Q 01/05

In which city did the Constitutional Convention meet in 1787?

A) New York

B) Charleston

C) Philadelphia

D) Baltimore

Answer · why

C) Philadelphia

Philadelphia's convention voted to keep its debates secret, and delegates kept the windows shut despite the sweltering summer heat.

Q 02/05

Who presided over the 1787 Constitutional Convention?

A) John Adams

B) George Washington

C) James Monroe

D) Andrew Jackson

Answer · why

B) George Washington

George Washington joined the debates only once, on the final day, successfully urging one House seat per 30,000 inhabitants instead of 40,000.

Q 03/05

Which delegate, at 81, was the oldest to sign the Constitution?

A) Benjamin Franklin

B) Roger Sherman

C) George Mason

D) John Dickinson

Answer · why

A) Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin backed the document despite his own doubts, and 39 of the convention's 55 delegates went on to sign it.

Q 04/05

Which state refused to send any delegates to the Constitutional Convention?

A) Rhode Island

B) North Carolina

C) Georgia

D) Maryland

Answer · why

A) Rhode Island

Rhode Island boycotted the convention and held out until May 1790, ratifying only after threats to tax its exports as if it were a foreign country.

Q 05/05

What document did the Constitution replace as the nation's frame of government on March 4, 1789?

A) The Treaty of Paris

B) The Mayflower Compact

C) The Articles of Confederation

D) The Northwest Ordinance

Answer · why

C) The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation denied Congress any power to tax, so it could only ask the states for money.