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CSS History of USA Expansion and the Constitutional Framework Syllabus

The Expansion and the Constitutional Framework syllabus for CSS History of USA in full: 5 chapters and 12 topics, every one listed below, plus 51 Expansion and the Constitutional Framework flashcards with answers.

5Chapters
12Topics
51Flashcards

Expansion and the Constitutional Framework syllabus: all 5 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

  1. Expansion of USA: From 13 to 50 States (1820-1949)

     3 topics
    • Manifest Destiny
    • Acquisition of Territories
    • Admission of New States

  2. Constitution of the USA: Salient Features

     3 topics
    • Drafting and Ratification
    • Core Principles
    • Bill of Rights and Amendments

  3. Separation of Powers: Checks and Balances

     2 topics
    • The Three Branches
    • System of Checks and Balances

  4. The US Congress: Role and Functions

     2 topics
    • Structure of Congress
    • Powers and Functions

  5. US Presidential Election

     2 topics
    • Electoral Process
    • Campaigns and Voting

CSS History of USA Expansion and the Constitutional Framework flashcards — 51 questions with answers

  1. What is the doctrine of Manifest Destiny?

    The 19th-century belief that the United States was divinely ordained and destined to expand its territory and democratic institutions across the entire North American continent.

  2. Who coined the term 'Manifest Destiny' and in what year?

    Journalist John L. O'Sullivan, in 1845, in a magazine article advocating the annexation of Texas.

  3. Name three core ideas or justifications underlying Manifest Destiny.

    (1) The special virtue/exceptionalism of the American people and institutions, (2) a mission to spread democracy and redeem/remake the West, and (3) an irresistible divine destiny to accomplish this expansion.

  4. The Louisiana Purchase (1803): from whom, for how much, and how much did it expand the U.S.?

    Purchased from France (Napoleon) for $15 million; it roughly doubled the size of the United States, adding about 828,000 square miles.

  5. Which president oversaw the Louisiana Purchase, and what constitutional dilemma did it pose for him?

    Thomas Jefferson; a strict constructionist, he worried the Constitution did not explicitly authorize buying foreign territory, but he proceeded anyway under the treaty power.

  6. How did the U.S. acquire Florida, and through which treaty?

    From Spain via the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819 (ratified 1821); the U.S. assumed up to $5 million in claims against Spain and gave up claims to Texas (temporarily).

  7. How and when was Texas annexed by the United States?

    Texas, an independent republic since 1836, was annexed in 1845 by a joint resolution of Congress, becoming the 28th state; this helped trigger the Mexican-American War.

  8. What territory did the U.S. gain from the Mexican Cession, and via which treaty?

    The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) ended the Mexican-American War; the U.S. gained California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming for $15 million.

  9. How was the Oregon Territory acquired?

    Through the Oregon Treaty of 1846 with Britain, which set the boundary at the 49th parallel and resolved the 'Fifty-Four Forty or Fight' dispute.

  10. What was the Gadsden Purchase (1853)?

    The U.S. bought a strip of land in present-day southern Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico for $10 million, mainly to secure a southern transcontinental railroad route.

  11. How and when did the U.S. acquire Alaska?

    Purchased from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million, negotiated by Secretary of State William Seward (derided at the time as 'Seward's Folly').

  12. How did Hawaii become a U.S. territory?

    American settlers overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy (Queen Liliuokalani) in 1893; the U.S. formally annexed Hawaii in 1898 during the Spanish-American War era.

  13. What constitutional clause governs the admission of new states to the Union?

    Article IV, Section 3 (the Admissions Clause), which grants Congress the power to admit new states; no new state may be formed within another state without that state's consent.

  14. What was the typical process by which a territory became a state in the 19th century?

    A territory reached a required population, drafted a state constitution, applied to Congress, and Congress passed an enabling/admission act; the president then signed it into law.

  15. What was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and its significance for statehood?

    It established the procedure for admitting new states from the Northwest Territory on an equal footing with original states and prohibited slavery there, creating a model for orderly westward expansion.

  16. What did the Missouri Compromise of 1820 establish regarding new states?

    It admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state to keep balance, and banned slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes.

  17. How many states were admitted under the original Constitution, and which were the first and last of the 50?

    There were 13 original states; 37 more were admitted. Delaware was first to ratify (1787); Hawaii was the 50th state, admitted in 1959 (Alaska was 49th, also 1959).

  18. When and where was the Constitutional Convention held, and what was its original stated purpose?

    Philadelphia, summer of 1787; it was convened ostensibly to revise the Articles of Confederation but instead drafted an entirely new Constitution.

  19. Who is known as the 'Father of the Constitution' and why?

    James Madison, for his central role in drafting the document, his Virginia Plan, and his detailed notes on the convention's debates.

  20. What was the Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) of 1787?

    It resolved representation disputes by creating a bicameral Congress: the House apportioned by population and the Senate with equal representation (two senators per state).

Show the other 31 Expansion and the Constitutional Framework flashcards

  1. What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?

    An agreement to count three-fifths of a state's enslaved population for purposes of both representation in the House and direct taxation.

  2. What is the difference between Federalists and Anti-Federalists in the ratification debate?

    Federalists supported ratification and a strong national government; Anti-Federalists opposed it, fearing centralized power and demanding a Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties.

  3. What were the Federalist Papers and who wrote them?

    A series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay (under the pseudonym 'Publius') to persuade New York to ratify the Constitution.

  4. How many states were needed to ratify the Constitution, and which was the ninth (deciding) state?

    Nine of the thirteen states were required (per Article VII); New Hampshire was the ninth to ratify, on June 21, 1788, putting the Constitution into effect.

  5. What is federalism as a core principle of the U.S. Constitution?

    The division of governmental power between a central (national) government and the state governments, each with its own spheres of authority.

  6. Define 'separation of powers' as a constitutional principle.

    The division of government into three distinct branches (legislative, executive, judicial), each with separate powers and responsibilities, to prevent any one branch from dominating.

  7. What is 'popular sovereignty' as a core constitutional principle?

    The principle that governmental authority derives from the consent of the people, expressed in the Constitution's opening words 'We the People.'

  8. What does the principle of 'limited government' mean in the U.S. Constitution?

    Government may exercise only the powers granted to it by the Constitution, and it is bound by the rule of law; individuals retain rights government cannot infringe.

  9. What is judicial review and which case established it?

    The power of courts to declare laws or executive actions unconstitutional; it was established in Marbury v. Madison (1803) under Chief Justice John Marshall.

  10. What is the Bill of Rights and when was it ratified?

    The first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791, guaranteeing fundamental individual liberties and limits on federal power.

  11. What rights does the First Amendment protect?

    Freedom of religion (establishment and free exercise), speech, press, peaceable assembly, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.

  12. What does the Second Amendment guarantee?

    The right of the people to keep and bear arms, connected to the need for a well-regulated militia.

  13. What protections does the Fifth Amendment provide?

    Grand jury indictment for serious crimes, protection against double jeopardy and self-incrimination, due process of law, and just compensation for property taken (eminent domain).

  14. What do the Ninth and Tenth Amendments establish?

    The Ninth states that rights not listed in the Constitution are still retained by the people; the Tenth reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people.

  15. By what process can the Constitution be amended (Article V)?

    Proposal by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress OR a national convention called by two-thirds of the states; ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures or state conventions.

  16. How many amendments has the U.S. Constitution had, and which abolished slavery?

    27 amendments total; the 13th Amendment (1865) abolished slavery.

  17. What did the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments (the Reconstruction Amendments) accomplish?

    13th abolished slavery; 14th granted citizenship and equal protection/due process; 15th prohibited denying the vote based on race, color, or previous servitude.

  18. Name the three branches of the U.S. government and the primary function of each.

    Legislative (Congress) makes laws; Executive (President) enforces laws; Judicial (courts) interprets laws and resolves disputes.

  19. Which constitutional articles establish the three branches of government?

    Article I establishes the legislative branch, Article II the executive branch, and Article III the judicial branch.

  20. What is the structure and composition of the U.S. Supreme Court?

    It is the highest federal court, currently composed of nine justices (one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices) appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for life tenure.

  21. Give two examples of how Congress can check the executive branch.

    Congress can override a presidential veto (two-thirds vote of both houses), impeach and remove the president, and control funding/appropriations; the Senate confirms appointments and ratifies treaties.

  22. Give two examples of how the President checks the other branches.

    The President can veto legislation passed by Congress and appoints federal judges (including the Supreme Court), and can grant pardons and issue executive orders.

  23. How does the judiciary check the legislative and executive branches?

    Through judicial review, courts can declare acts of Congress or actions of the President unconstitutional and thus void.

  24. What is the basic two-chamber (bicameral) structure of the U.S. Congress?

    Congress consists of the House of Representatives (435 voting members apportioned by state population) and the Senate (100 members, two per state).

  25. What are the term lengths and minimum age requirements for Representatives and Senators?

    Representatives serve 2-year terms (minimum age 25); Senators serve 6-year terms (minimum age 30), with one-third of the Senate elected every two years.

  26. Who presides over the House of Representatives and over the Senate?

    The Speaker of the House presides over the House; the Vice President of the United States is President of the Senate (with a tie-breaking vote).

  27. What are the 'enumerated powers' of Congress and where are they listed?

    The specific powers granted to Congress, listed mainly in Article I, Section 8 (e.g., taxation, coining money, regulating commerce, declaring war, raising armies).

  28. What is the 'Necessary and Proper' (Elastic) Clause?

    Article I, Section 8 clause allowing Congress to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying out its enumerated powers, the basis for implied powers.

  29. How is the President elected, and what is the role of the Electoral College?

    The President is chosen indirectly through the Electoral College; voters in each state select electors who cast the formal votes, and a candidate needs a majority of 270 of the 538 electoral votes to win.

  30. How is the number of a state's electoral votes determined?

    It equals the state's total number of members in Congress: its number of House Representatives (based on population) plus its two Senators; Washington D.C. gets 3 via the 23rd Amendment.

  31. What are the main stages of a U.S. presidential campaign, and the qualifications to be President?

    Stages: primaries/caucuses, party national conventions (nominee selection), general election campaign, and the November general election. The President must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and a U.S. resident for 14 years.

CSS History of USA Expansion and the Constitutional Framework FAQ

What is in the CSS History of USA Expansion and the Constitutional Framework syllabus?

CSS History of USA Expansion and the Constitutional Framework is split into 5 chapters: Expansion of USA: From 13 to 50 States (1820-1949), Constitution of the USA: Salient Features, Separation of Powers: Checks and Balances, The US Congress: Role and Functions and US Presidential Election. Together they contain 12 topics.

How many chapters are in CSS History of USA Expansion and the Constitutional Framework?

5 chapters, containing 12 topics. The largest chapter is Expansion of USA: From 13 to 50 States (1820-1949), with 3 topics.

Are there flashcards for CSS History of USA Expansion and the Constitutional Framework?

Yes — a 51-card Expansion and the Constitutional Framework deck, printed in full in the flashcards section of this page and available in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.