What is the supreme law of the land?
The Constitution
What does the Constitution do?
Sets up the government
Defines the government
Protects basic rights of Americans
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the constitution. What are those words?
We the people
What is an amendment?
A change or an addition to the constitution
What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
The bill of rights
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
Speech, religion, assembly, press, or petition the government
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
27
What did the Declaration of Independence do?
Announced our independence (from Great Britain)
Declared our independence (from Great Britain)
Said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness
What is freedom of religion?
You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
What is the economic system in the United States?
Capitalist economy and
Market economy
What is the "rule of law"?
Everyone must follow the law.
Leaders must obey the law.
The government must obey the law.
No one is above the law.
Name each branch or part of the government
Congress
Legislative
President
Executive
The courts
Judicial
What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
Checks and balances
Separation of powers
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
The President
Who makes federal laws?
Congress
Senate and House (of Representatives)
(U.S. or national) legislature
What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
The Senate and House (of Representatives)
How many U.S.Senators are there?
One hundred (100)
We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
6
Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators now?
Marco Rubio
Rick Scott
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
435
We elected a US Representative for how many years?
2
Name your U.S. Representative.
Ted Deutch
Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
All people of the state
Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
State's population
They have more people
Some states have more people
We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
4
In what month do we vote for President?
November
What is the name of the President of the United States now?
Donald Trump
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
Michael Pence
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
The Vice President
If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
The speaker of the house
Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
President of the United States
Who signs bills to become laws?
The President
Who vetoes bills?
The President
What does the President's Cabinet do?
Advises the President
What are two Cabinet-level positions?
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Defense
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Homeland Security
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of the Interior
Secre
What does the judicial branch do?
Reviews laws
Explains laws
Resolves disputes (disagreements)
Decides if a law goes against the Constitution
What is the highest court in the United States?
Supreme Court
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
9
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
John Roberts
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
To print money
To declare war
To create an army.
To make treaties
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
Provide schooling and education.
Provide protection (police)
Provide safety (fire department)
Give a driver's license.
Approve zoning and land use
Who is the Governor of your state now?
Ron De Santis
What is the capital of your state?
Tallahassee
What are the two major political parties in the United States?
Democratic and Republican
What is the political party of the President now?
Republican
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives right now?
Nancy Pelosi
There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
Citizens 18 and older can vote
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
Serve on a jury
Vote in a federal election
Name one right only for United States citizens.
Vote in a federal election
Run for federal office
What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
Freedom of speech.
Freedom of religion
Freedom to bear arms
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
The United States
The flag
What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
Obeying the laws of the United States
Be loyal to the United States
How old do citizens have ti be to vote for president?
18
What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
Joining a political party
Run for office
Help with a campaign
When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
April 15
When must all men register for the Selective Service?
Between 18 and 26
What is one reason colonists came to America?
Freedom
Political liberty
Religious freedom
Economic opportunity
Practice their religion
Escape persecution
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
American Indians
Native Americans
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
Africans
People from Africa
Why did the colonists fight the British?
Because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
Because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
Because they didn't have self-government
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4, 1776
There were 13 original states. Name three.
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Connecticut
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Delaware
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
The Constitution was written
When was the Constitution written?
1787
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
James Madison
Alexsander Hamilton
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
U.S. diplomat
Who is the "Father of Our Country"?
George Washington
Who was the first President?
George Washington
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
The Louisiana Territory
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
Mexican-American War
Civil War
Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
Civil War
Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
Slavery
What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
Free the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
Freed the slaves
Freed slaves in the Confederacy
Freed slaves in the Confederate states
Freed slaves in most Southern states
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
Fought for women's rights and civil rights
Name one war fought by the U.S. in the 1900s.
WWI
WWII
Who was President during World War I?
Woodrow Wilson
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
Franklin Roosevelt
Who did the United States fight in World War II?
Japan, Germany, and Italy
Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
WWII
During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
Communism
What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
Civil Rights movement
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
Fought for civil rights
Worked for equality for all Americans
What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
Terrorist attacked the United States
Name one American Indian Tribe in the United States
Cherokee
Creek
Name one of the longest rivers in the United States.
Mississippi River
What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
Pacific Ocean
What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
Atlantic Ocean
Name one U.S. territory.
Puerto Rico
Name one state that borders Canada.
New York
Alaska
Name one state that borders Mexico.
New Mexico
Texas
What is the capital of the United States?
Washington D.C.
Where is the Statue of Liberty?
New York
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Because there were 13 original colonies
Because the stripes represent the original colonies
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
Because there are 50 states
What is the name of the national anthem?
The Star-Spangled Banner
When do we celebrate Independence Day?
July 4
Name two national U.S. holidays.
Thanksgiving and Christmas