Chapter 9 (9 questions)

The Confederation and the Constitution, 1776–1790

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Question 1

In the new state constitutions written after the Revolution, the most powerful branch of government was

a) The legislative branch.

b) The executive branch.

c) The judicial branch.

d) The military branch.

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Question 2All of the following were true of the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT

a) they were translated into French after the Battle of Saratoga, so as to convince France that America had a genuine government in the making.

b) the Articles were ratified by all thirteen states, immediately after the Franco-American Alliance was signed.

c) a major complaint was that the land-rich states could sell their trans-Allegheny tracts and thus pay off pensions and other debts incurred in the common cause.

d) unanimous approval of the Articles of Confederation, by the thirteen states, was required, and land-starved Maryland stubbornly held out until March 1, 1781.

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Question 3All of the following were true of the Old Northwest EXCEPT the

a) Land Ordinance of 1785’s provision that the acreage of the Old Northwest should be sold to help pay off the national debt.

b) Land Ordinance of 1785’s provision that the sixteenth section of each township was set aside to be sold for the benefit of the public schools.

c) Northwest Ordinance of 1787’s provision that territories ultimately be admitted to the union on a free and equal basis with the original states.

d) Northwest Ordinance of 1787’s provision that slaves already present be given their freedom.

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Question 4All of the following were true of Shays’s Rebellion EXCEPT

a) impoverished backcountry farmers, many Revolutionary War veterans, were losing their farms through mortgage foreclosures and tax delinquencies.

b) led by Revolutionary veteran Captain Daniel Shays, these debtors demanded that the state issue paper money, lighten taxes, and suspend property takeovers.

c) hundreds of angry agitators, again seizing their muskets, attempted to enforce their demands.

d) Shays’s victories in several battles led Massachusetts to call for a stronger federal union to force the changes Shays requested.

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Question 5

All of the following were true of the Virginia Plan EXCEPT

a) it was also known as “the large-state plan.”

b) its essence was that representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress should be based on population.

c) it provided for equal representation in a unicameral Congress by states, regardless of size and population.

d) it was given a sop through the “Great Compromise” by having every tax bill or revenue measure originate in the House, where population counted more heavily.

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Question 6

All of the following were true of the New Jersey Plan EXCEPT

a) it was proposed by future President James Madison.

b) it countered the Virginia Plan with “the small-state plan.”

c) it provided for equal representation in a unicameral Congress by states, regardless of size and population.

d) the weaker states feared that under the Virginia scheme, the stronger states would band together and lord it over the rest.

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Question 7

The Great Compromise

a) saw the big states yield more than the small states.

b) allowed the final adoption of the Virginia Plan.

c) gave larger states representation by population in the House of Representatives and the smaller states equal representation in the Senate.

d) allowed the final adoption of the New Jersey Plan.

9 | 9Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Question 8

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise between

a) big and small states and gave small states three-fifths of the number of Senators as big states.

b) federalists and anti-federalists and gave the federal government three-fifths of legislative power.

c) the Confederation Congress and Daniel Shays’s rebels and gave Revolutionary vets three-fifths of their back pay.

d) total representation and none at all and made a slave count as three-fifths of a person.

9 | 10Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Question 9

The Federalist

a) opposed the stronger federal government.

b) was supported by prominent revolutionaries like Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee.

c) appealed to states’ rights devotees, backcountry dwellers, and one-horse farmers.

d) were essays, which remain the most penetrating commentary ever written on the Constitution.

9 | 11Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Answer 1

In the new state constitutions written after the Revolution, the most powerful branch of government was

a) The legislative branch. (correct)

b) The executive branch.

c) The judicial branch.

d) The military branch.

Hint: See page 176.

9 | 12Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Answer 2

All of the following were true of the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT

a) they were translated into French after the Battle of Saratoga, so as to convince France that America had a genuine government in the making.

b) the Articles were ratified by all thirteen states, immediately after the Franco-American Alliance was signed. (correct)

c) a major complaint was that the land-rich states could sell their trans-Allegheny tracts and thus pay off pensions and other debts incurred in the common cause.

d) unanimous approval of the Articles of Confederation, by the thirteen states, was required, and land-starved Maryland stubbornly held out until March 1, 1781.

Hint: See pages 179–180.

9 | 13Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Answer 3

All of the following were true of the Old Northwest EXCEPT the

a) Land Ordinance of 1785’s provision that the acreage of the Old Northwest should be sold to help pay off the national debt.

b) Land Ordinance of 1785’s provision that the sixteenth section of each township was set aside to be sold for the benefit of the public schools.

c) Northwest Ordinance of 1787’s provision that territories ultimately be admitted to the union on a free and equal basis with the original states.

d) Northwest Ordinance of 1787’s provision that slaves already present be given their freedom. (correct)

Hint: See page 182.

9 | 14Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Answer 4

All of the following were true of Shays’s Rebellion EXCEPT

a) impoverished backcountry farmers, many Revolutionary War veterans, were losing their farms through mortgage foreclosures and tax delinquencies.

b) led by Revolutionary veteran Captain Daniel Shays, these debtors demanded that the state issue paper money, lighten taxes, and suspend property takeovers.

c) hundreds of angry agitators, again seizing their muskets, attempted to enforce their demands.

d) Shays’s victories in several battles led Massachusetts to call for a stronger federal union to force the changes Shays requested. (correct)

Hint: See pages 184–185.

9 | 15Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Answer 5

All of the following were true of the Virginia Plan EXCEPT

a) it was also known as “the large-state plan.”

b) its essence was that representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress should be based on population.

c) it provided for equal representation in a unicameral Congress by states, regardless of size and population. (correct)

d) it was given a sop through the “Great Compromise” by having every tax bill or revenue measure originate in the House, where population counted more heavily.

Hint: See pages 187–188.

9 | 16Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Answer 6

All of the following were true of the New Jersey Plan EXCEPT

a) it was proposed by future President James Madison. (correct)

b) it countered the Virginia Plan with “the small-state plan.”

c) it provided for equal representation in a unicameral Congress by states, regardless of size and population.

d) the weaker states feared that under the Virginia scheme, the stronger states would band together and lord it over the rest.

Hint: See page 188.

9 | 17Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Answer 7

The Great Compromise

a) saw the big states yield more than the small states.

b) allowed the final adoption of the Virginia Plan.

c) gave larger states representation by population in the House of Representatives and the smaller states equal representation in the Senate. (correct)

d) allowed the final adoption of the New Jersey Plan.

Hint: See page 188.

9 | 18Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Answer 8

The three-fifths Compromise was a compromise between

a) big and small states and gave small states three-fifths of the number of Senators as big states.

b) federalists and anti-federalists and gave the federal government three-fifths of legislative power.

c) the Confederation Congress and Daniel Shays’s rebels and gave Revolutionary vets three-fifths of their back pay.

d) total representation and none at all and made a slave count as three-fifths of a person. (correct)

Hint: See page 189.

9 | 19Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Answer 9

The Federalist

a) opposed the stronger federal government.

b) was supported by prominent revolutionaries like Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee.

c) appealed to states’ rights devotees, backcountry dwellers, and one-horse farmers.

d) were essays, which remain the most penetrating commentary ever written on the Constitution. (correct)

Hint: See page 193.