Civics 1
What is the political party of the President now?
Democratic
How many members does the Senate have?
100, two from each state
expression, speech, assembly, petition the government, of worship, to bear arms.
Can the President nominate judges to the US Supreme Court ?
YES
What is the President's group of advisors called?
His Cabinet
How many senators are members of Congress?
100 (two per state)
The _______ is an institution that enforces laws that oversee how money is given to federal campaigns.
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Who makes up the Legislative Branch?
Senate and House of Representatives
What do Cabinet members do?
Run large governmental departments
What are the first words in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution?
We the people of the United States
What is Judicial Review
The power of the US Supreme Court to review cases and interpret the meaning of the Constitution
What is the term for a stalling tactic senators use to delay a bill?
Filibuster
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
The Constitution was written to replace it.
Can Congress override a President's veto?
Yes, with a 2/3rd's majority vote
As a means for cutting off debate during a filibuster, rule 22 known as ______________, in invoked when 3/5 of the members agree to end the debate.
Cloture
What is the third Article in the US Constitution?
The Judicial Branch
There are 538 total electoral votes. A presidential candidate must get how many electoral votes to win?
270
How many Articles is the Constitution broken into?
Seven
How does a Bill become law?
It is introduced in the House or Senate then goes to a committee for review, then both houses debate it and if it is good it goes to the President to sign or veto.
What is the Supremacy Clause found in Article VI of the US Constitution?
The clause says that FEDERAL law prevails over STATE law.
- That government employees take an oath and swear to defend the Constitution and says that government and religion stay separate
What Article can we find information about the Amendment Process in?
Article 5
Name two powers are delegated solely to the national government?
Interstate and foreign trade, create and maintain armed forces, patent laws, post offices,coining money and declaring war
What is the system of Checks and Balances
A system where each branch of government has the power to check on other branches so that no one branch becomes more powerful than the other
How many Amendments are there to the US Constitution?
27
How do you amend the US Constitution?
Congress can vote to change it (2/3rds) and then it is ratified (approved) by 3/4ths of the states.
OR a national convention can seek a change
What is the concept of Federalism?
A Federal system includes shared and divided powers between the national and state governments.
What does Article IV, Relations among states, refer to?
It asks that states acknowledge the court's rules and findings from another state. For example; A NY driver's license is still valid in NJ.
What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
Vote, join a political party, help with a campaign, join a civic group, join a community group, give a elected official your opinion on an issue, call Senators and Representatives, run for office.
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What are two powers of the states?
Provide schooling and education, provide protection (police), provide safety (fire departments), give a driver's license, approve zoning and land use.
By ______________ voters who tend to vote one way into just a few a districts is one way a political party takes advantage over another.
Packing
Name two powers reserved solely for the state governments..
Create corporate laws, regulate trade within the state, maintaining schools, establishing local government, conducting elections, providing for public safety and making laws about marriage and divorce
Name two of the powers of the Legislative Branch
Pass laws, coin money, declare war, impeach a government official
What does Article 7 of the US Constitution refer to ?
Ratifying the Constitution, which was done on
March 4, 1789