American Government
What is the supreme law of the land?
the Constitution
Name one branch or part of the government
Congress
legislative
President
executive
the courts
judicial
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 is one reason colonists came to America?
freedom
political liberty
religious freedom
economic opportunity
practice their religion
escape persecution
Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
Missouri (River)
Mississippi (River)
What does the Constitution do?
sets up the government
defines the government
protects basic rights of Americans
What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
checks and balances
separation of powers
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?*
serve on a jury
vote in a federal election
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
American Indians
Native Americans
What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
Pacific (Ocean)
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
We the People
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
the President
Name one right only for United States citizens.
vote in a federal election
run for federal office
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
Africans
people from Africa
Name one U.S. territory
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
American Samoa
Northern Mariana Islands
Guam
What is an amendment?
a change (to the Constitution)
an addition (to the Constitution)
Who makes federal laws?
Congress
Senate and House (of Representatives)
(U.S. or national) legislature
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
Why did the colonists fight the British?
because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
because they didn’t have self-government
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
because there were 13 original colonies
because the stripes represent the original colonies
What do we call the first ten amendments
to the Constitution?
the Bill of Rights
What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*
the Senate and House (of Representatives)
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
the United States
the flag
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
(Thomas) Jefferson
What is the name of the national anthem?
The Star-Spangled Banner