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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. What sound is prevalent in Philadelphia during the Convention?

2. Why does Edmund Randolph oppose a single executive?

3. Why does Patterson of New Jersey ask for time in mid June?

4. At the beginning of the Convention, Governor Morris reads a letter from whom?

5. What is the outcome of the vote over the New Jersey plan?

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 the Sherman Compromise important?

3. What is the difference between the European view of the forest and the American view of the forest?

4. What is New York City like in 1787?

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

6. Why are Patrick Henry and Sam Adams absent from the Convention?

7. Why is there an argument over the issue of a single executive?

8. In Chapter Eight, why does Bowen include an anecdote from Pierce's Reliques?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In a well-crafted essay, compare the proposals for the office of executive (presidency) as outlined in the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, and the final Constitution. What concerns do delegates have regarding this aspect of government? How are their concerns resolved?

Essay Topic 2

Some of the delegates to the Convention are well-known figures from American history. Other delegates, however, are less well-known. Choose three of the delegates listed below and write an essay that presents their contributions to the Convention discussions and the final Constitution.

Examples are:

Rufus King

Elbridge Gerry

Edmund Randolph

Nathaniel Gorham

Pierce Butler

Gouverneur Morris

James Wilson

Essay Topic 3

What does it mean to be an American in 1787? The delegates to the Convention address this question in various ways. Using the final Constitution as your guide, with supplementing evidence drawn from other chapters in Bowen's book, write a well-crafted essay that describes the delegates' understanding and perception of who is an American and what it means to be an American.

(see the answer keys)

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