Download Name Period _____ Directed Reading 2C 60 Points Answer the

Name __________________________
Period _____
Directed Reading 2C
60 Points
Answer the following questions in complete sentences, except where you can fill in the
blanks, by reading pages 207-213 in The American Journey. (A New Plan of Government)
1. Although a _______________ American document, the Constitution has roots in many
other civilizations. Delegates had studied the history of politics—starting with ancient
_______________—so they could avoid the mistakes of the past.
2. _______________ ideas and institutions particularly influenced the delegates. Framers of the
Constitution got many ideas on the nature of people and ____________________ from
European writers of the Enlightenment, a movement that promoted knowledge,
_______________, and science as the means to improve society.
3. _________________________, an English philosopher, believed all people had natural
rights. These natural rights included _______________, liberty, and _______________.
His famous 1690 book was Two Treatises of ______________________________.
4. The French writer Baron de Montesquieu declared that the powers of government
should be separated and _______________ against each other. Why? What was
Montesquieu’s famous 1748 book?
5. _______________, or sharing power between the national and state governments, is one
of the distinctive features of the United States government.
6. Under the Constitution, the federal (national) government gained broad powers to tax,
regulate trade, control the _______________, raise an army, and
____________________. It could also pass laws that were “_______________ and
proper” for carrying out its responsibilities.
7. However, the Constitution gave states the power to pass and enforce laws and regulate
trade ______________________________. States could also establish local
governments, _______________, and other institutions affecting the _______________
of their citizens.
8. Under the Constitution, both federal and state governments had the power to
__________ and to build _______________.
9. The Constitution and the laws that Congress passed were to be “the
____________________ of the land.” No state could make laws or take actions that
went against the Constitution. Any dispute between the federal government and the
states was to be settled by the _______________ courts.
10. _______________ of the Constitution establishes Congress, the _______________
branch, or lawmaking branch. What are the powers of Congress?
11. Article II of the Constitution established the executive branch, headed by the president,
to carry out the nation’s laws and policies. The president serves as _________________
in chief of the armed forces and conducts relations with _________________________.
12. The president and vice president are elected by the _________________________.
Each state has as many members of this group as it has _______________ and
____________________ in Congress.
13. The president and vice president serve a __________ (#)-year term.
14. _______________ of the Constitution deals with the _______________ branch of the
United States. The _______________ Court and the federal courts hear cases involving
the Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and disputes between _______________.
15. The Framers built in a system of _______________ and _______________ so that no
single branch can dominate the government.
16. Both the _______________ and the _______________ must pass a bill for it to
become law. The _______________ can veto (reject) the bill. To override a veto,
____________________ (fraction) of the members of both houses of Congress must
vote for the bill.
17. The _______________ appoints Supreme Court justices, and the _______________
must approve the appointments. Over time, the Court became a check on Congress and
the president by ruling on the ____________________ of laws and presidential acts.
18. The government created by the Constitution pledged to protect the personal
_______________ of its citizens. Americans showed that it was possible for a people to
change its form of government through _______________ and choice—rather than
through chaos, force, or __________.
19. Supporters of the Constitution were called ____________________. Better organized
than their opponents, they enjoyed the support of two of the most respected men in
America—___________________________ and _____________________________.
20. What three gifted political thinkers teamed up to write a series of essays explaining and
defending the Constitution? What were these essays called?
21. _________________________ described these essays as “the best commentary on the
principles of government which was ever written.”
22. Those who opposed ratification of the Constitution were called ___________________.
23. The opponents’ main argument was that the Constitution would take away the
_______________ Americans had fought to win from Great Britain.
24. Opponents felt the Constitution would create a strong central government, ignore the
will of the _______________ and the people, and favor the _______________ few over
the common people. What was the strongest criticism of the Constitution?
25. Federalists feared ____________________ without a strong central government. They
believed that more ____________________ like Shays’s Rebellion would occur. They
looked to the Constitution to create a national government capable of maintaining order.
26. Antifederalists feared ____________________ more than ____________________.
They worried about the _________________________ of power that would result from
a strong national government.
27. On _________________________ (date), Delaware became the first state to approve
the Constitution. On June 21, 1788, the ninth state— _________________________—
ratified it. In theory that meant the new government could go into effect. However,
without the support of the two largest states—____________________ and
____________________—the future of the government was not promising.
28. _______________ ratified the Constitution at the end of June 1788 after being assured
that the Constitution would include a bill of rights ____________________.
29. In July 1788, __________________ finally ratified the Constitution by a narrow margin.
North Carolina ratified in November 1789. _______________________ ratified in May
1790. The Bill of Rights would be added in __________ (year).