could and could not do
2. Which of the following took place only in England? (1 point)
A.
B.
C.
D.
Mayflower Pact
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
House of Burgesses
Petition of Right
3. Although Great Britain originally allowed the American colonies to politically develop on their own, what two
events drastically changed the easy relationship and tightened their control on the colonies? (2 points)
1. The French and Indian War, fought between 1754 and 1763, solidified Britain’s hold on the
continent
2. George III, who became king in 1760, had different ideas about how the colonies should be
governed.
3. The colonies were subject to increased taxes
4. Taxes were passed in Britain without the consent and representation of the American colonies.
4. Name two achievements found in the Articles of Confederation. (1 point)
1. The greatest achievement was the establishment of a fair policy for the development of the
lands west of the Appalachians.
2. A peace treaty with Great Britain
3. Congress also set up the departments of Foreign Affairs, War, Marine, and the Treasury, each
under a single permanent secretary. This development set a precedent for the creation of
cabinet departments under the Constitution of 1787.
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4. To encourage cooperation among the states, the Articles provided that each state give “full faith
and credit” to the legal acts of the other states and treat one another’s citizens without
discrimination.
5. Name three weaknesses found in the Articles of Confederation. (1½ points)
1. Congress did not have the power to levy or collect taxes.
2. Congress did not have the power to regulate trade.
3. Congress could not force anyone to obey the laws it passed or to abide by the Articles of
Confederation. Congress could only advise and request the states to comply.
4. Laws needed the approval of 9 of the 13 states. Usually, delegates from only 9 or 10 states
were in Congress at any time, making it difficult to pass laws.
5. Amending, or changing, the Articles required the consent of all states. In practice it was
impossible to get all the states to agree on amendments.
6. The central government did not have an executive branch.
7. The government had no national court system. Instead, state courts enforced and
interpreted national laws
6. What reasons led to Shays’s Rebellion? (5 points)
Economic troubles. Armed groups of farmers forced several courts to close down to prevent
foreclosures and loss of their farms. They wanted to keep their farms through the depression.
7. Which state refused to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention? Rhode Island
8. How many times does the word “slave” appear in the Constitution?
9. FALSE
0
Patrick Henry was a strong supporter of the Constitution. (½ point)
10. What was so significant with the Great Compromise? (3 points)
1. The compromise suggested that the legislative branch have two parts: (1) a House of
Representatives, with state representation based on population, (2) a Senate, with two
members from each state. State legislatures would elect senators.
The larger states would have an advantage in the House of Representatives, where
representation was to be based on population. The smaller states would be protected in the
Senate, where each state would have equal representation.
2. Three-fifths of the enslaved people were to be counted for both tax purposes and for
representation.
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11. Why did the Anti-Federalists dislike the Constitution? (2 points)
1. The Anti-Federalists criticized the Constitution for having been drafted in secrecy. They
claimed the document was extralegal, not sanctioned by law, since the Convention had been
authorized only to revise the old Articles.
2. The Constitution took important powers from the states.
3. The Anti-Federalists’ strongest argument, however, was that the Constitution lacked a Bill of
Rights. Anti-Federalists warned that without a Bill of Rights, a strong national government
might take away the human rights won in the Revolution.
EXTRA CREDIT
French term meaning “to let alone”: Laissez Faire
List the purposes of Government. (4 points)
1. to maintain social order
2. to provide public services
3. to provide for national security and a common defense
4. to provide for and control the economic system
List and define Economic Theories. (6 points)
1. Capitalism - freedom of choice and individual incentive for workers, investors, consumers, and
business enterprises is emphasized. The government assumes that society will be best served by any
productive economic activity that free individuals choose. This system is usually referred to as free
enterprise. Pure capitalism has five main characteristics: (1) private ownership and control of property
and economic resources; (2) free enterprise; (3) competition among businesses; (4) freedom of choice;
and (5) the possibility of profits.
2. Socialism - the government owns the basic means of production, determines the use of resources,
distributes the products and wages, and provides social services such as education, health care, and
welfare. Socialism has three main goals: (1) the distribution of wealth and economic opportunity equally
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among people; (2) society’s control, through its government, of all major decisions about production;
and (3) public ownership of most land, of factories, and of other means of production.
3. Communism - Karl Marx first called his own ideas “scientific socialism.” He believed that in time,
socialism would develop into full communism. One class would evolve, property would all be held in
common, and there would be no need for government. In Communist nations, government planners
decide how much to produce, what to produce, and how to distribute the goods and services produced.
This system is called a command economy because decisions are made at the upper levels of
government and handed down to managers.
Week 3 of 13
The 2nd quiz towards your midterm
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