Unit 1
What is the purpose of the judicial branch?
To interpret laws
What are the two chambers of the Legislative Branch?
House of Representatives and Senate
What are the two major political parties in the United States?
Democrat and Republican
What Enlightenment philosopher pioneered the idea of separation of powers?
Charles de Montesquieu
What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
Bill of Rights
Where did the Constitutional Convention take place?
Philadelphia, PA
How many senators are there?
100 (2 per state)
What is a primary election?
election in which people vote for the presidential candidate they want to represent their political party in the national election
Who was the first president of the United States?
George Washington
What does it mean to ratify?
Name two weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
Answers vary - Inability to collect taxes/pay debts/raise a national army, Unicameral (one house, one branch)
How does a bill become law?
1. Proposed on floor of a chamber
2. Goes to committee in that chamber
3. Floor vote in first chamber
4. Committee + floor vote in second chamber
5. Signed by the president
How many electoral votes does Washington D.C. have in the Electoral College
3
What Enlightenment philosopher was a major inspiration to Thomas Jefferson when writing the Declaration of Independence?
John Locke
Why was the Magna Carta so influential on the formation of the U.S. government?
Where was the world's first democracy and name one philosopher that inspired it?
Athens; Plato/Socrates/Aristotle
What is an implied power of the executive branch?
Executive order, signing statement, bully pulpit
Why did the Founding Fathers establish the electoral college?
To "protect democracy" from the largely uneducated public
Name one prominent Federalist Founding Father and one Anti-Federalist Founding Father
Answers vary - ex. Hamilton/Adams/Washington and Jefferson/Madison/Burr
What issue did the Great Compromise solve?
What country uses a Parliamentary government?
United Kingdom
Marbury v. Madison
What are the two most common methods of gerrymandering? Describe them.
Packing and cracking
Which president became the first to embrace television as a way to reach voters?
John F. Kennedy
What event and successive Supreme Court case established limits on executive privilege?
Watergate Scandal; United States v. Nixon (1974)