Questions: Creating the U.S. Constitution: From the Articles of Confederation to the Bill of Rights
4 questions to test your understanding
Score: 0 / 4
Question 1 Multiple Choice
Which was a major weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?
AIt had a president with too much power
BIt could not collect taxes directly
CIt allowed only large states to vote
DIt had a national court system that overruled states
Congress under the Articles could only ask the states for money, and many did not pay. It also had no executive branch and no national courts, and changes to the Articles needed the agreement of every state.
Question 2 True / False
The Great (Connecticut) Compromise created a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with equal representation for each state.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
Large states favored representation by population (the Virginia Plan), and small states favored equal votes (the New Jersey Plan). The compromise gave each side one chamber.
Question 3 Short Answer
What did Anti-Federalists fear about the proposed Constitution, and what did they gain?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: They feared that a strong central government would threaten individual liberties and the power of the states, especially because the Constitution had no bill of rights. Their pressure led to the Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791.
Federalists such as Madison, Hamilton and Jay defended the Constitution in the Federalist Papers. Several state conventions ratified only with the understanding that amendments protecting rights would follow.
Question 4 Multiple Choice
How many state ratifying conventions had to approve the Constitution before it could take effect?
AAll thirteen
BNine
CSeven
DEleven
Article VII required nine of the thirteen states. New Hampshire became the ninth in June 1788, though large states such as Virginia and New York were still needed in practice for the new government to work.