Constitutional Cornerstones
This was the first governing document of the United States, adopted in 1781, which established a loose confederation of states with a weak central government.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
This branch of government is responsible for making laws.
What is the legislative branch (or Congress)?
The right to vote is also known as this.
What is suffrage?
This major event in the 1930s led to a significant expansion of the federal government's role in the economy and social welfare.
What is the Great Depression (or the New Deal)?
This case ruled that students don't "shed their rights at the schoolhouse gate".
What is Tinker v Des Moines?
This principle divides power between the national and state governments.
What is federalism?
This power allows the president to reject a bill passed by Congress.
What is a veto?
The is the most significant predictor of whether an individual will vote in an election.
What is level of education?
This 1857 Supreme Court case intensified the national debate over slavery which ultimately led to the Civil War.
What is Dred Scott v. Sandford?
This case allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on independent political ads.
What is Citizens United v FEC?
Found in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, this clause grants Congress the ability to pass laws that help it carry out its enumerated powers
What is the Necessary and Proper clause (or Elastic clause)?
This term describes the structure of Congress, with the House of Representatives and the Senate.
What is bicameral?
This term describes the belief that an individual's political participation can make a difference in the political process.
What is political efficacy?
The results of this highly contentious presidential election were ultimately decided by a Supreme Court ruling that halted a recount of ballots in Florida.
What is the 2000 election (Bush v Gore)?
This case selectively incorporated the right to bear arms to the states.
What is McDonald v Chicago?
This Anti-Federalist paper argued against the ratification of the Constitution, warning that a large republic would lead to the erosion of liberty by granting the federal government too much power.
What is Brutus I?
This is the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional.
What is judicial review?
A significant shift in the voting patterns of a large group of voters, often leading to a change in the dominant political party.
What is a critical election (or party realignment)?
This landslide election ushered in a new era of conservative dominance in American politics, characterized by significant tax cuts, deregulation, and a strong national defense stance.
What is the 1980 election (Ronald Reagan)?
This landmark 1963 Supreme Court case ruled that the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of a right to counsel applies to criminal defendants in state courts too.
What is Gideon v Wainwright?
This compromise at the Constitutional Convention created a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in one house and equal representation in the other.
What is the Great Compromise (or the Connecticut Compromise)?
This implied presidential power allows the executive branch to withhold information from Congress or the courts in matters of national security or executive communications.
What is executive privilege?
What is the name of the federal law that attempted to increase voter participation by requiring states to offer voter registration at RMVs/DMVs and public service agencies?
What is the Motor Voter Act (National Voter Registration Act of 1993)?
This charismatic Republican Speaker of the House led the charge for the 1994 "Contract with America" and was instrumental in his party gaining control of both the House and Senate for the first time in 40 years.
Who is Newt Gingrich?
The constitutional issue in this case was whether redistricting was justiciable.
What is Baker v Carr?