The idea that the people have the right to abolish an abusive and unresponsive government was FIRST formally expressed by Americans in the
Declaration of Independence
The first State constitutions, adopted after independence,
placed most authority with the State legislatures
The government set up by the Articles of Confederation had
only a legislative branch, consisting of a unicameral Congress
During the Critical Period, the States taxed one another's goods and banned some trade. Later, during the Constitutional Convention, this economic chaos led to
the Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise
In Benjamin Franklin's opinion, the final Constitution created by the delegates can best be summarized as
as near perfect as possible
At the Philadelphia Convention, the delegates agreed to
draft a new constitution
Much of the work of the Framers centered around the proposals that had been set out in
the Virginia Plan
Which of the following statements about the inauguration of George Washington as the first U.S. president is NOT true?
It followed Washington's appointment of James Madison as the first Vice President
Which of these State constitutions is the oldest and still in force today?
Massachusetts
Which colony was founded mainly as a place for personal and religious freedom?
Massachusetts
Much of the Declaration of Independence consists of
complaints of the wrongs done to the colonists
Which was an achievement of the Second Continental Congress?
raising an American army
Benjamin Franklin's attitude toward the new constitution may be summarized as a combination of
astonishment and optimism
The Second Continental Congress was similar to the first in the
composition of its members
Delegates met at Mount Vernon and Annapolis to
recommend a federal plan for regulating commerce
Both the Connecticut Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise were crucial to the small States because
without them, the small States would have carried little weight in the new government
Which idea is NOT included in the Declaration of Independence?
God gives certain people the right to govern
The Federalist was written to
win support for the Constitution in New York
Which best describes the event leading to the inauguration of the first President of the United States of America?
The States selected electors who voted to elect the President and Vice President
When crafting the new Constitution, the Framers drew from their experiences with ...
the governments of ancient Greece and Rome. the writings of Rousseau and Locke.their own State governments.