1. What were the common characteristics of the 55 delegates who attended the Philadelphia Convention?

2. Why did the delegates vote to conduct their meetings in secret and what role did James Madison play in documenting the convention?

3. Which major leaders of the American Revolution were absent from the convention and why?

1. What was the main dispute between large and small states over representation in Congress?

2. How did the Connecticut Plan or Great Compromise resolve the representation dispute?

1. What was the Three-Fifths Compromise and what issue did it address?

2. What compromise did delegates reach regarding the slave trade and when would it take effect?

1. What were the concerns of northern and southern states regarding trade regulation, and how did the Commercial Compromise address them?

1. What decisions did delegates make regarding the president's term of office and method of election?

2. Why did delegates create the Electoral College system instead of allowing direct popular election of the president?

1. What ratification procedure did the Framers establish in Article VII and why did they set the requirement at nine states?

1. What was the main Anti-Federalist objection regarding the Constitution and why did they believe a bill of rights was necessary?

2. How did Federalists initially respond to the demand for a bill of rights, and what promise did they make to win ratification?

1. Which state's ratification in June 1788 provided the necessary nine states for the Constitution to be ratified?

2. Why was Virginia's ratification particularly important despite the Constitution already having nine states?

1. What role did George Mason and Patrick Henry play in Virginia's ratification debate, and how did Virginia's Federalists prevail?

2. Which states were the last to ratify the Constitution and when did they do so?

1. How did the Constitution divide power between the federal government and state governments?

2. How has the balance of power between federal and state governments changed since the Constitution was ratified?

1. What are the three branches of government and what are their primary responsibilities?

2. How does the system of checks and balances limit the power of each branch of government?

1. When was the Bill of Rights drafted and ratified, and who was primarily responsible for drafting it?

2. What was the original scope of the Bill of Rights and how did the 14th Amendment change its application?

3. What freedoms and protections are guaranteed by the First Amendment?

4. What protections do the Fourth and Fifth Amendments provide to individuals accused of crimes?

5. What rights related to criminal trials are guaranteed by the Sixth and Seventh Amendments?

6. What do the Ninth and Tenth Amendments establish regarding rights not specifically listed in the Constitution?