Constitution and Amendments
This document is the supreme law of the land in the United States.
What is the Constitution?
This is the highest court in the United States.
What is the Supreme Court?
The head of a state’s executive branch.
What is the governor?
This Enlightenment thinker inspired the idea of natural rights.
Who is John Locke?
This branch makes laws.
What is the legislative branch?
These first ten amendments protect individual freedoms.
What is the Bill of Rights?
This type of court hears cases involving violations of federal laws.
What is a federal court?
The document that outlines how a state government functions.
What is a state constitution?
These are the two ways to become a U.S. citizen.
What are birth and naturalization?
The President is part of this branch.
What is the executive branch?
The 5th Amendment protects you from this.
What is "self-incrimination?"
This term means the authority to hear a case.
What is jurisdiction?
These local governments typically provide services like fire departments and schools.
What are counties and municipalities?
Name one civic duty and one civic responsibility.
What is (duty: obeying laws or jury duty), (responsibility: voting or staying informed)?
This branch interprets the laws.
What is the judicial branch?
This amendment gave women the right to vote.
What is the 19th Amendment?
This landmark case established judicial review.
What is Marbury v. Madison?
This term describes when power is shared between national and state governments.
What is federalism?
This document declared American independence from Britain.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
This system prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful.
What is checks and balances?
These three Articles of the Constitution establish the three branches of government, in the order they appear.
What are Article I (Legislative), Article II (Executive), and Article III (Judicial)?
These are the three possible decisions an appeals court can make.
What are affirm, reverse, and remand?
This type of local government rule gives cities and counties the power to manage their own affairs without needing state approval for every decision.
What is home rule?
This Enlightenment idea, championed by Montesquieu, influenced the U.S. government to divide power into three branches.
What is separation of powers?
This is the name of the President’s advisory group.
What is the Cabinet?