Old America
Religious Freedom
What was one of the main reasons the English colonists came to the New World?
Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
What are the 3 branches of the US government?
A system where each branch of government can limit the powers of the others to keep one from becoming too powerful.
What are checks and balances?
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
What are rights stated in the Declaration of Independence?
A constitutional federal republic (representative democracy).
What is the form of the US government?
They were given No Representation.
Why did the colonists have a problem with the taxation laws in England?
By direct vote from the people during elections.
How are the members of the House and Senate elected?
Interprets laws and decide if they’re constitutional
What are the powers of the Judicial Branch (Supreme Court)?
A belief that the government should not establish on interfere with religion.
What is the separation of church doctrine?
Vice President → Speaker of the House → President pro tempore → Cabinet member
What is the process of presidential succession?
The first elected assembly in the American colonies.
What was the Virginia House of Burgesses?
House of Representative: By a state’s population
Senate: 2 per state
How are the members of the House and Senate allocated?
Enforce laws, lead the military, make treaties, veto laws
What are the powers of the Executive Branch (President)?
A document written by Thomas Jefferson which established the 13 American colonies as independent states, free from rule by Great Britain.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
Taxation increased heavily, and the colonists had to pay off Britain’s debt.
What is the effect of the French and Indian War (1763)?
Farmers rebelled over taxes and debt — showed need for stronger government
What was Shay’s Rebellion about?
A body of electors who vote for President based on state results
What is the Electoral College?
Common Law and the Constitution
What is the US Judicial System based on?
Created a two-house Congress and balanced power between big and small states.
What was the outcome of the “Great Compromise”?
Type of law that uses past judicial rulings and traditions to guide future legal decisions.
Philadelphia
Where was the original capital of the US?
All people and institutions within a political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law".
What is Rule of Law?
Make laws, declare war, control taxes and budget
What are the powers of the Legislative Branch (Congress)?
A document was adopted during the Revolutionary War to create a national government. The new government was weak because states held most of the power, and Congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control the coining of money. It was later replaced with the U.S. Constitution.
What were the Articles of Confederation?
The act of redrawing voting districts to favor one party in an election.
What is gerrymandering?