Principals of American Government
What is the supreme law of the land?
the Constitution
Name one branch or part of the government.*
▪ Congress
▪ legislative
▪ President
▪ executive
▪ the courts
▪ judicial
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?*
▪ serve on a jury
▪ vote in a federal election
What is one reason colonists came to America?
▪ freedom
▪ political liberty
▪ religious freedom
▪ economic opportunity
▪ practice their religion
▪ escape persecution
Who was President during World War I?
▪ (Woodrow) Wilson
What does the Constitution do?
▪ sets up the government
▪ defines the government
▪ protects basic rights of Americans
What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
▪ checks and balances
▪ separation of powers
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
▪ the United States
▪ the flag
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
▪ American Indians
▪ Native Americans
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
▪ (Franklin) Roosevelt
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
▪ We the People
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
▪ the President
Name one right only for United States citizens.
▪ vote in a federal election
▪ run for federal office
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
▪ Africans
▪ people from Africa
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.*
▪ World War I
▪ World War II
▪ Korean War
▪ Vietnam War
▪ (Persian) Gulf War
What is an amendment?
▪ a change (to the Constitution)
▪ an addition (to the Constitution)
What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*
the Senate and House (of Representatives)
What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
▪ freedom of expression
▪ freedom of speech
▪ freedom of assembly
▪ freedom to petition the government
▪ freedom of religion
▪ the right to bear arms
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
▪ (Thomas) Jefferson
Who did the United States fight in World War II?
▪ Japan, Germany, and Italy
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
▪ speech
▪ religion
▪ assembly
▪ press
▪ petition the government
Who makes federal laws?
▪ Congress
▪ Senate and House (of Representatives)
▪ (U.S. or national) legislature
There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
▪ Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
▪ You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.
▪ Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.)
▪ A male citizen of any race (can vote).
Why did the colonists fight the British?
because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
▪ because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
▪ because they didn’t have self-government
Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
▪ World War II