Answer to Question 1
An ideal response will:
1. Discuss how a prosperous nation with a relatively equitable distribution of resources provides a foundation for democracy. For example, hungry citizens are more concerned with obtaining adequate food than with voting. Thus, wealthy nations have better prospects for democracy than those that are poorer.
2. Explain the relationship between the concentration of economic power and the concentration of political power.
3. Describe how private ownership of property and a market economy are related to the creation and maintenance of democratic institutions. Freedom to make economic choices typically translates to other freedoms related to religion or voting, for example.
4. Provide examples of prosperous nations like the United States, Canada, or France.
Answer to Question 2
An ideal response will:
1. Describe how the states selected delegates who assembled at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
2. Discuss how the ratification of the Constitution required significant deliberation regarding issues of representation and the structure of government.
3. Note how after the delegates voted to recommend the Constitution to the nation, it had to be approved by popularly elected conventions in nine states.
4. Explain how this meant that the Constitution would be approved by the people, thereby granting it greater legal and moral authority than had it been approved by state legislatures.
