• What are the goals of the government according to the Preamble?
establish justice insure domestic tranquility provide for the common defense promote the general welfare secure the blessings of liberty
• Name three ways people can participate in government
• They elect representatives to represent them in the government, they can (if they meet the requirements) run for office in the government, also they can argue and protest the government if they don't agree with them.
• Methods of election for the House and Senate
• Representatives are elected by the people of the district they are running for. Senators are elected by the state they are running for.
• The 17th amendment & how it changed the selection of Senators
• Before the 17th amendment state legislatures decided who would represent their state in congress but the 17th amendment changed it so that the people in the state vote for their own senators.
• Method for election the President & the Electoral College
• The framers set up a complex system for electing the president. It is a nation wide vote but you don't directly vote for the candidate you want. You vote for the candidate you want and whoever gets the most votes per state gets all the states electoral votes. Whoever gets the most electoral votes wins the election.
what is a republic
• A republic is when the people vote for their leaders.
What is a republican form of government? What kind of government does Article IV of the Constitution say each state has to have?
It says that all states has to have a republican form of government
• Give two examples of how voting right have expanded because of Constitutional Amendments (and name the Amendment)
• 15th amendment gives any black people the right to vote. 19th amendment gave women the right to vote.
• John Locke/ Social Contract
• Social contract theory says that people form governments and give up certain powers and liberties to it. In return the government serves and protects the people. Locke influenced Jefferson because he said that all people are entitled to certain freedoms and he suggests that government is a compromise between the rulers and the ruled.
• What is the purpose of government, according the Declaration of Independence? What are the Inalienable rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence?
• Government exists to protect people's personal rights and liberties. The inalienable acts are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
• According to the Declaration of Independence, what can the people do if government doesn't do its job
• If the government doesn't do its job than (in the declaration of independence) it says that it is the people's right and duty to throw of such government.
• Name two forms of government we have ABOLISHED in America
• Articles of Confederation and monarchy (when the British ruled)
• Name two ways you can become a citizen. What is does it meant to be a Naturalized citizen?
• Your parents are naturalized and you are 18 or younger, or you become naturalized which means the you completed the legal process for becoming a citizen
• Name two mandatory (required) responsibilities of citizenship (what is Jury Duty?)
• 2 mandatory requirements of being a citizen are jury duty, which is when you are called to serve on a jury and follow laws.
• Name three other responsibilities of citizenship
• 3 other responsibilities are voting, public service, and staying informed
name the three branches and their roles
executive- carry's out the law, judicial- interprets the law, legislative- makes laws
o Name the two houses of Congress. How many members there are in each house?
• Senate=100 senators, House of representatives=435 members
o Describe the difference between Equal vs. Proportional representation
• Equal representation means that each state has the same amount of power in congress like in the senate. While proportional representation means that each state is represented based on population so it is unequal
o What is a Bill?
• A bill is a proposed law
o Describe how a Bill becomes a Law
1. First a bill is proposed (in either house) 2. Then a proposed bill goes to COMMITTEE 3. If it clears committee, it goes to FLOOR DEBATE 4. If it passes floor debate, it goes to the other house 5. If it passes both houses, it goes to the President to be signed
o Name three non-Legislative functions of Congress
• Power to coin money, to tax, and to ratify treaties.
o Elastic Clause
• The elastic clause says that congress can make all laws that are necessary and proper for the good of the U.S.
o Name a foreign policy power executive
• Can make treaties
a military power executive
• Commander in chief of military
a legislative power executive
• Can veto laws
and a Judicial power of the President
• Can grant pardons
o Judicial Review
• Judicial review is when the supreme court reviews laws do decide if they are unconstitutional
o How does a case reach the Supreme Court (what is an APPEAL?)
• A case reaches the Supreme Court by being appealed or ask the decision to be reviewed by a higher court.
• Veto & Override (how much of Congress is needed to override a veto?)
• A veto is when the president rejects a bill sent to him by congress to sign. An override is when congress overrides the president's veto by having 2/3 of both houses vote that the bill becomes a law.
• Impeachment (What role does the House play in impeachment? What role does the Senate play? What presidents have been impeached?)
• Impeachment is when congress accuses the president of doing serious wrong. The House of Representatives actually impeaches the president. While the senate tries him. If 2/3 of the senators vote to convict. Than the president is removed from office.
• What Federal officials can the President Nominate? Who confirms Presidential appointments?
• The president nominates justices. The senate confirms his appointments
• What is the Vice President's role in the Senate?
• The vice presidents role in the senate is he casts a vote if it is a tie
• What does Article IV say in regards to states giving "Full Faith and Credit" to each other?
• Article 4 says that you can move or go through any state you wish. You don't need to ask
• supremacy clause
• The supremacy clause says that the constitution, laws created by congress, and supreme court rulings are the supreme law of the land
• What are Reserved powers Delegated powers Concurrent powers
• Delegated powers are powers delegated to the federal government. Reserved powers are powers reserved to the states. Concurrent powers are powers that they share
• What are the three branches of state governments? What is a Governor? What is a State Legislature?
• The 3 branches of state governments are the same branches as the national government. A governor is the head of the executive branch of a state. A state legislature is the group of people who make laws for that state.
• Name four powers denied to the Federal government in Article I section 9
• Cannot pass ex post facto laws, cannot tax exports, cannot create titles of nobility, and cannot spend any money without putting it in the form of a spending bill
• Name four rights protected by the Bill of Rights and name the amendment it is protected in.
• Cannot enter treaties, cannot declare war, cannot tax interstate trade, and cannot tax imports or exports