Civics Unit 2 - Questions

What are the 2 main types of governments, and what are their characteristics?

non-democratic: citizens do not have power to rule
democratic: people of a nation rule or elect officials to at on their behalf

What are some of the freedoms guaranteed by U.S. laws?

freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of petition, etc...

What was the purpose and significance of the Declaration of Independence?

to declare and justify American independence from Great Britain and to state American ideals

What type of government did the Articles create?

a system of government in which the states were strong and the national government was weak

How was the Great Compromise an effective agreement?

it gave large and small states the kind of representation each wanted by creating 2 houses

About what issues did Federalists and Antifederalists disagree?

federalists wanted a strong national government and supported approval of the Constitution. antifederalists wanted the states to remain sovereign and believed the Constitution would not protect the states' power

What did the Pilgrims do that later influenced the framers of the Constitution?

they formed a government based on the cooperation and consent of the people

What are the goals of the U.S. government as outlined in the U.S. Constitution?

to form a more perfect union, establish justice, preserve peace, provide for the common defense, promote the well-being of the people, and safeguard the freedoms of the people

Why did the framers separate the powers of the government?

to prevent one group of people from having too much power

Compare the functions of the three branches of government.

all of the branches play a part in the process of governing. the legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch carries out the laws, and the judicial branch interprets the laws

Why is the system of Checks and Balances important to government?

to keep one branch from having too much power

How can the Constitution be changed?

either congress or the states proposed an amendment and then 3/4 of the states must ratify it

What basic freedoms does the First Amendment guarantee?

freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, petition

Which of the Rights of the Accused is most important? Why?

the 6th amendment; it allows the accused to defend themselves and to be treated fairly.

How has the right to vote expanded over time?

1870 - African Americans given the right to vote (13th amendment)
1913 - citizens could directly vote for senators (17th amendment)
1920 - women won the right to vote (19th amendment)
1961 - people in DC can vote in national elections (23rd amendment)
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Describe 5 duties of American citizenship.

obeying the law, attending school, paying taxes, serving (in) the armed forces, and appearing in court