Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights are the first __ amendments to the United States Constitution.
Ten (10)
The Legislative Branch's main job is to ...
Create Laws
Who is the leader of the Executive Branch, and what is the main job of this Branch ?
The President of the United States is the leader and their main role in our Government is to enforce the laws
Which amendment is being violated in this scenario
Police come to your house and search it without a warrant.
4th Amendment - Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures
What was the name of the United States first form of Government ? What made it weak ?
Articles of Confederation.
Weak national government
No power to tax
No power to declare war
Which amendment protects free speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion ?
First Amendment
What is one way the Executive Branch can check the Legislative Branch ?
The executive branch can check the legislative branch by vetoing laws that congress wants to pass.
What is the main job of the Judicial Branch ? Explain what that means.
The Judicial Branch interprets the law. They make sure that laws are fair, just, and follow the Constitution.
Which amendment is being violated in this scenario
A soldier demands to live in a family's house during peacetime, but the family refuses.
3rd amendment - No quartering of soldiers
The Legislative Branch has a two parts, the ______ of ______, and the _______ which has 100 members (2 per state)
House of Representatives, Senate
Which amendment protects the right to bear arms (have/own weapons or guns).
Second amendment
How many members do we have TOTAL in the Legislative Branch ?
435 House of Representative Members
100 Senators
= 535 TOTAL members
Who appoints supreme court judges, AND how long do they serve ?
The President appoints the judges, and they serve for LIFE, unless they retire, resign or are removed from office !
Which amendment is being violated in this scenario
Police officers force a suspect to confess without reading them their rights or letting them stay silent.
5th Amendment (Protection against self-incrimination and right to remain silent — "Miranda rights")
What is Corroboration ?
Comparing different sources to see if they agree or disagree
Which amendment in the Bill of Rights protects people from self-incrimination and guarantees the right to due process of law?
5th amendment - due process, right against self incrimination, and guarantees rights.
If the President vetoes a bill, what can Congress (Legislative Branch) do to override the veto?
Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses; House of Representatives and the Senate.
2/3 of 535 is approximately 356.67.
So, for Congress to override a veto, they would need 357 votes (since the number must be a whole number).
How many members does the Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) have, and who is the leader ?
9
Leader - Chief Justice
Which amendment is being violated in this scenario
A person is fined $1 million for littering a candy wrapper on the ground.
8th Amendment (Protection from excessive fines and cruel or unusual punishment)
Executive Branch: How many terms can a person serve as President, and how long is each term?
2 terms
4 years per term
8 years total
Since the U.S. Constitution doesn’t mention education, each state creates its own rules for running public schools
10th Amendment - Powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states — like controlling education
How can the supreme court (Judicial Branch) check the Executive and Legislative Branches if they create and pass a law that violates the Constitution ?
The Supreme Court can rule laws, executive orders as unconstitutional if they do not follow the Constitution.
Legislative Branch:
Explain what determines how many House of representatives members each state has.
How many Senators we have in the United States, and how that number is determined.
House of representative - Based on a states population
Senate - 100 Senators, 2 Senators per state.
A student at a public school wears a t-shirt with a political message on it, and the school asks the student to take it off, arguing that it disrupts the school environment.
Question: Does the school’s action violate the student’s 1st Amendment right to free speech? Why or why not?
Yes, the school’s action likely violates the student’s 1st Amendment right to free speech. The 1st Amendment protects the freedom of speech, and public schools cannot censor student speech unless it causes a significant disruption to the school environment (as stated in the Tinker v. Des Moines case). If the t-shirt doesn’t cause disruption, the school cannot legally force the student to remove it.
How Dress Codes Work with the 1st Amendment:
While the 1st Amendment guarantees free speech, it’s not absolute, especially in schools. Courts have ruled that schools have the right to enforce dress codes to maintain a safe and focused learning environment. However, they cannot restrict student expression unless it causes a disruption.
Why did Southern States want to count slaves as part of their population ? What was this compromise called ?
Southern states wanted to count enslaved people to get more members in the House of Representatives. The Three-Fifths Compromise counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for this purpose.