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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. Which delegate opens the Convention's "main business"?

2. In Chapter 10, the delegates vote that senators are chosen by whom?

3. Which state delegation split their vote on July second?

4. What is the significance of May 25th?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What rules do Convention delegates agree upon?

4. Why does Washington call sovereignty a "monster"?

5. What is the relationship between France and America during the period of the Convention?

6. What is Alexander Hamilton's role in the events leading up to the 1787 Convention?

7. What do the delegates see as the difference between a federal and a national government?

8. What does General Washington write about in his letters to people back home in Virginia?

9. What are the "original principles" according to the delegates?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although the Constitution is eventually ratified by all of the states, there is opposition in each state. Write an essay that presents and explains the reasons for opposition to the Constitution presented by the delegates in each of the state conventions. Analyze the validity of their reasoning, placing your analysis in historical context. How do the supporters of the Constitution address these concerns?

Essay Topic 2

Discussions by the Convention delegates reveals clear divisions between the interests of the large states and the interests of the small states. Choose three examples of issues that involve the size of the states. In your essay, describe the issue, the effect the size of a state's population has on the issue, and the ultimate outcome. How does the final Constitution address the conflicting interests between large and small states?

Essay Topic 3

Bowen's book is titled "Miracle at Philadelphia", where the "miracle" is the ultimate appearance of the Constitution itself. However, throughout the book, she provides several examples of smaller miracles, significant decisions that lead to the final drafting of the Constitution. Choose three (3) significant decisions that you consider to be miracles and describe the conflict and the outcome, demonstrating how the resolution of the conflict is a miracle.

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