Foundations of Gov
Name one of the six principles of the Constitution
1. limited gov
2. republicanism
3. checks and balances
4. federalism
5. separation of powers
6. popular sovereignty
Name one of the documents that influenced the U.S. Constitution
1. the Magna Carta
2. The English Bill of Rights
3. The Articles of Confederation
What are the first 10 amendments of the Constitution called?
The Bill of Rights
What branch of gov does the federal bureaucracy belong to?
Executive Branch
What type of government is ruled by a king/queen?
Monarchy
Theory of gov that claims the state was created by God and the leaders have been chosen by God himself
Divine Right Theory
2. The Great Compromise
3. The 3/5ths Compromise
Explain why we have the system of checks and balances
To ensure that no branch of the government is more powerful than the others/has too much influence
1. at least 35 years old
2. A natural born citizens
3. A resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years
What role of the president allows him/her to send troops to aid in foreign conflicts?
Commander-in-Chief
System of gov where one strong central government completely controls weaker states
Unitary System
During the Constitutional Conventions, which group pushed for a weak central government and a bill of rights?
The Anti-Federalists
Which house of Congress has to have a majority of members vote to approve a bill before it can be sent to the president for signing?
Both houses
What is the primary function of each branch of government?
legislative- makes laws
executive- enforces laws
judicial-interprets laws
What is a rider bill?
A bill that would otherwise most likely not pass is added onto a more popular bill as an amendment. This raises the odds of the unpopular bill being passed because legislators don't want to vote no on popular bills and look bad to their constituents
What system of government does the United States operate under?
What is the name of the founding document that was eventually replaced by the U.S. Constitution?
The Articles of Confederation
The Preamble
List one check the executive branch has over the judicial branch
(teacher discretion)
Name one issue with the Articles of Confederation
1. Could not enforce taxes
2. could not raise a military
3. central gov much too weak
4. no court system
What theory of government describes the creation of the United States?
The Social Contract Theory
The North
What are the two steps to passing a Constitutional Amendment proposed by Congress?
1. majority (2/3) of both houses of Congress must vote to approve it
2. majority (3/4) of state legislatures must vote to ratify it
Explain the concept of judicial review and why it is such an important check on the other branches
Judicial review is the power of the judicial branch to declare actions of the other two branches unconstitutional. Through judicial review, the judicial branch acts as the referee of the U.S. government and has the responsibility of ensuring our government plays by the rules
What type of democracy is the United States?
Representative Democracy