The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights

Article 1

100

This branch of government makes the laws.

What is the legislative branch?

200

This chamber of the legislature has 100 elected officials who hold office for 6-year terms.

What is the Senate?

300

In what way could Congress "check" the President's ability to wage an unpopular war?

1) Refuse to declare war.

2) Refuse to provide money for the war.

400

This is many representatives does Iowa currently have in the U.S. House of Representatives.

BONUS 200: How many members are there in total in the House of Representatives?

What is 4?

BONUS 200: 435

500

In what building in Washington, D.C. does Congress meet?

What is the Capitol Building?

Article 2

100

This branch of government enforces, or carries out, laws.

What is the executive branch?

200

This is the rank the President holds in the U.S. military.

What is Commander-in-Chief?

300

This group forms the president's closest advisors, heading up each of the departments required to carry out all of the jobs of the executive branch.

What is the Cabinet?

400

This is the authority of a president to refuse to sign bills into law.

What is veto power?

500

This member of the President's cabinet handles foreign affairs, also known as the way the country interacts with other nations of the world.

What is the Secretary of State?

Article 3

100

This branch of government interprets the laws and decides when the law has been broken.

What is the Judicial branch?

200

All trials begin at this level of the court system.

What is a trial court?

300

A court trial involving a disagreement between two citizens seeking compensation for the actions of another would be this type of court case. 

(civil/criminal)

What is a civil case?

400

These are the titles given to the 9 members of the U.S. Supreme Court.

What are justices?

500

This term refers to trying an individual for the same case twice, and is prohibited by the US Constitution.

What is double jeopardy?

Bill of Rights

100

Protects your right to own a firearm.

What is the Second (2nd) Amendment?

200

Protects against unreasonable (warrantless) searches and seizures.

What is the Fourth (4th) Amendment?

300

Protects the rights of the accused (including the right to grand jury indictment, the right not to testify against oneself, and due process).

What is the Fifth (5th) Amendment?

400

Protects against excessive fines and bail and against cruel or unusual punishments.

What is the Eighth (8th) Amendment?

500

These are the 5 rights contained in the 1st Amendment.

What is freedom of speech, religion, petition, assembly, and the free press.

Vocabulary

100

This is a change to the Constitution, which requires a supermajority (2/3) of Congress or states to propose and a 3/4 majority of states to ratify (approve).

What is an amendment?

200

This is the division of power between a central (national or federal) government and regional (state and local) government.

What is federalism?

300

This e- word refers to the powers explicitly given to each branch of the government. Amendment 9 states that powers that are not explicitly stated are reserved by the states the people.

What are enumerated powers?

400

This clause declares the Constitution (and federal law) to be the supreme law of the land (i.e. constitutional/federal law trumps state law).

What is the supremacy clause?

500

This is the act of formally accusing a public official (e.g. the president) of a crime (e.g. treason) that can result in removal from office.

What is impeach(ment)?