“For imposing taxes on us without our consent:”

What feature of the U.S. Constitution best addresses the concern in this grievance from the Declaration of Independence?

A. Majority rule (popular sovereignty)
Correct! The key feature in this grievance is the lack of consent, which is addressed through majority rule.

B. Minority rights
Incorrect. Minority rights are the protection against majority rule, the feature where the people give their consent to laws. This grievance is mostly complaining about the lack of consent.

C. Separation of Powers
Incorrect. The key feature in this grievance is the lack of consent, which is addressed through majority rule.

D. Checks and Balances
Incorrect. The key feature in this grievance is the lack of consent, which is addressed through majority rule.

“He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.”

The grievances of the Declaration of Independence, excerpted above, place the blame for the American Revolution on –

A. a combination of Parliament and King George III
Incorrect. The grievances begin with “he,” placing blame solely on King George III.

B. the British people for ignoring the pleas of their fellow Englishmen abroad
Incorrect. The grievances begin with “he,” placing blame solely on King George III.

C. Parliament
Incorrect. The grievances begin with “he,” placing blame solely on King George III.

D. King George III
Correct! The grievances begin with “he,” placing blame solely on King George III.

Which of the following grievances from the Declaration of Independence is best responded to by the principle of checks and balances, which is a hallmark of the U.S. Constitution?

A. “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”
Correct! The process of a king giving his royal assent to laws passed by Parliament is very similar to a major check in the US Constitution, a president signing a bill into law.

B. “He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.”
Incorrect. This passage shows a breakdown in separation of powers, in which the king has authority over the representative bodies.

C. “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.”
Incorrect. This passage is an example of general tyranny by the king, but not on checks and balances.

D. “He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.”
Incorrect. This passage is an example of general tyranny by the king, and a violation of the rights of the people, not checks and balances.

"The Congress shall have Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; to borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;"

The above quotation from Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution shows –

A. Majority rule
Incorrect. While Congress is a representative body, the listing of the powers of Congress demonstrates enumerated powers.

B. Enumerated Powers
Correct! Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution lists the enumerated powers of Congress.

C. Checks and Balances
Incorrect. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution lists the enumerated powers of Congress.

D. Minority Rights
Incorrect. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution lists the enumerated powers of Congress.

“He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.”

Which excerpt from the Constitution addresses this grievance?

A. “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States”
Incorrect. This section is a limit on the powers of Congress. The grievance is on the dependence of the judiciary on the king, or executive.

B. “No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.”
Incorrect. This section of the constitution prohibits quartering, a separate grievance. This grievance is on the dependence of the judiciary on the king, or executive.

C. “The [Judiciary], both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.”
Correct! This grievance is on the dependence of the judiciary on the king, or executive. This passage from Article III prevents that.

D. “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States”
Incorrect. This grievance is on the dependence of the judiciary on the king, or executive. This passage is on military being under the control of civilian authority, the president. That is a separate grievance.