Amendments/civil liberties
What is the first amendment?
protections of religion, speech, press, assembly, petition
What was the first law of the land after the American Revolution and what did it do?
Articles of Confederation, low power to the federal government, unicameral legislation, no judicial or executive branch
What is the electoral college, how does it work, when do the steps for it take place?
the system used to vote for the president of the United States, voters vote for an elector, who then votes for the president, people vote in November, electors actually cast vote in December, votes finally counted on January 6th.
What is Article 1 about?
the legislative branch, states how long senators and representatives serve, section 8 discusses enumerated and implied powers
What can the Supreme court rule over?
state vs state
federal vs state
appeals made from lower courts
what is the lemon test? what are the 3 steps of the test
a test to see if a government institution is supporting one religion over another
the three steps of passing the test are:
secular legislative purpose
should not diminish or push for a religion
should not result in excessive government entanglement with religion
What was the event that made the United States realize they needed to redo the articles of confederation and why did it happen?
Shays Rebellion, caused due to the state of Massachusetts imposing large taxes on farmers
how long do presidents is a presidents term? how many terms can they have?
4 years, 2 terms
How long does a senator serve? how long does a representative serve?
6 years for senators, 2 years for representatives
what is judicial review
an implied power of the Supreme court to interpret the constitution.
What is the free exercise clause?
the ability to exercise the religion of your choosing
What were the New Jersey and Virginia plans? What was the Connecticut plan/Great Compromise?
New Jersey plan: keep legislators of each state equal
Virginia plan: let legislators be represented by population numbers
Connecticut plan: Compromise that established the bicameral legislative branch giving supporters of both plans what they wanted.
What is a pardon? what is amnesty?
the ability of the president to forgive anyone for a crime that they have committed. Amnesty is forgiveness to a wide range of people
What is an enumerated power, what is an implied power?
enumerated: said to have in the constitution
Implied: implied to have by the constitution but not directly stated
what does article 4 do?
full faith and credit: states must respect legal proceedings in other states (marriage, divorce, drivers license)
Privileges and immunity clause: cannot treat citizens of other states as second class citizens
when can the courts rule against your freedom of speech?
if there is a clear and present danger. case by case ruling
What is the three-fifths compromise, how did it help the Southern states?
a compromise made by the federal government in which a slave counted for 3/5ths of a vote, was supported by the Southern states as it kept them in power at a federal level.
what is a veto? how can it be bypassed?
What is the necessary and proper clause and what does it do?
states that the power is given to congress to pass laws needed to execute enumerated powers
What does article 5 do? what are the two options for amending the constitution?
goes over how to make amendments to the constitution
2/3rds (both houses) vote in congress to pass an amendment
2nd option: 2/3 of states calling convention to make new amendment
what is the imminent lawless action test
a speech must give an immediate amount of push for lawlessness to a crowd or group
Who chose the senators of the United States in the beginning?
State legislators, notably not the people
what are the two major roles of the president? what can he do under those two roles?
commander in chief: can engage in military action without declaration of war, power to command the military
Chief diplomat: power to negotiate with foreign powers
how does impeachment of the president work? what are the steps?
investigation by a house committee, charges drawn up, then a vote in the house requiring 50 percent to impeach.
Move over to the senate where there is more talks and eventually a vote requiring two thirds majority
how many members of the supreme court are there? how long do they serve?
9, serve for life