Topic 2 US Govermnt Past Paper PDF

Topic 2 Questions Determine Author\'s Purpose Why did the barons write the Magna Carta, and how did it affect the power of the king? The barons wanted to protect themselves from heavy-handed and arbitrary acts by the king. This\ helped establish the notion of limited government that influenced the...

Topic 2 Questions Determine Author\'s Purpose Why did the barons write the Magna Carta, and how did it affect the power of the king? The barons wanted to protect themselves from heavy-handed and arbitrary acts by the king. This\ helped establish the notion of limited government that influenced the colonists as they formed early governments in North America. Cite Evidence How did the English Bill of Rights expand the rights of common Englishmen? Cite specific examples from the text to support your answer. The Petition of Right challenged the divine right of kings by establishing that the king may not punish citizens without trial by peers, declare martial law in peacetime, require homeowners to house troops without their consent, or impose taxes without an act of Parliament. All these ideas implied that the king had not been chosen by God to rule, was not all powerful, and should have limits placed on his power. Determine Central Ideas How did the English Bill of Rights make Parliament more powerful?\ Provide specific examples from the text in your\ response The concept of representative government was reflected in the lower house of the bicameral legislatures of the royal colonies, whose members were elected by qualified property owners. The upper house, however, was put in place by the king. It had not only lawmaking, but also judicial powers. In addition, the governor was appointed by the king, not elected by the people. **Cite Evidence How did the English Bill of Rights expand the rights of common Englishmen? Cite specific examples from the text to support your answer.** Common people benefited by the English Bill of Rights in legal matters. For example, bail should not be unnecessarily high, nor should legal fines. The bill outlaws cruel and unusual punishments. Also, people serving on juries should not be forced into service for excessively long periods of time. **Determine Central Ideas How did the English Bill of Rights make Parliament more powerful? Provide specific examples from the text in your response.** Many of the rights laid out by the document concern the granting of powers to Parliament, especially those that previously the monarch held exclusively. For example, the monarch was required to obtain parliamentary consent before taxing people, raising an army during times of peace, and enacting any law. **Analyze Information How did \"taxation without representation\" conflict with John Locke\'s social contract idea of government?** Locke believed that people have natural rights simply because they are human, not because kings or governments have granted those rights. Parliament did not have authority to tax colonists because it was not acting with the consent of the governed. **Identify Central Ideas Who was Thomas Jefferson, and what was his contribution toward the development of the United States government?** Thomas Jefferson was a Virginia lawyer who was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He served on the committee charged with drafting a proclamation of independence and wrote the Declaration of Independence, which announced the creation of a new nation and set out its founding principles **Make Generalizations How did the government structure set up under the Articles of Confederation reflect the ideas and experiences of the English colonists who had so recently been embroiled in a fight for independence?** The Articles of Confederation specified a loose association of independent States and a Federal Government with very limited powers. Each State retained every power, jurisdiction, and right not specifically given to Congress. This was a reflection of the colonists' experiences with the heavy-handed laws and taxes of Parliament and the Crown. They were determined to avoid putting too much power in the hands of a central government. In addition, the Articles created a unicameral Congress made up of delegates representing the people of each State, which reflected the colonists' desire for a representative government. **Infer Why did Congress refrain from including the power to tax in the Articles of Confederation?** Congress refrained from including the power to tax in the Articles to reflect its great disdain of how Great Britain abused its power to tax the colonies. **Identify Cause and Effect In what ways was Shays\' Rebellion a result of weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation?** The Articles of Confederation did not give the government power to regulate interstate trade, enforce federal laws, or control States' printing of money. As a result, prices soared, sound credit vanished, and debts went unpaid. These chaotic economic conditions led to violent protests, including Shays' Rebellion. **Generalize In what way did the principles of Enlightenment thinkers John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and William Blackstone influence the American founding documents?** These philosophers' writings inspired the delegates as they framed the new government. For example, because of the philosophers, the delegates believed that the government should exist only by the consent of the governed. They also believed in natural rights, the social contract, separation of powers, and checks and balance. **Determine Relevance What was the Connecticut Compromise, and why was it so important to the future of the new government?** The Connecticut Compromise resolved the question of representation in Congress. The compromise allowed for two houses of Congress that provided for equal representation as well as representation based on population. Had the States not been able to work out a compromise on this issue, the entire meeting might have fallen apart. **Summarize In what ways did George Mason influence the U.S. Constitution?** Although he was involved in the creation of the U.S. Constitution, George Mason refused to support its ratification. His criticism of the document's lack of focus on citizens' rights was influential in the creation of the Bill of Rights. **1. What guarantees and protections did the Magna Carta provide?** It guaranteed the rights of trial by jury and due process. **2. What is a representative government?** A government that serves the will of the people, in which the people have a voice in deciding what the government should and should not do. **3. How did royal colonies and proprietary colonies differ?** In royal colonies, the king named the governor while in proprietary colonies the proprietor did so. **4. What is the principle of popular sovereignty?** The idea that the people are the only source of governmental authority. **5. Compare and contrast the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan.** The Virginia Plan called for a new form of government, while the New Jersey Plan consisted of Amending the Articles of Confederation. The Virginia Plan assigned representation in Congress based on a state's population or what it paid in taxes, while the New Jersey plan gave each state equal representation. **6. What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?** The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement made by the Framers saying that, for purposes of representation and taxation, three-fifths of all other people, meaning enslaved people. **7. How did the social contract theory influence Thomas Jefferson\'s writing of the Declaration of Independence?** Jefferson incorporated into the Declaration of Independence the idea that government is formed by people to protect natural rights and can be changed if it fails to do so. **8. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?** Articles of Confederation left the National Government too weak to deal with the new nation's problems, including economic chaos and rebellion.