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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter Five, what situation does Madison feel is "peculiarly embarrassing"?

2. Which delegate elegantly rebuts Paterson's defense of the New Jersey plan?

3. What type of government does Virginia's George Wythe support?

4. Who proposes the compromise on representation?

5. Who is Edmund Randolph?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Washington concerned about the Society of the Cincinnati meeting in Philadelphia at the same time as the Convention?

2. Why is it significant that the Constitution ultimately requires no property qualifications for those who govern the country?

3. What arguments do James Madison present in his rebuttal of the New Jersey plan?

4. What is the Committee of the Whole?

5. What do the delegates to the Convention understand as the meaning of "democracy"?

6. What do the delegates do when the Convention is not in session?

7. What are the terms of Hamilton's plan for a republican government?

8. What does James Wilson mean by his statement that Federal liberty is to states what civil liberty is to individuals?

9. What evidence does Bowen provide to show that the Convention delegates do not intend to reform society, but to create a government for society as it existed?

10. What does the Virginia Resolves propose?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin are all well-known figures in American history. Choose two of these men and write a well-crafted essay that describes their role or roles at the Convention and their impact on the final Constitution. Include a discussion of how each man is viewed by his contemporaries, being careful to support your work with evidence from Bowen's book or contemporary source.

Essay Topic 2

Convention delegates have multiple procedures for ensuring every delegate has a chance to express their ideas, concerns, and opinions. One procedure permits delegates to re-open, re-examine, and re-vote on issues that previously are decided. Choose an issue delegates re-consider after a vote. In a well-crafted essay, present the initial discussion and decision, the reason for re-examination, the second decision, and reasons for a change in the decision, if appropriate. Is the re-consideration prompted by someone who initially expresses a dissenting opinion with the majority vote or is there a change in sentiment by the delegate? Does the re-examination have an impact on the final version of the Constitution? If so, what is it? Include evidence to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the book, Bowen refers to interactions between European countries and the United States. What evidence does she present about past events? What evidence does she show about the contemporary situation? What fears do the delegates express about the relationship - past, present, and future - between the states and Europe? How do the relationships between the United States and England and France shape the final Constitution? In a well-crafted essay, describe the relationships between the United States and European countries, with careful attention to how those relationship influence the final Constitution.

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