The Branches of Government
Constitution Potpourri
Amendments
Bill of Rights
Vocabulary
100

This branch of government makes the laws.

What is the legislative branch?

100

The preamble of the Constitution has this many words

What is 52?

100

These Amendments canceled each other out within ten years.

What are the prohibition Amendments / the 18th and 21st Amendments?

100

Protects your freedoms of speech, religion, assembly and petition.

What is the First (1st) Amendment?

100
This is the authority of a president to refuse to sign bills into law.
What is veto power?
200

This branch of government enforces, or carries out, laws.

What is the executive branch?

200

The Constitution was written here, in Independence Hall.

Where is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?

200

The 19th Amendment gave this group this crucial right.

What is women the right to vote?

200
Protects against unreasonable (warrantless) searches and seizures (unless reasonable suspicion or probable cause exists).
What is the Fourth (4th) Amendment?
200
This is a change to the Constitution, which requires a supermajority (2/3) of Congress or states to propose and a 3/4 majority of states to ratify (approve).
What is an amendment?
300
This branch of government interprets the law.
What is the judicial branch?
300

A known printmaker and kite flyer, he was the oldest delegate to the Constitutional Convention, at age 86.

Who is Benjaman Franklin?

300

These three Amendments were put into place after the Civil War to protect the rights of newly freed African Americans.

What are the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, or the Reconstruction Amendments?

300
Protects the rights of the accused (including the right to grand jury indictment, the right not to testify against oneself, and due process).
What is the Fifth (5th) Amendment?
300

This is the division of power between a central (national or federal) government and regional (state and local) government.

What is federalism?

400

The division of government into three branches in order to restrict the accumulation of power by any one person or body.

What is the separation of powers?

400

More than half of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention had this as their day job.

What are lawyers?

400

The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 because of this war.

What is the Vietnam War?

400
Protects against excessive fines and bail and against cruel or unusual punishments.
What is the Eighth (8th) Amendment?
400
This clause declares the Constitution (and federal law) to be the supreme law of the land (i.e. constitutional/federal law trumps state law).
What is the supremacy clause?
500

A system of restrictions placed on individual branches of government by the other branches of government to maintain a balance of power.

What is the system of checks and balances?

500

Perhaps surprisingly, this Declaration of Independence author did not sign the Constitution.

Who is Thomas Jefferson?

500

The 12th Amendment established this voting process for electing a president, which has caused many controversial elections in the past.

What is the electoral college?

500

Protects the rights of those on trial (including a speedy, public jury trial of one's peers; access to an attorney; and the rights to obtain and confront witnesses for and against).

What is the Sixth (6th) Amendment?

500

This is the act of formally accusing a public official (e.g. the president) of a crime (e.g. treason) that can result in removal from office.

What is impeach(ment)?

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