Principles of American Democracy
What does the Constitution do?
▪ sets up the government
▪ defines the government
▪ protects basic rights of Americans
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
▪ the President
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).
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
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
▪ We the People
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
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
▪ The Constitution was written.
▪ The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?*
▪ fought for civil rights
▪ worked for equality for all American
What is the economic system in the United States?*
▪ capitalist economy
▪ market economy
Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?*
Chuck Schumer
Kirsten Gilibrand
What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen
▪ give up loyalty to other countries
▪ defend the Constitution and laws of the United States ▪ obey the laws of the United States
▪ serve in the U.S. military (if needed)
▪ serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed)
▪ be loyal to the United States
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers
▪ (James) Madison ▪ (Alexander) Hamilton ▪ (John) Jay ▪ Publius
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States
▪ Cherokee ▪ Navajo ▪ Sioux ▪ Chippewa ▪ Choctaw ▪ Pueblo ▪ Apache ▪ Iroquois ▪ Creek ▪ Blackfeet ▪ Seminole ▪ Cheyenne ▪ Arawak ▪ Shawnee ▪ Mohegan ▪ Huron ▪ Oneida ▪ Lakota ▪ Crow ▪ Teton ▪ Hopi ▪ Inuit
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
▪ speech ▪ religion ▪ assembly ▪ press ▪ petition the government
Name your U.S. Representative.
Brian Higgins
When must all men register for the Selective Service?
▪ at age eighteen (18)
▪ between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
▪ freed the slaves
▪ freed slaves in the Confederacy
▪ freed slaves in the Confederate states
▪ freed slaves in most Southern states
Who was President during World War I?
▪ (Woodrow) Wilson
What is the “rule of law”?
▪ Everyone must follow the law.
▪ Leaders must obey the law.
▪ Government must obey the law.
▪ No one is above the law.
Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
▪ all people of the state
What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
▪ vote
▪ join a political party
▪ help with a campaign
▪ join a civic group
▪ join a community group
▪ give an elected official your opinion on an issue ▪ call Senators and Representatives
▪ publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
▪ run for office
▪ write to a newspaper
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
▪ U.S. diplomat
▪ oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
▪ first Postmaster General of the United States
▪ writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
▪ started the first free libraries
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
▪ (Franklin) Roosevelt