Download Cons and Early Govt Question Packet

US History 1 Honors/AP Prep
Mr. Mulry
The Constitution and Early U.S. Government
Part 1: Multiple Choice (content)
1.
The United States officially gained its independence with the
(A) Treaty of Westphalia
(B) Treaty of Versailles
(C) Treaty of Ghent
(D) Treaty of Paris
(E) Treaty of Tordesillas
2.
Which of the following is not a legacy of the Articles of Confederation?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
3.
Which state did not attend the 1787 Philadelphia convention?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
4.
states with large populations
states with small populations
states that were mostly agricultural
states in the South
states in the North
Which statement concerning the Virginia Plan is not correct?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
6.
New York
South Carolina
Georgia
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
The New Jersey Plan would most likely be supported by
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
5.
Creation of the Great Seal
Establishment of the reservation system for Native Americans
Creation of the U.S. Treasury
Allowing the statehood of western territories
Establishment of a post office
It was drafted by James Madison.
It was a bicameral body.
Representatives were based on population.
It was a unicameral body.
It gave the legislative branch the power to tax.
At the Constitutional Convention, the Great Compromise referred to
(A) the counting of slave populations in censuses for representation
(B) the ratification of the U.S. Constitution
(C) the agreement of northern and southern states to allow the expansion of slavery in the
South
(D) the creation of the Senate and the House of Representatives
(E) the creation of checks and balances
Page 1 of 18
7.
Which of the following people is referred to as the Father of the Constitution?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
8.
What is judicial review?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
9.
The institution of slavery became officially recognized under the Constitution.
The compromise provided a clear method for amending the Constitution.
The compromise provided a clear method for overriding a presidential veto.
The compromise gave the southern states a clear majority in the House of Representatives.
Which of the following beliefs would not be held by the Antifederalists?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
12.
establish the number of votes needed to approve legislation
appropriate congressional seats
formalize a number of state votes needed to ratify the Constitution
develop a method to amend the Constitution
create a system to override a presidential veto
Which of the following statements best describes the overall impact of the Three-Fifths
Compromise?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
11.
The Supreme Court’s power to strike down laws that are unconstitutional
The requirement that the Senate approve all Supreme Court nominations
The president’s right to appoint judges to the Supreme Court
The establishment of lower federal circuit courts
The process of removing justices from the Supreme Court
The main point of the Three-Fifths Compromise was to
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
10.
James Madison
Benjamin Franklin
Thomas Jefferson
George Washington
John Adams
The Necessary and Proper Clause gave the central government too much power.
The government should be able to hold a standing army in times of peace.
A Bill of Rights was necessary.
The executive branch threatened states’ rights.
Power was best vested in the hands of state governments.
Which of the following framers of the Constitution would most likely view a Bill of Rights as a threat
to individual liberties?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Patrick Henry
George Mason
Samuel Adams
James Monroe
Alexander Hamilton
Page 2 of 18
13.
The powers of the president are outlined in which article of the Constitution?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
14.
Which of the following individuals was not a member of the first presidential cabinet under the
Constitution?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
15.
American merchants
the individual states
the national government
newly discovered gold deposits in the West
foreign investors
Which of the following led directly to an undeclared naval war between the United States and
France?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
18.
judicial review
a federal court system
the Supreme Court
the chief justice
writs of assistance
Alexander Hamilton’s debt plan consolidated the nation’s Revolutionary War debts into one debt to
be paid off by
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
17.
Edmund Randolph
Alexander Hamilton
John Marshall
Thomas Jefferson
Henry Knox
The Judiciary Act of 1789 established
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
16.
Article I
Article II
Article III
Article IV
Article V
Jay’s Treaty
Pinckney’s Treaty
The XYZ Affair
The Whiskey Rebellion
The Treaty of Alliance
Which of the following statements is most accurate concerning the Alien and Sedition Acts?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
The acts were passed by a Republican Congress.
The acts loosened the requirements for U.S. citizenship.
The acts were passed to protect John Adams from his critics.
The acts furthered U.S. citizens’ First Amendment rights.
All of the acts expired in 1800.
Page 3 of 18
19.
Who was the French foreign minister who interfered with the United States’ neutrality in the war
between Britain and France during the French Revolution?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
20.
Which of the following policies or actions would have been the most popular among people living in
the western United States prior to 1812?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
21.
Jay’s Treaty
The Whiskey Rebellion
The Louisiana Purchase
Pinckney’s Treaty
The Adams-Onis Treaty
Which of the following policies was supported by James Madison?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
24.
Poor farmers
Jeffersonian Republicans
People of the northern United States
People of the southern United States
People of the western United States
Which of the following actions did not directly address a territorial concern?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
23.
The Force Bill
Hamilton’s economic program
Pinckney’s Treaty
The Missouri Compromise
The Alien and Sedition Acts
Which group directly profited from the creation of the first national bank?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
22.
Edmond-Charles Genet
Charles Talleyrand
Georges Clemenceau
Ferdinand Maximilian
Maximilian Robespierre
Creation of a national bank
Jay’s Treaty
Passing of the Alien and Sedition Acts
Creation of the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Issuance of government bonds to help pay the domestic debt
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were passed in order to
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
promote an excise tax on whiskey
nullify the power of the federal government
support the Alien and Sedition Acts
call for the absorption of the state debts by the federal government
affirm the power of the federal government
Page 4 of 18
25.
Which of the following groups would most likely support the policies of Alexander Hamilton?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
26.
The Marbury v. Madison decision strengthened the power of the
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
27.
Full assimilation into American society
Abstention from alcohol
Ending land treaties with the U.S. government
Total rejection of white society
Voluntary relocation west of the Mississippi River
Which of the following statements describes a result of the Embargo of 1807?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
30.
House of Representatives
Senate
electoral college
judicial branch
executive branch
Which of the following policies is most associated with the Native American chief Handsome Lake?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
29.
executive branch
judicial branch
legislative branch
legislative and judicial branches
judicial and executive branches
The appointment of John Marshall enabled the Federalists to retain power in which area of
government?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
28.
States that independently paid off their debt from the Revolution
Western farmers
Entrepreneurs in manufacturing
People who harbored strong anti-monarchical sentiments after the revolution
Strict constitutionalists
The embargo stopped the smuggling of goods into the United States.
The embargo was only against the British.
The embargo led to an increase of trade in the southern states.
The embargo was strongly supported by New England.
The embargo benefited northern manufacturing.
Of the following people, who is most associated with the War Hawks prior to the War of 1812?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Charles Sumner
Elbridge Gerry
Henry Clay
Daniel Webster
Thomas Jefferson
Page 5 of 18
31.
Which of the following was not a direct reason for the United States to declare war on Britain in
1812?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
32.
Which group of people would most support the Hartford Convention?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
33.
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Greenville
The Treaty of Ghent
Jay’s Treaty
Pinckney’s Treaty
Which of the following statements does not describe a direct result of the War of 1812?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
36.
New Orleans
Fort McHenry
Thames
Bladensburg
Lake Erie
Which treaty ended the War of 1812?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
35.
New England merchants
Southern plantation owners
Western frontiersmen
Native Americans in the Northwest
Democratic Republicans
“The Star-Spangled Banner” is most associated with which battle location?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
34.
Britain’s support of Native American uprisings
A desire to take Spanish-held lands in North America
British impressments of American sailors
British actions during the XYZ Affair
Election of the War Hawks in 1810
The United States gained further fishing rights along the eastern Canadian coast.
American domestic manufacturing increased.
The border between Canada and the United States was restored to the prewar locations.
British impressments of American ships increased.
The United States gained parts of western Florida.
What was the name of the ship overtaken by slaves during the early 19th century in the Americas?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Leopold
Amistad
Merrimac
Chesapeake
Constitution
Page 6 of 18
37.
Which of the following projects was not part of the transportation revolution prior to the Civil War?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
38.
Which construction project connected New York City to the Great Lakes?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
39.
The number of slaves was gradually decreasing in the South.
All northern states abolished the practice of slavery.
Most slaves worked on cotton plantations.
The federal government did not formally acknowledge the practice of slavery.
The importation of slaves was formally banned.
Which religious group is most associated with the Second Great Awakening?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
42.
Cotton became a staple export crop.
The demand for western lands increased.
Eli Whitney made huge profits.
The demand for slave labor increased.
Greater pressure was exerted on removing Native Americans from the South.
Which of the following best describes the practice of slavery from the end of the American
Revolution to 1793?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
41.
Erie Canal
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Cumberland Road
National Highway
Transcontinental Railroad
Which of the following statements does not describe a result of the cotton gin?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
40.
Erie Canal
Cumberland Road
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Clermont
Transcontinental Railroad
Seventh-Day Adventists
Quakers
Amish
Lutherans
Pentecostals
Which of the following was a goal of Gabriel Prosser’s Rebellion?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Protesting excise taxes placed on whiskey
Voicing disapproval of high tariffs
Opposing government actions deemed unconstitutional
Creating a massive slave uprising in Virginia
Protesting direct taxes imposed by state governments
Page 7 of 18
43.
The main purpose of passing the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution was to
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
correct irregularities in presidential elections
prevent individuals in one state from suing another state in federal courts
allow the federal government to purchase new lands from foreign powers
end the importation of slaves from outside of the nation
outlaw forced labor and involuntary servitude
Part 2: Multiple Choice (primary sources)
Questions 44-46 refer to the excerpt below.
“It is not denied that there are implied as well as express powers, and that the former are as effectually
delegated as the latter.
“It is conceded that implied powers are to be considered as delegated equally with express ones. Then
it follows, that as a power of erecting a corporation [such as a bank] may as well be implied as any other
thing, it may as well be employed as an instrument or means of carrying into execution any of the
specified powers….But one may be erected in relation to the trade with foreign countries, or to the trade
between the states…because it is the province of the federal government to regulate those objects, and
because it is incident to a general sovereign or legislative power to regulate a thing, to employ all the
means which relate to its regulation to the best and greatest advantage.”
-Alexander Hamilton, Constitutionality of the Bank
of the United States, 1791
44.
Hamilton’s constitutional argument was based on which of the following types of powers?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
45.
Which of the following benefited most directly from the bank that Hamilton strongly supported?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
46.
Employed
Expressed
Implied
Regulated
Manufacturers
Farmers
State governments
Slaveowners
Who of the following would be most critical of Hamilton’s position on the bank?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
Henry Knox
Page 8 of 18
Questions 47 and 48 refer to the excerpt below.
“Friends and Fellow Citizens: I should now apprise you of the resolution I have formed to decline being
considered among the number of those out of whom a choice is to be made….
“I have already intimated to you the danger of parties…with particular reference to…geographical
discriminations….
“Let it simply be asked—where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of
religious obligation desert the oaths….
“As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit…avoiding likewise the
accumulation of debt…which unavoidable wars may have occasioned…in mind that toward the payment
of debt there must be…taxes….
“By interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, [we] entangle our peace and prosperity in
the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor, or caprice….It is our true policy to steer clear of
permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.”
-George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796
47.
One of the strong reasons Washington and others warned against political parties was concern
about
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
48.
damages to the national reputation
divisive sectionalism
rights of property owners
unavoidable wars
Which of the following did Washington believe was very important for the United States to avoid?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Excesses of patriotism
Foreign alliances
Raising taxes
Religious obligations
Page 9 of 18
Questions 49-51 refer to the excerpt below.
“Resolved, that the several States composing the United States of America are not united on the principle
of unlimited submission to their general government; but that by compact under the style and title of a
Constitution for the United States and of amendments thereto, they constituted a general government for
specific purposes, delegated to that government certain definite powers, reserving, each State to itself,
the residuary mass of right to their own self-government; and that whensoever the general government
assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force….
“That this would be to surrender the form of government we have chosen, and to live under one
deriving its powers from its own will, and not from our authority; and that the co-States, recurring to their
natural right in cases not made Federal, will concur in declaring these acts void and of no force.”
-Thomas Jefferson (anonomously), Kentucky Resolutions,
November 16, 1798
49.
The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions were issued in reaction to the
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
50.
According to the passage, the final decision on whether a federal law or action was legal should be
made by
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
51.
ratification of the Bill of Rights
passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts
the revelations about the XYZ Affair
the declaration of the Proclamation of Neutrality
Congress
the president
the Supreme Court
each state
Which individual or group among the following would be the strongest supporter of the Kentucky
Resolution?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
John Adams
Democratic-Republicans
Federalists
Alexander Hamilton
Page 10 of 18
Questions 52-54 refer to the excerpt below.
“I am ready to allow, Mr. President, that both Great Britain and France have given us abundant cause for
war….My plan would be, and my first wish is , to prepare for it—to put the country in complete armor—in
the attitude imperiously demanded in a crisis of war, and to which it must be brought before any war can
be effective….I must call on every member of this Senate to pause before he leaps into or crosses the
Rubicon—declaring war is passing the Rubicon in reality.”
-Senator Obadian German of New York, speech in the Senate,
June 1812
52.
Based on the tone of the excerpt, which of the statements below best expresses German’s position
declaring war in June of 1812?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
53.
Who of the following would be most likely to agree with German’s position on the war?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
54.
He opposed going to war because he did not believe the country was prepared for one
He opposed the war because he thought people did not have the right attitude about fighting
He supported going to war immediately against both Great Britain and France
He supported the war to prevent British troops from Canada invading New York and other
northern states
John Calhoun and other politicians from the South
Henry Clay and other politicians from the West
James Madison and other politicians from the executive branch
Merchants from New England
Which of the following is the best support for German’s claim that the United States has “abundant
cause for war”?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
the impressment of U.S. sailors
the controversy over the Louisiana Purchase
the actions by the Barbary pirates
the findings of the Lewis and Clark expedition
Page 11 of 18
Questions 55-57 refer to the excerpt below.
“All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail,
that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law
must protect, and to violate would be oppression.
“We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all
Federalists. If there by any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican
form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated
where reason is left free to combat it….
“Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political; peace,
commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.”
—Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, 1801
55.
According to Jefferson’s address, which of the following should be relied on to protect equal rights
for all people?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
56.
Which person would most strongly disagree with Jefferson’s statement, “We are all Republicans,
we are all Federalists”?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
57.
The majority
Elections
Laws
Religion
John Calhoun
Alexander Hamilton
James Madison
James Monroe
Jefferson’s call to avoid entangling alliances is similar to the advice of
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
John Adams
Aaron Burr
John Marshall
George Washington
Page 12 of 18
Questions 58-59 refer to the excerpt below.
“It is true I am a Shawnee. My forefathers were warriors. Their son is a warrior. From them I take only my
existence; from my tribe I take nothing….[I] come to Governor Harrison to ask him to tear the treaty…but I
would say to him:
“‘Sir, you have liberty to return to your own country.’
“Once, nor until lately, there was no white man on this continent….It then all belonged to red
men….Once a happy race, since made miserable by the white people, who are never contented but
always encroaching. The way, and the only way, to check and to stop this evil, is for all the red men to
unite in claiming a common and equal right in the land….For it never was divided, but belongs to all for
the use of each. For no part has a right to sell.”
-Tecumseh, Letter to Governor William Henry Harrison, August 1810
58.
Tecumseh believed that which of the following would be the best way for the American Indians to
respond to the desire of white settlers for land?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
59.
Signing a treaty with the United States
Joining the British in order to stop westward expansion
Moving westward to lands unoccupied by American Indians
Forming a confederacy among all American Indians
Tecumseh objected to the treaty selling Indian land because he thought
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
the price offered by the United States was too low
American Indians were always encroaching on settlements
the white settlers would divide the land among them
no individual or single tribe had the right to sell the land
Page 13 of 18
Part 3: Short-Answer Questions
Briefly answer the questions in complete sentences. A thesis is not required.
Question 60 is based on the excerpt below.
“Sir, suffer me to recall to your mind that time, in which the arms and tyranny of the British crown
were exerted….
“This, Sir, was a time when you clearly saw into the injustice of a State of slavery…that you
publicly held forth this true and invaluable doctrine….’we hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable
rights….’
“But, Sir, how pitiable is it to reflect, that although you were so fully convinced of the
benevolence of the Father of Mankind, and of his equal and impartial distribution of these rights
and privileges, which he hath conferred upon them, that you should at the same time counteract
his mercies, in detaining by fraud and violence so numerous a part of my brethren, under
groaning captivity, and cruel oppression.”
-Benjamin Banneker, African American scientist and surveyor, letter to
Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, 1792
60.
Using the excerpt, answer a, b, and c.
a) Briefly explain why Banneker questioned Jefferson’s actions on slavery.
b) Briefly explain why ONE of the following people would either support or question
Banneker’s view.
-Ben Franklin
-John Adams
-George Washington
c) Briefly explain how Thomas Jefferson might have responded to Banneker’s
questions about slavery.
Page 14 of 18
61.
Answer a, b, and c.
a) Briefly explain how ONE of the following best supports the statement that “the
United States Constitution is a bundle of comprises.”
Provide at least ONE piece of evidence to support your explanation.
-the office of the presidency
-the system of representation
-the institution of slavery
b) Briefly explain a criticism of ONE of the compromises cited above.
c) Identify and briefly explain the role played by an individual at the Constitutional
Convention in bringing about ONE of the compromises mentioned above or a
compromise not mentioned.
Question 62 is based on the excerpts below.
“The freedom of the press and opinions was never understood to give the right of publishing
falsehoods and slanders, nor of exciting sedition, insurrection, and slaughter, with impunity. A
man is always answerable for the malicious publication of falsehood; and what more does this
bill require?
“Such liberty of the press and of opinion is calculated to destroy all confidence between man
and man; it leads to a dissolution of every bond of union; it cuts asunder every ligament that
unites man to his family, man to his neighbor, man to society and to government. God deliver us
from such liberty.”
-Congressional Representative John Allen, Speech for the Sedition Act,
1798
“Does the situation of the country, at this time require that any law of this kind should pass? Do
there exist such new and alarming symptoms of sedition as render it necessary to adopt, in
addition to the existing laws, any extraordinary measure for the purpose of suppressing unlawful
combinations, and of restricting the freedom of speech and the press? For such were the
objects of the bill, whatever modifications it might receive….
“While, therefore, they support the bill in its present shape, do they not avow that the true
object of the law is to enable one party to oppress the other….Is it not their object to frighten
and suppress all presses which they consider as contrary to their views; to prevent a free
circulation of opinion; to delude and deceive…and through those means, to perpetuate
themselves in power?”
-Congressional Representative Albert Gallatin, Speech Against the
Sedition Act, 1798
Page 15 of 18
62.
Using the excerpts, answer a, b, and c.
a) Briefly explain the main point of the first excerpt.
b) Briefly explain the main point of the second excerpt.
c)
63.
Provide ONE piece of evidence from the era before 1800 that is not included in the
in the excerpt and explain how it supports the interpretation of either excerpt.
Answer a, b, and c.
a) Choose ONE of the choices below, and explain why it best supports this statement:
“America’s first foreign policy under Presidents Washington and Adams had the
primary goal of avoiding war.”
-Citizen Genet controversy
-Jay Treaty
-XYZ Affair
b) Contrast your choice against ONE of the other options, demonstrating why that
option is not as good as your choice.
c) Briefly explain an argument for war involving ONE of the choices provided OR
another situation during this period of the first two presidents.
64.
Answer a, b, and c.
a) Choose ONE of the choices below, and explain why your choice best demonstrates
how Presidents Jefferson and Madison largely relied on economic policies to carry
out their foreign policies.
-Louisiana Purchase
-Embargo Act
-Macon’s Bill No. 2
b) Contrast your choice against ONE of the other options, demonstrating why that
option is not as good as your choice.
c) Provide ONE piece of evidence involving one of the choices provided or another
situation during this period of Presidents Jefferson and Madison that either supports
or contradicts their reliance on economic policies to carry out their foreign policies.
Page 16 of 18
65.
Answer a and b.
a) Briefly explain how ONE of the following either supports or contradicts this
statement: “From the point of view of President Madison, none of the goals for the
War of 1812 had been achieved.” Provide at least ONE piece of evidence to support
your explanation.
-foreign relations
-nationalism
-industry
b) Briefly explain how ONE of the following goals of the United States in the War of
1812 would continue after the war to play a major role in the politics and policies of
the nation.
-impressment of sailors
-American Indian conflicts
-expansion
Question 66 is based on the following excerpts.
“What Mr. Speaker, are we now called on to decide? It is, whether we will resist by force the
attempt, made by that Government [Britain], to subject our maritime rights to the arbitrary and
capricious rule of her will; for my part I am not prepared to say that this country shall submit to
have her commerce interdicted or regulated, by any foreign nation. Sir, I prefer war to
submission….
“The British Government, for many years past they have been in the practice of impressing
our seamen, from merchant vessels; this unjust and lawless invasion of personal liberty, calls
loudly for the interposition of this Government…
“This war…will have its advantages. We shall drive the British from our continent—they will
no longer…[be] intriguing with our Indian neighbors….I am willing to receive the Canadians as
adopted brethren.”
-Felix Grundy, Speech in the House of Representatives
December 1811
“This war of conquest, a war for the acquisition of territory and subjects, is to be a new
commentary on the doctrine that republics are destitute of ambition; that they are addicted to
peace….
“But is war the true remedy? Who will profit by it? Speculators—a few lucky
merchants….Who must suffer by it? The people. It is their blood, their taxes that must flow to
support it.
“Our people will not submit to be taxed for this war of conquest and dominion. The
government of the United States was not calculated to wage offensive war; it was instituted for
the common defense and general welfare; and whosoever should embark it in a war of offense
would put it to a test which it was by no means calculated to endure.”
-John Randolph, Speech in the House of Representatives
December 1811
Page 17 of 18
66.
Using the excerpts, answer a, b, and c.
a) Briefly explain the main point of excerpt 1.
b) Briefly explain the main point of excerpt 2.
c) Provide ONE piece of evidence from the debate over war during this period that is
not included in the excerpts and explain how it supports the interpretation in either
excerpt.
Question 67 is based on the following excerpt.
“And if this court is not authorized to issue a writ of mandamus….It must be because the law is
unconstitutional and therefore absolutely incapable of conferring the authority….
“Certainly, all those who have framed written constitutions contemplate them as forming the
fundamental and paramount law…and consequently…an act of the legislature repugnant to the
constitution is void….
“If, then, the courts are to regard the Constitution, and the Constitution is superior to any
ordinary act of the legislature, the Constitution, and not such ordinary act must govern the case
to which they both apply.
“The judicial power of the United States is extended to all cases arising under the
Constitution….
“Thus, the particular phraseology of the Constitution…confirms and strengthens the
principle…that a law repugnant to the Constitution is void and that courts, as well as other
departments, are bound by that instrument.”
-John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803
67.
Using the excerpt, answer a and b.
a) Briefly explain the significance of Marshall’s opinion presented as Jefferson became
the third president of the United States.
b) Briefly explain how TWO of the following people would either support or question
Marshall’s view.
-William Marbury
-John Adams
-Thomas Jefferson
-Alexander Hamilton
Page 18 of 18