The Declaration of Independence
Define natural rights
What are the rights to life, liberty, and property, that are inalienable (the government cannot take them away)?
This document was the first to officially give power and separate it among a new central government and the states
What is the Articles of Confederation?
This is the main theme between both documents
What are factions?
List 3 powers given to Congress under Article I, Section 8
1. power of the purse
2. power to regulate interstate commerce
3. power to declare war and maintain an army
4. power to create federal courts
This Amendment sets the voting age at 18 years or older
What is the 26th Amendment?
Identify 3 major themes in the Declaration of Independence
1. natural rights
2. popular sovereignty
3. consent of the governed
4. grievances of the king
Identify two problems in the Articles of Confederation
1. weak national government
2. no power to tax
3. no regulation of interstate trade
4. no executive branch
5. no courts
6. no power to enforce
7. unanimous consent to amend
This is Madison's definition of a faction
What is a group of citizens united by a shared interest that goes against the rights of others or the good of the nation.
Article II creates this branch. Article III creates this branch. Identify one power given to the branch in Article II and one power given to the branch in Article III
What is the Executive Branch
What is the Judicial Branch
The 15th Amendment prohibited the denial of voting based on...?
What is race, color, or previous conditions of servitude?
The Declaration argues that governments derive their power from the people rather than monarchs
What is popular sovereignty?
Identify a problem in the Articles of Confederation and how it was corrected in the Constitution(be specific)
1. no strong national government --- more power to the federal government
2. no power to tax --- Congress has power to tax (Article 1, Section 8)
3. no regulation of interstate trade --- Congress power to regulate under Commerce Clause
4. no executive/court --- established an executive and judicial branch
5. unanimous consent to amend --- proposal by 2/3 of Congress or 2/3 of national convention by request of 2/3 of state legislatures - ratification of 3/4 states or by 3/4 of special state conventions
6. no power to enforce --- Executive branch to enforce laws + strong federal government in general
In Federalist 51, this system(s) of government is one Madison argues will prevent the harmful effects of factions and limit the power of them
separation of powers
checks and balances
This Article is about the states. Identify one clause under this Article and Explain it.
What is Article IV?
Full Faith and Credit Clause - states must respect all laws, records, and court decisions of other states
Privileges and Immunities Clause - prevents a state from treating citizens of other states unfairly (ensures that all citizens have the same basic rights who traveling or living in any state)
This amendment was the culmination of the women’s suffrage movement, giving women the legal right to participate in federal and state elections.
What is the 19th Amendment?
Define consent of the governed
This grievance most closely correlates with the democratic principle of consent of the governed
Consent of the government - the government’s power is legitimate only if the people it rules agree to it, either directly or through representatives - a government derives its authority from the approval of the people it governs.
What is taxation without representation?
Explain this event that proved the Articles were too weak and was a reason that lead to the creation of the Constitution
What is Shay's Rebellion?
Shay’s Rebellion was an uprising that started because farmers were angry over high taxes and massive amounts of debt. Because of this, they decided to protest against the government, which became violent. The government, not having an army, was not able to settle the rebellion, proving the weakness of its power. In the end, a group of elites had to pay to form an army so that they could stop the protests.
This is an example of a faction Madison explains in Federalist 10 - Explain it
What was the Rhode Island currency crisis?
The Rhode Island paper currency crisis, where a faction gained control of the state government and passed laws that hurt creditors by forcing them to accept weak paper money.
Pick one of two questions to answer.
1. What does it mean to informally amend the Constitution?
2. What Article describes the formal amendment process? Explain the process from proposal to ratification
1. What are laws or Court decisions that change how the Constitution might be interpreted in practice?
2. What is Article V of the Constitution.
2 ways to propose:
- proposal by two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress
- proposal by two-thirds vote of national convention called by Congress on request of two-thirds of state legislatures
2 ways to ratify:
- passage by three-quarters of state legislatures
passage by three-quarters of special state conventions (delegates chosen to represent the people)
the 10th Amendment emphasizes this concept. Identify, define and describe how it limits the federal government
What are reserved powers?
Reserved powers are powers not explicitly written in the Constitution given to the federal government, are reserved to the states and/or the people. This amendment limits the powers of the federal government and protects state authority, reinforcing federalism by making sure that states keep control over many everyday laws and responsibilities, rather than the federal government.
The Declaration’s justification for revolution most directly influenced which later constitutional mechanism for checking government power?
What is separation of powers and/or checks and balances?
OFF TOPIC QUESTION!
Explain how the appropriate balance of power between national and state governments has been interpreted differently over time. Include Dual Federalism, Cooperative Federalism, and Selective Incorporation in your answer.
The Articles of Confederation created the system of dual federalism. This is where the powers of the national and state governments were clearly divided, with no sharing of powers in any way. The Constitution however, created cooperative federalism. This is where power and programs are mixed among the national, state, and local governments. An example of this would be block grants or categorical grants. The federal government gives money to the states to fund for programs, either with or without conditions. Finally, selective incorporation balances power as the Supreme Court can choose to apply the Bill of Rights to the states under the due process clause of the 14th amendment on a case by case basis. Although the Bill of Rights is only to be applied by the federal government, sometimes states are forced to apply the same.
In Federalist 10, Madison argues that the Constitution creates this kind of republic. Explain how it limits the effects of factions and provide your own example of how it limits factions
What is a large republic?
In large republics, there are many different interests, beliefs and economic groups. Because there are so many competing factions, it becomes difficult for any one group to gain a majority and dominate the government. Instead, factions are forced to compete with each other, which limits their ability to become too powerful.
EASY 500
Article VI describes this clause - define it
What is the Supremacy Clause?
The Supremacy Clause states that any federal law takes precedence over any state laws. The Constitution is the "law of the land."
Describe the Fourteenth Amendment
Explain each clause in the Fourteenth Amendment
Associate a court case that associated with the Fourteenth Amendment (it does not have to be one of the required cases)
The Fourteenth Amendment grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the U.S., and requires states to provide equal protection of the law and due process to all citizens.
Equal Protection Clause - all states must treat all people equally under the law (no discrimination)
Due Process clause - all states must follow fair procedures and respect the basic rights of people before taking away the people’s natural rights
Brown vs. Board of Education (Equal Protection Clause)