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You are strictly on your honor to make this a closed-book quiz.
1. Which of the following statements is false?
a. There is no moral theory spelled out in the Constitution, but it is nevertheless based on an underlying moral theory. b. The Founders' use of "auxiliary precautions" is based on the assumption that human virtue could fail. c. The main purpose of a federal structure, as understood by the Framers of the Constitution, was to concentrate sovereignty in a single power (the federal government), thus removing sovereignty from the states. d. The Constitution specifically stated that all laws of Congress would be the supreme law of the land, no matter what any state constitution or state laws should say to the contrary.
2. Which of the following was not a specific part of the Constitution when it was adopted?
a. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. b. The Senate shall have the exclusive power to try impeachments, and when the president of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside. c. If a president should refuse to sign a law of Congress, it will be sent back to the House that originated the law. If two-thirds of that house agrees to pass the law anyway, it will be sent to the other House, and if two-thirds of that house agrees, the bill shall become law. d. One of the purposes of the Constitution was to "promote the general welfare."
3. The specific powers of the Congress of the United States are spelled out in the Constitution in
a. article I, section 8 b. article II, section 9 c. article III, section 2 d. article IV
4. Which of the following would most likely be considered unConstitutional?
a. a law forbidding someone to preach overthrow of the government b. a city or state ordinance allowing a university to appropriate certain property needed for essential public use, provided the owners are given just compensation c. mild restrictions on who can purchase a handgun d. a law forbidding a newspaper to print someone's accusations against a prominent citizen
5. One prominent Virginian presented the Virginia Plan in the Constitutional Convention, refused to sign the Constitution once it had been completed, but then became one of its most avid supporters in the ratification convention in Virginia. Who was he?
a. George Mason b. Edmund Randolph c. James Monroe d. John Marshall
6. The decision in the case of John Peter Zenger a. changed the law on seditious libel in colonial Massachusetts and became an important milestone in the path toward freedom of speech in America b. led directly to the adoption of the Virginia Bill of Rights, which became a forerunner of the American Bill of Rights c. established a precedent for freedom of religion in America d. was, in a sense, a case of jury nullification and was an important step toward freedom of the press in America e. made it illegal in colonial New York for anyone to print scandal about a government official, even if the accusations were true
7. The author discusses three items in the Bill of Rights that he calls the "Great Oughts." By this expression he means that these rights are
a. the rights that "ought" to exist but never will because the law cannot specifically spell them out b. the rights that the scriptures teach us all humans "ought" to have c. in the character of "natural rights" and therefore qualify as "oughts" d. rights he thought "ought" to be in the Bill of Rights but were not put there
8. In the Civil Rights cases of 1883,
a. state laws restricting the rights of blacks were declared unConstitutional b. the Supreme Court declared a federal civil rights law unConstitutional c. the doctrine of "separate but equal" was advanced by the Supreme Court d. general discrimination on the basis of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude" was outlawed
9. The phrase "The Second American Revolution" is a symbolic phrase referring to the
a. writing and adoption of the Constitution b. rise of the Jeffersonian Democrats to power in the election of 1800 c. changes in the Constitution that came about as a result of judicial interpretation d. rise of Jacksonian democracy e. Whiskey Rebellion
10. ". . . nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law." This statement is found in the
a. original Constitution b. Fifth Amendment c. Tenth Amendment d. Fourteenth Amendment e. Fifteenth Amendment
You must write a 1,200 to 2,000-word essay. This essay is not closed book, but any ideas you draw from the text or elsewhere must be expressed in your own words. Please see the statement on plagiarism under "Course Organization" at the beginning of this syllabus.
Choose one of the following questions:
A. Discuss the major principles that were incorporated into the Constitution of the United States, as noted in the objectives for Lesson 6, and tell why each of these principles are important. Include in your discussion an explaination of the term "auxillary precautions." Provide some modern-day examples of some of these principles at work.
or
B. Explain what James Madison meant in Federalist 10 when he discussed factions. Explain why he feared factions and how he expected the Constitution would help control the evils of faction. Then account for the rise of political parties after the Constitution went into effect, emphasizing specific issues as well as differing Constitutional philosophies that helped account for the rise of parties. Also explain how parties are different from factions, and how it was the Madison became one of the important people involved in the rise of parties.
C. Summarize the main ideas and principles involved in Federalist 51, show specifically how they were put into effect in the Constitution, and provide some modern-day examples of how these principles work. What did Madison mean by the term auxiliary precautions?
NOTE: If for any reason you resubmit this assignment, please see the resubmission policy in the "How to Succeed in This Course" section of this course manual.
Essay Instructions: Prepare an answer to one of the questions with your word processor. Save your answer. Now copy the entire answer to your clipboard (Ctrl-C on a windows machine) and paste it into the input box below (Ctrl-V on a windows machine). Submit your assignment.
Number of words: