Exam (elaborations)
US CONSTITUTION QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS 2025/2026
- Course
- Institution
US CONSTITUTION QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS 2025/2026
[Show more]
Content preview
US CONSTITUTION1. Articles of Confederation - ANS-On June 12, 1776, a day after appointing a
committee to prepare a draft of the Declaration of Independence, the Second
Continental Congress resolved to appoint a committee of 13 to prepare a draft of a
constitution for a union of the states. The committee met repeatedly, and chairman
John Dickinson presented their results to the Congress on July 12, 1776. There were
long debates on such issues as sovereignty, the exact powers to be given the
confederate government, whether to have a judiciary, and voting procedures.[7] The
final draft of the Articles was prepared in the summer of 1777 and the Second
Continental Congress approved them for ratification by the individual states on
November 15, 1777, after a year of debate.[8] In practice, the Articles were in use
beginning in 1777; the final draft of the Articles served as the de facto system of
government used by the Congress ("the United States in Congress assembled") until
it became de jure by final ratification on March 1, 1781; at which point Congress
became the Congress of the Confederation. Under the Articles, the states retained
sovereignty over all governmental functions not specifically relinquished to the
national government. The individual articles set the rules for current and future
operations of the United States government. It was made capable of making war and
peace, negotiating diplomatic and commercial agreements with foreign countries,
and deciding disputes between the states, including their additional and contested
western territories. Article XIII stipulated that "their provisions shall be inviolably
observed by every state" and "the Union shall be perpetual".
2. Committee of Postponed Parts - ANS-With this, the Convention has concluded its
discussion of the Committee of Detail Report. To deal with those questions still
outstanding, a new committee was formed will consisting of one delegate from each
state. This group entitled "The Committee on Unfinished Parts," would become
known as the Brearly Committee after its New Jersey representative, and would deal
with those issues that had been postponed. These would include Congress's power
to spend for the general welfare, creation of the Electoral College method of electing
the President, and the President's role in treaty-making and in appointment of
officers.
3. The Committee of Detail Report of August 6, summarized where the delegates stood.
On August 24, the delegates turned to the Presidential article and defeated four
different modes of electing the President. In the end, the Convention selected
members of the Brearly Committee whose objective was to settle outstanding issues.
The chief of these was the Presidential clause. On September 4, the Brearly
Committee recommended that the Convention support the Electoral College method
of choosing a president. On September 6 and 7, the delegates agreed to a four-year
renewable term for the President and that he be a natural born citizen. On
September 8, the delegates settled the treaty making power and agreed on the
impeachment of the President for "high crimes and misdemeanours." Finally, on
September 15, the delegates added "the inferior officers clause."
4.
, 5. To summarize, the Brearly Committee, composed of Gilman, King, Sherman, Brearly,
G. Morris, Dickinson, Carroll, Madison, Williamson, Butler, and Baldwin—a veritable
cross-section of the delegates—proposed the adoption of an Electoral College in
which both the people and the States are represented in the election of the
President. This resolution of the difficult ma
6. Committee of Style - ANS-By Saturday, September 8, 1787, the work of the
Convention was almost at an end. The delegates appointed a committee consisting
of William Samuel Johnson of Connecticut as chairman; Alexander Hamilton of New
York; Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania; James Madison of Virginia; and Rufus
King of Massachusetts "to revise the style of, and arrange, the articles which have
been agreed to by the House." Johnson presented a digest of the finished
Constitution on September 12, and the Convention ordered copies printed and
distributed to the delegates. The delegates made few changes in the Committee of
Style report. Motions were made to preface the Constitution with a Bill of Rights and
to protect the freedom of the press, but both were defeated when put to a vote.
According to Roger Sherman of Connecticut, both proposals were unnecessary
because the individual state declarations of rights were still in effect. The Federal
Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, by thirty-nine delegates attending
the Convention. It was then sent to the states for ratification. This copy belonged to
James Madison.
7. Compromises of the Const. Convention - ANS-"REPRESENTATION" remained the
core issue for the Philadelphia Convention. What was the best way for authority to be
delegated from the people and the states to a strengthened central government?
8.
9. After still more deeply divided argument, a proposal put forward by delegates from
Connecticut (a small population state ), struck a compromise that narrowly got
approved. They suggested that representatives in each house of the proposed
bicameral legislature be selected through different means. The UPPER HOUSE (or
SENATE) would reflect the importance of state sovereignty by including two people
from each state regardless of size. Meanwhile, the LOWER HOUSE (the HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES) would have different numbers of representatives from each
state determined by population. Representation would be adjusted every ten years
through a federal census that counted every person in the country.
10.
11. By coming up with a mixed solution that balanced state sovereignty and popular
sovereignty tied to actual population, the Constitution was forged through what is
known as the CONNECTICUT COMPROMISE. In many respects this compromise
reflected a victory for small states, but compared with their dominance in the
Congress under the Articles of Confederation it is clear that negotiation produced
something that both small and large states wanted.
12.
13. Other major issues still needed to be resolved, however, and, once again,
compromise was required on all sides. One of the major issues concerned elections
themselves. Who would be allowed to vote? The different state constitutions had
created different rules about how much property was required for white men to vote.
The delegates needed to figure out a solution that could satisfy people with many
different ideas about who could have the franchise (that is, who could be a voter).
14.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller AllLegit. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $13.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
75632 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now