AMSCO: Ch.

1 Reading Guide
Answer the following questions as you read Ch. 1 completely.
Do not skim for answers.
Please be sure to answer the questions in a DIFFERENT COLOR FONT!!!
Key Concepts for Ch. 1:
· Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the Constitution
· Separation of powers
· Checks and balances
· Federalism
· Theories of democratic government
Essential Question:
· What historical and philosophical influences shaped the United States system of
government?

1. What government did the US first operate under?

The US first operated under a confederation government.

2. What did the Constitution define?

The Constitution defines governing principles, national offices, functions, and limitation.
The three branches of government (the legislative, executive, and judicial branches)
were constructed from the constitution.

3. What is federalism?
A system of government that divides the power between the national and state
governments.

4. What do states have jurisdiction over?

The states have jurisdiction over schools, marriages, and divorces, criminal law
enforcement, wills, deeds, motor-vehicle law, and several other aspects of life.
5. Who inspired the leaders of the 13 colonies?
The enlightenment philosophers had the most effect on the leaders of the 13 colonies.

6. What is the social contract?

The social contract is an agreement that the people and government have power. The
people shouldn’t have to give up their natural rights in order to oblige to the government.

7. What Enlightenment idea did John Locke contribute to our government?

John Locke’s enlightenment idea was that the people have natural laws that made every
person born free and equal.

8. What is natural law and how did Locke argue for this philosophy?
Natural law means people have the right to life, liberty, and property. Locke said that
nobody has to obey any person in power without approval.

9. What Enlightenment idea did Jean-Jacques Rousseau contribute to our

government? Describe that idea.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau introduced the idea of the Social Contract. The Social Contract
states that the government and the people should work together instead of the people
blindly following the government.

10. What Enlightenment idea did Montesquieu contribute to our government?

Baron de Montesquieu established the concept of separation of powers. A separation of
powers consists of a legislative, executive, and judicial branch.

11. Read FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS: Declaration of Independence excerpt.

What Enlightenment ideas did Jefferson include in the Declaration of Independence?
Jefferson based his unalienable rights based off of Locke’s ideas of the three natural
rights, life, liberty, and property (which was changed to pursuit of happiness). He also
uses Rousseau’s idea of having a social contract by saying “governments are instituted
among men, deriving their powers from consent of the governed,” which means that the
government gets its power from the people who have consented to give it to them.

12. What type of representation system was created during the Continental Congress
and Articles of Confederation?
Each state had equal representation in Congress with one vote per state.

13. Read FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS: The Articles of Confederation excerpt.

What powers were given to the states?
The states were all able to have one vote in congress. They have the right to be
recognized for their records, acts, and judicial proceedings of courts and magistrates.

14. What types of democracy (that you just read about earlier in the chapter) did the
Articles of Confederation create?
15. What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation are that the congress couldn’t tax
people directly, the national government could not raise or maintain an army, there was
no national court system or national currency, the Congress encouraged but could not
regulate commerce among states, and that at least nine states must agree in order to
enact national law and the vote must be unanimous between the states in order to
amend the system of government proved daunting.

16. What event led to the Constitutional Convention? What year was the Convention?
The Constitutional Convention was held after Daniel Shays lead a rebellion against the
government demanding for them to print more money, lighten taxes, and suspend
mortgages.

17. Who is nicknamed the “Father of the Constitution?”

James Madison is the Father of the Constitution.

18. What other famous delegates attended the Constitutional Convention?

George Washington,Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin also attended the
Constitutional Convention.

19. Describe the Virginia Plan. Who was it written by, what did it create, etc.?
James Madison and Edmund Randolph worked on the Virginia Plan. The Virginia Plan
created a three-branch system of government defined by 15 resolves and it called for a
two-house legislature. It offered the ideas for a multitiered court system and a separation
of powers. It created a blueprint for the Constitution.

20. Describe the New Jersey Plan. Who was it written by, what did it create, etc.? How
was it different than the Virginia Plan?
The New Jersey Plan, written by William Paterson, assured that states would remain
sovereign, the national legislature would have only limited and defined powers, and it
included no provision for the national courts. It is different from the Virginia Plan in how
representation would be apportioned and whether or not the new government would be
“federal” or “national”.

21. What was proposed in the Great Compromise?

Roger Sherman was able to satisfy both sides of the citizens wants by proposing the
idea of the House of Representatives that was given seats based on state
population/size. He also proposed the idea of a Senate in which each state would have
two elected senators, regardless of size/population.
22. What was the Three-Fifths Compromise and how did it affect representation?
Since delegates from non slave states questioned the population issue with slaves,
Roger Sherman and James Wilson came to a compromise of only counting three out of
every five slaves in every state to determine representation in the House of
Representatives.

23. List each Article of the Constitution and briefly explain what it is about.
Article I The Legislative Branch: The Legislative branch is responsible for creating laws
for the nation.
Article II The Executive Branch: The Executive branch consists of the President and his
roles as commander in chief and head of state. The president’s role was inevitable
despite the hesitation of having a one person “ruler”.
Article II The Judiciary Branch: The Judicial Branch consists of judges and both supreme
and inferior courts. They are to serve in their position for life. The president is
responsible for appointing justices, judges, and approving the senate.
Article IV Relations Among States: The relation among states requires the states to be
open about their laws and encourages states to respect one another’s laws.
Article V Amendment Process: There are two different ways to propose and ratify
amendments. Two-thirds of each house or two-thirds of state legislatures must agree to
proposing a new amendmentamendment. In order to ratify an amendment, three-fourths
of the state legislatures must agree to it or three-fourths of state conventions.
Article VI National Supremacy: National Supremacy makes sure that everyone follows
the law and makes sure the nation unitedunited under a stronger national policy.
Article VII Ratification Process:The ratification process declares the constitution would go
into effect when the ninth state convention approved it. The ratification process made
sure the constitution would go into effect after the ninth state convention approved it.

24. What are The Federalists Papers? Who wrote them? How many essays are there
total?
The Federalist Papers are a series of essays written by James Madison to persuade
people to see that this new idea of having a constitution will be good and beneficial.
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison all contributed to the 85 essays.

25. Summarize the main idea (thesis/claim/argument) in Federalist #10.

Federalist #10 had been put into place to reassure the people that the government has
been set up in a way so that if there were to be trouble caused by factions, the
government has ways to stall and limit the effects of them.
26. Summarize the main idea (thesis/claim/argument) in Federalist #51.
The separate branches of government all have completely different jobs and things to
worry about. In order to stray away from the past mistakes with the Articles of
Confederation, the government was enabled in order to control the people.

27. What did the Anti-Federalists believe about the proposed Constitution?
The Anti-Federalists were afraid of going back to being under a monarchy/ruler type of
situation that they were trying to avoid in the first place.

27. Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution in 1791?
The people thought it was necessary to secure the liberties earned through the
revolution.

28. List the rights protected in the Bill of Rights. Be thorough!

· Amendment 1: Freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and protest
· Amendment 2: Right to bear arms
· Amendment 3: No quartering of troops
· Amendment 4: No unreasonable searches or seizures
· Amendment 5: Indictment, no double jeopardy, protection against self-
incrimination, due process
· Amendment 6: Speedy, public trial by jury of peers; cross-examination; right to
defense counsel
· Amendment 7: Lawsuits and juries
· Amendment 8: No cruel or unusual punishments, no excessive fines
· Amendment 9: Listing rights in the Constitution doesn’t deny others
· Amendment 10: Delegated and reserved powers

29. How did the Framers promote popular sovereignty?

The people remained sovereign by being able to vote for House representatives every
two years.

30. What is the separation of powers? What does it look like in the United States?
A separation of powers is an operation that distributes the power of a single government
among groups. In the United States, we have three branches, the Executive branch, the
Legislative branch, and the Judicial branch. Though each branch has a different job and
responsibilities, they are all able to establish law and policy.

31. Give three examples of checks and balances from the chapter.
1. The president vetoing a bill.
2. Congress reversing the president’s veto with a two-thirds override.
3. The House of Representatives may impeach the president, federal judge, or
another official of wrongdoing.

32. DEFINE ALL OF THE KEY TERMS AND NAMES ON THE LAST PAGE (PG 35)
OF THE CHAPTER.
Advice and Consent- Formal approval
Anti-Federalists- Opponents of the Constitution
Articles of Confederation- A series of statements that defined the initial national
government and redefined the former colonies as states.
Bicameral- Two houses
Bill of Rights- The list of concerns that were written into amendments. It was modeled off
of George Mason’s Virginia Bill of Rights.
Checks and Balances- The limiting powers each branch can use on the others
Commerce Clause- Empowers the Congress to “regulate commerce with other nations,
among the several states.”
Declaration of Independence- A document that summarizes the colonists’ views. It
served as a way to justify their independence from Britain.
Electoral College- The people would vote for electors and those electors would vote for
the people.
Elite Democracy- The people elect representatives to make decisions and act as
trustees for the people who elected them.
Enumerated Powers- The powers that have been given to the Congress according to the
Constitution. These include the powers to tax, borrow money, raise an army, create a
postal system, address piracy on the seas, and define the immigration and naturalization
process and a few others.
Extradition- States were expected to return fugitives to states where they had committed
crimes and runaway slaves to states they fled.
Federalist Papers- The 85 essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and
John Jay that was supposed to support the idea of the new government and persuading
people to believe that this will benefit them.
Federalism-The balance of power among a central, national authority, and state or
regional authorities and assures a limited government.
Federalists- The people that support having a strong central government that the states
revolve around
Full of Faith and Credit Clause- Requires states to be open about their laws and
encourages states to respect one another’s laws.
Grand Committee- One delegate from each state represented their state at the
convention for equal representation.
Great Compromise- Roger Sherman proposed creating a two house Congress that was
made up of a House of Representatives and a Senate.
House of Representatives- The seats are filled according to state population/size; 435
seats.
Impeachment- An accusation or indictment of wrongdoing
James Madison- A Virginia lawyer, dubbed the Father of the Constitution, that kept
records of the Convention, created the plan for the new government, and supported it
during the ratification process. He is also the 4th president of the USA.
Judicial Review- Courts can deem an act of the legislature unconstitutional when
deciding on a case
National Supremacy- The actions of the national government is what will prevail;
Natural Law- Life, liberty, and property. John Locke believed these are the laws of God
and that this law is acknowledged through human sense and reason.
Necessary and Proper (elastic) Clause- The Congress shall have power to make all laws
which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers
New Jersey Plan- William Paterson’s idea kept the states sovereign and the national
legislature would have limited and defined powers.
Participatory Democracy- The people have more power, they are able to directly vote for
laws instead of voting for representatives.
Pluralist Democracy-
Pocket Veto- The president’s refusal to sign a bill by the end of the legislative session
Popular Sovereignty- The people as the ultimate ruling authority
Preamble- The beginning of the constitution
Representative Republic- A collection of sovereign states gathered for the national
interest, national needs, and national defense.
Republicanism- The ideology that allows the people to elect a representative that is a
spokesperson for the wants of everyone, not only a few people.
Reserved Powers- Powers of the Congress that is not written in the Constitution
Senate- Each state gets two representatives, regardless of size; 100 seats.
Separation of Powers- The principle where powers and responsibilities are distributed
among the branches of government, preventing one group to hold too much power.
Social Contract- The government and the people working together
Supremacy Clause- Article VI establishes the Constitution and the laws of the USA as
the supreme law of the land
Three-Fifths Compromise- For every five slaves, three of them counted as a population
count. This was used in slave states to determine the representation in the House.
Two-Thirds Override- Each house in Congress having a majority two-thirds vote to
reverse a presidential veto.
USA PATRIOT Act- Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools
Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.
Veto- Rejecting a bill
Virginia Plan- Introduced by Edmund Randolph and written by James Madison, the three
branch system of government defined by 15 resolves. It made the national government
supreme over the states and offered idea for a separation of powers.