The Declaration of Independence
The Constitution of the United States
The Supreme Court
General Knowledge
Government Trivia
Amendments
100

The author of the Declaration of Independence.

Who was Thomas Jefferson?

100

The number of Articles and Amendments in the US Constitution.

What are 7 and 27?

100

In 2025, how many Justices are there in the Supreme Court?

What is 9?

100

Power that the government is assumed to have, even if not specifically stated in the Constitution.

What is Implied Power?

100

In this 2004 film, Nicolage Cage plays an historian that steals the Declaration of Independence.

What is National Treasure?

100

The common name for the first 10 amendments of the US Constitution.

What is the Bill of Rights?

200

According to the Declaration of Independence, this is the primary purpose of government.

What is to protect the rights of the people?

200

This article in the Constitution identifies the powers of the Executive Branch of Government.

What is Article 2?

200

The "Midnight Judges" could be the name of a rock group...or it could be referencing this Supreme Court Case.

What is Marbury v. Madison?

200

In this paper, James Madison argued that a large government was needed to control the damage done by factions.

What is Fed 10?

200

The scandal that ended the presidency of Richard Nixon.

What is Watergate?

200

This amendment allows the US government to levy an income tax upon the country's citizens.

What is the 16th Amendment?

300

This section of the Declaration reads, "...all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

What is the Declaration of Natural Rights?

300

Often called the "Architect of the Constitution", this Founder is given credit for much of the design of the Constitution we use today.

Who is James Madison?

300

The question of whether or not a state can sue the Federal government was settled in this 1819 SCOTUS case.

What is McCulloch v Maryland.

300

A kind of Cooperative Federalism in which the states are heavily influenced by grants and other monies from the US Government.

What is Fiscal Federalism?

300

The number of stripes on the American flag is representative of this.

What are the original 13 colonies?

300

According to this amendment, January 20th is Inauguration Day, when a new president takes the oath of office.

What is the 20th Amendment?

400

This section of the Declaration argues that it is important that the other countries of the world understand why the colonies are separating from England.

What is the Preamble

400

The United States Constitution replaced this Document, which had been written during the American Revolution.

What are the Articles of Confederation?

400

The power of the Supreme Court to nullify laws and governmental actions that it deems to be unconstitutional.

What is Judicial Review?

400

Powers which, through the 10th amendment, are given to the states.

What are Reserved Powers?

400

The term length of a United States Senator.

What is 6 years?

400

Red Card

Have you written the right answers?

500

In 1689, this English Enlightenment philosopher's book, "The Second Treatise of Government", laid some of the basic foundations that were later used in the Declaration of Independence.

Who was John Locke?

500

A series of 85 essays, written as an argument for the ratification of the new Constitution in 1789.

What are the Federalist Papers?
500

In the 1819 case of McCulloch v Lopez, the Court decided that the Federal government could charter a national bank because of these two constitutional Clauses.

What is the Commerce Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause?

500

The idea that each policy-making institution of government should have the ability to constrain or limit the powers of the other branches, thereby keeping any one branch from becoming too powerful.

What are Checks and Balances?

500

The body of "Secretaries" that advise the president.

What is the President's Cabinet?

500

This amendment forbids the US government from charging a "Poll Tax".

What is the 24th Amendment?

600

It is this day, month, and year that historians attribute to the ratification and formal acceptance of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress.

What is July 4th, 1776?

600

This article of the US Constitution required that all Senators and Representatives swear an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

What is Article 6?

600

In what Document did Alexander Hamilton argue that Supreme Court Justices should have lifetime appointments?

What is Fed 78?

600

The process by which people attempt to affect what happens in government.

What is politics?

600

According to the Constitution, if the President and Vice-President are killed, this talkative politician becomes president.

Who is the Speaker of the House?

600

The Amendments in the US Constitution that guarantee Due Process.

What are 5th and the 14th Amendments?

700

These are the five sections of the Declaration of Independence, as discussed in class.

What are the Preamble, the Declaration of Natural Rights, the List of Grievances, and the Resolution of Independence?

700

This Constitutional Clause requires each state to recognize the official documents from other states.

What is the Full Faith and Credit Clause?

700

In the 1995 SCOTUS case of US v. Lopez, Alphonso Lopez was arrested and eventually charged under this 1990 Law.

What is the Gun-Free School Zones Act?

700

This historical event caused federalism in the United States to shift from Dual to Cooperative.

What is the Great Depression?

700

Walter Scott Key's tune.

What is the Star Spangled Banner?

700

This amendment was the basis for the 1999 movie, "Double Jeopardy", starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd.

What is the 5th Amendment?

800

"To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and institute new government."

What is the Purpose of Government?

800

This early proposed plan of representation argued for equal representation for each state in Congress, regardless of the size of that state.

What is the New Jersey Plan?

800

Although the President nominates a new Supreme Court Justice, that decision must be cleared through this governmental body.

What is the Senate?

800

To conduct elections, ratify amendments, and regulate commerce within the state.

What are powers given to the state in the Constitution?

800

The first president belonging to what historians consider to be the modern Democratic party.

Who was Andrew Jackson?

800

The number of states that is needed to ratify a proposed Constitutional Amendment.

What is 3/4, or 35 states?

900

The number of colonies that had to agree with the Declaration before the Second Continental Congress would formally accept it.

What is 13 colonies, or all of them.

900

This article of the US Constitution defines Treason as levying war against the United States or giving aid or comfort to its enemies.

What is Article 3?

900

The current Chief Justice of the united States Supreme Court.

Who is John Roberts?

900

A politician that already has the job, and runs for office again.

What is an incumbent?

900

Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy.

Who are presidents that have been assassinated?

900

The 12th Amendment was a result of this presidential Election.

What is the election of 1800?

1000

The first, and by far the largest, signature on the Declaration of Indepedence.

Who is John Hancock?

1000

The three compromises involving slavery written into the New Constitution.

What is the 3/5 Compromise, the compromise on the importation of slaves, and the compromise over the enforcement of a Fugitive Slave Law?

1000

The number of Justices in the Supreme Court in 1800.

What is six?

1000

435, in Congressional Terms

What is the number of people that serve in the House of Representatives?

1000

Around 25 countries in the world share this peculiar American governmental trait.  (Mmmm....cake....)

What is federalism?

1000

The number of Amendments in the original Bill of Rights.

What is twelve?

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