CONSTITUTION BASICS
This introduces the Constitution and outlines its purposes.
What is the Preamble?
The Constitution is divided into these three main parts.
What are Introduction (Preamble), Government Structure & Powers (Articles), and Citizens' Rights (Bill of Rights/Amendments)?
These are the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
What is the Bill of Rights?
This group serves as advisors to the President.
The Cabinet
This important meeting in 1787 resulted in the creation of the Constitution.
What is the Constitutional Convention?
This branch makes the laws in the U.S. government.
What is the Legislative Branch?
This branch enforces laws.
What is the Executive Branch?
Four constitutional requirements for becoming president.
What are: natural born citizen, at least 35 years old, lived in the US for 14 years, and serves a four-year term?
Under the Articles of Confederation, this level of government had too much power.
What is the State government?
This clause in the Constitution required the return of escaped enslaved people to their enslavers.
What is the Fugitive Slave Clause?
The first form of government for the United States after the Revolutionary War.
What were the Articles of Confederation
A major weakness of the Articles of Confederation was the inability of the government to do this.
What is tax (or raise money)?
This 1786-1787 uprising highlighted weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation.
What is Shays' Rebellion?
This Founding Father owned over 600 enslaved people despite writing 'all men are created equal.'
Who is Thomas Jefferson?
This principle divides the government into three branches.
What is Separation of Powers?
This compromise counted enslaved persons as 3/5 of a person for representation.
What is the Three-Fifths Compromise?
He proposed the Three-Fifths Compromise.
Who is James Wilson of Pennsylvania?
The Constitution prohibited banning the slave trade until this year.
What is 1808?
This principle means laws restrict government control over citizens' freedom.
What is Limited Government?
The Articles of Confederation required this level of agreement to make amendments.
Needed all states to agree
This principle means that power belongs to the people.
What is Popular Sovereignty?
This principle explains how each branch limits the power of other branches.
What are Checks and Balances?
This principle divides power between federal and state governments.
What is Federalism?
The total number of amendments that have been added to the Constitution.
What is 27?
The role of the Judicial Branch in the U.S. government
What is interpreting laws?