The Constitution and Its Origins

Who is considered the most important political thinker to influence American beliefs about government, particularly regarding natural rights to life, liberty, and property?

The promise made by King John in 1215 to his subjects, which included protections for life, liberty, and property, is known as what document?

According to John Locke's political philosophy, what is the 'social contract'?

What was the primary purpose of the Coercive Acts of 1774, passed by the British Parliament?

The Articles of Confederation, which formed the basis of the new nation's first government, created what type of entity?

What was a major weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?

The uprising of Massachusetts farmers led by Daniel Shays, known as Shays' Rebellion, highlighted what specific weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?

The Virginia Plan, presented at the Constitutional Convention, called for what type of legislature?

What did the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, propose for the structure of Congress?

The Three-Fifths Compromise stated that for purposes of Congressional apportionment, slaveholding states could count what?