3. Make a critical examination of the four great political principles enunciated in the Declaration of Independence. How would you apply them today in the case of (_a_) Ireland; (_b_) the Philippines; (_c_) India? 4. Name the chief weaknesses of the Confederation. 5. Who is commonly called the “Father of the Constitution”? Does he deserve this title, and if so, why? 6. Read the constitution carefully and then answer the following questions, “yes” or “no,” pointing out the provision on which you base your answer: (_a_) Must the Vice President be a natural-born citizen? (_b_) May an American citizen accept a foreign order of nobility? (_c_) May any one who is not a citizen vote at presidential elections? (_d_) May Congress pass a law impairing the obligations of contracts? (_e_) May the President and Vice President both be residents of the same state? (_f_) May the President pardon a person convicted of treason? May he pardon a federal official convicted of bribery? 7. What did you find in the constitution that you did not expect to find there? What did you expect and fail to find? What seems to you to be the most important section of the whole document? 8. Explain the procedure by which the constitution may be amended. Classify the nineteen amendments into four groups and give a general title to each group. 9. Give some examples of constitutional development (_a_) by law; (_b_) by usage; (_c_) by judicial interpretation. 10. If we were to revise the entire constitution today what changes would probably be made? Topics for Debate 1. A national convention should be called to revise the constitution. 2. The process of amending the constitution should be made easier. CHAPTER XIV CONGRESS AT WORK _The purpose of this chapter is to explain how the nation’s laws are made._ [Sidenote: The reason for two chambers:]