Unit 1
A major immigration station from the late 1800s to early 1900s
Ellis Island
Define the three branches of government
Legislative - makes the laws
Executive - carries out the laws
Judicial - interprets the laws
What are the formal words for the federal, state, and shared powers
enumerated
reserved
concurrent
A presidential candidate needs ___ out of ___ electoral votes to win the election
270 out of 538
How do Supreme Court justices earn their position?
The President appoints them
People who are trying to escape dangers in their home country
Refugee
Three levels of the court system (lowest to highest)
District Courts, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court
Leadership of city government
mayor
Democratic candidates typically get the majority of their votes in ___
cities or urban areas
Define cabinet
Group of close advisors to the President that aides and specialize in certain areas
What is the census? How often does it take place?
An official counting of the population; 10 years
Define anti-federalists and federalists
anti-federalists - opposed the ratification of the constitution
federalists - supported the ratification of the constitution
How many representatives are in the House and in the Senate?
House - 435
Senate - 100
What is the main difference between the Republican and Democratic parties?
D - more active role for gov
R - limited gov
define filibuster
Method of intentionally prolonging debate in the Senate
What does native-born mean?
Write an example of a block grant and a categorical grant
block (not specific purpose)
categorical (specific purpose)
Define federalism
a system of government where the powers are divided between national, state, and local governments
What is a possible consequence if a political party offers policies that are too extreme?
voters in the middle will switch to the other party
Define:
Nominate
Amendment
Ratification
Candidate
- to select
- change to the constitution
- approval
- someone who runs for political office
What was the Nationality Act of 1790?
It allowed people from other countries to apply for citizenship
Define the 22nd and 25th amendments
22 - term limits
25 - presidential succession
the only level of courts where jury trials are held
district court
Why did many founding fathers distrust the idea of political parties? (full sentence)
divide the country against each other
disrupt national unity
reduce productivity
one party could become too powerful
explain why the democratic and republican parties are of almost equal strength and one party does not dominate our system
Each party tries to attract as many voters as possible, so both parties tend to offer ideas and policies that are near the center of public opinion
•Neither party wants to offer policies that might be considered too extreme because they know that if they fail to please a majority of voters, those voters may join the other party