American Democracy
What form does the US government have?
federal republic or constitutional federal republic
What are the powers of the Supreme Court?
To interpret the meaning of a law, to decide whether a law is relevant to a particular set of facts, or to rule on how a law should be applied
What are the three levels of the US government?
The three levels of government are the national level, the state level, and the local level.
What are the powers of Congress?
3 main powers: enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers.
What are the powers of the President?
make treaties with the approval of the Senate.
veto bills and sign bills.
represent our nation in talks with foreign countries.
enforce the laws that Congress passes.
What is the system of checks and balance of the US government?
A system in which each branch of government can "check" or control, the actions of the other branches. It keeps each branch from becoming too powerful.
What are the three branches of the US government?
legislative, executive and judicial.
Where was the original capital of the US?
The United States of America declared York, Pennsylvania the nation's first Capital in 1777.
What is the “separation and church" doctrine?
Any variation below;
citizens are free to embrace or reject a faith
any support for religion must be voluntary
all religions are equal in the eyes of the law
What is the process of Presidential succession?
VP> speaker of the House> president pro tempore of the Senate> Cabinet secretaries
(just memorize the first two)
What was one of the main reasons the English colonists came to the New World?
In the 1600s and 1700s, Europeans came to North America looking for religious freedom, economic opportunities, and political liberty.
What are two holidays that honor the members of the armed forces?
Memorial Day & Veteran's Day
How are the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate allocated?
Each state sends two Senators to represent their state in the U.S. Senate. However, in the House of Representatives, a state's representation is based on its population.
From where does the US government get its power?
Government derives its power from the people.
"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..." -Declaration on Independence
What is the US judicial system based on?
What were the reasons the colonists separated from England?
By the 1770s, many colonists were angry because they did not have self-government. This meant that they could not govern themselves and make their own laws. They had to pay high taxes to the king. They felt that they were paying taxes to a government where they had no representation.
What right are stated in the Declaration of Independence?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
How are the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate chosen?
Representatives and Senators are directly elected by the public.
What is “common law”?
Common law is law developed by judges, and is made through the interpretation of statute law.
What is the Electoral College?
The body of elector (chosen from each state) to elect the president and vice president of the U.S.
How did the French and Indian War (1763) affect the colonists?
The French and Indian War began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war's expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately to the American Revolution.
What was the Virginia House of Burgesses?
The House of Burgesses was an assembly of elected representatives from Virginia that met from 1643 to 1776. This democratically elected legislative body was the first of its kind in English North America.
What was the “Great Compromise”?
The Great Compromise established the United States legislature as a bicameral, or two-house law-making body.
It also established # of Senators & Representatives.
What was “Shays’ Rebellion about?
a series of protests in 1786 -1787 by American farmers against state and local enforcement of tax collections and judgments for debt,
caused a monetary debt crisis at the end of the American Revolutionary War
What is “gerrymandering”?
Gerrymandering, in U.S. politics, is the re-drawing of the boundaries of electoral districts to give one party an unfair advantage over its rivals.