Vocabulary
Federal Government
National Government
Popular vote
The vote of all the citizens
What are the first 10 amendments called?
The Bill of Rights
There are six goals listed in the Preamble of the Constitution. What is the Preamble?
The introduction
How many Articles make-up the main body of the Constitution?
7
What are the 3 Branches of Government and their functions?
Legislative: writes the laws
Executive: enforces laws
Judicial: judges laws
Federalist vs Anti-federalist
Which supported the Constitution?
Supports strong federal government
Against a strong federal government
Federalists supported the Constitution
Republic
A government where the citizens vote for representatives to make decisions and be in the government
Why do we refer to the Constitution as a "living document"?
Because it was designed to be changed over time
What does the goal "To form a more perfect Union" mean? (Extra 100 points if you can tell me why this specific goal would be on the Framers' minds.)
To unify the states
(Because the Articles of Confederation had failed to truly bring the states together.)
What are the first 4 Articles of the Constitution about?
1-3 sets up the Branches of government
4 sets up the relations among the states
What are the 2 houses of the Legislative branch?
House of Representatives and the Senate
What is a bill?
A proposed law
What is the cabinet of the President?
his advisors
How many Amendments are there?
27
What does the goal "to insure Domestic Tranquility" mean?
To have peace and order at home
In Article 5 of the Constitution, why is the amendment process fairly difficult and complicated?
The Framers' wanted it to be a big decision and not done lightly.
What is the function of the Judicial Branch of the government? (Give an example)
They judge the laws and decide their exact meaning. (Deciding the meaning of Freedom of Speech, etc)
What does bicameral mean?
There are 2 houses
What 2 things are in the Main body of the Constitution?
the 7 Articles and the 27 Amendments
What is the goal that means the federal government has the duty to protect us from a foreign attack?
"To provide for the Common Defense"
What does it mean in the 6th Article that the Constitution is "the Supreme law of the land"?
It means that no other law in the United States can contradict or go against the Constitution.
What 3 things make up the Executive branch of government?
The President, the Vice President, and the Cabinet
What is the Electoral College?
The group of people that vote on and decide the Presidency
What is Judicial Review and who has this power?
The Supreme Court has the power to decide if a presidential act or a law from Congress is unconstitutional.
Name 3 of the 7 Basic Principles laid out in the Constitution and explain it.
1. Popular Sovereignty (The government gets its power from the people.)
2. Limited Government (The government has to follow its own laws.)
3. Separation of Powers (This limits the power of any single part of the government.)
4. Checks and Balances (Further limits the power of the government by requiring more than one Branch to do things.)
5. Federalism (Shared power between the national and state governments.)
6. Republicanism (The United States is a republic.)
7. Individual Rights (Individuals have protected rights.)
Give 3 functions of the President.
1. Can veto laws
2. represent the country
3. has the power to make treaties
4. appoints ambassadors