Foundations of Government
This 1215 English document limited the power of the King and established the idea that no one, not even royalty, is above the law.
What is the Magna Carta?
This branch of government, described in Article I of the Constitution, is responsible for making laws.
These are the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which protect individual liberties.
What is the Bill of Rights?
Written largely by John Adams in 1780, this document is the oldest continuously functioning written constitution in the world.
What is the Massachusetts Constitution?
Passed in 1920, the 19th Amendment expanded the electorate by granting this group the right to vote.
John Locke argued that all people are born with these three "natural rights."
What are life, liberty & property
This constitutional power allows the President to reject a bill passed by Congress.
What is a veto?
Name three of the five freedoms explicitly protected by the First Amendment.
What is freedom of speech, religion, press, petition & assembly?
This is the official name of the legislative branch (the house and senate combined) for the state of Massachusetts.
What is the General Court?
This is the age at which a U.S. citizen legally gains the right to vote in federal elections, as established by the 26th Amendment.
What is 18?
This was the United States’ first, highly flawed constitution that gave too much power to the states and not enough to the federal government.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
Established by the landmark Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison, this is the Judicial Branch's power to declare a law unconstitutional.
What is judicial review?
This amendment protects citizens from "unreasonable searches and seizures" by requiring police to have a warrant.
What is the 4th amendment?
This individual holds the highest executive office in the state of Massachusetts, serving a role similar to the President but at the state level.
What is the governor?
Because the news media watches the government closely to expose corruption or wrongdoing, it is frequently referred to by this animalistic nickname.
What is a watchdog?
This 1786 uprising by angry farmers in Western Massachusetts proved that the Articles of Confederation were too weak to maintain order.
What is Shays' Rebellion?
While the House of Representatives has the power to impeach a federal official, this chamber of Congress serves as the jury and holds the trial.
What is the Senate?
This term refers to the legal requirement that the government must act fairly and follow established rules before taking away someone's life, liberty, or property.
What is due process?
This traditional form of direct democracy is still used in many Massachusetts towns to allow local citizens to vote directly on laws and budgets.
What is a town meeting?
This civil duty is required of adult citizens by law, involving sitting on a panel to determine the guilt or innocence of an accused person.
What is jury duty?
Baron de Montesquieu heavily influenced the U.S. Constitution with this concept, which ensures no single branch of government becomes too powerful.
What is the separation of powers?
This specific constitutional principle divides governing power between the national (federal) government and the individual state governments.
What is federalism?
This specific clause in the First Amendment prevents the United States government from setting up or favoring an official national religion.
What is the Establishment Clause?
While the federal government handles coining money and declaring war, state governments are traditionally responsible for this major public service.
What is public education? (Accept: issuing driver's licenses, running elections, or maintaining state roads).
This is the bias or tendency of media outlets to report news in a way that favors a particular political party or ideology rather than remaining neutral.
What is media bias?