Vocabulary
Define democracy.
A system of government run by elected officials who represent the people.
Name one of the responsibilities of the US President.
1. Chief executive
2. Commander in Chief
3. Diplomat
4. Legislator
5. Magistrate
Name the two "chambers" (or sides) of Congress.
The House of Representatives and The Senate
How many judges can sit on the Supreme Court at one time?
9
Name the three layers of government.
Federal, State, Local
Define legislator.
Someone who makes laws.
Name the indirect system used to elect the U.S. President.
The Electoral College
How many elected officials (Senators) are in the Senate?
100 (two per state)
How long are term limits for Supreme Court Justices?
They have no term limits; they are allowed to serve a life-long term.
Who is our only nationally elected leader?
The President
Finish this sentence. "Democracy is a WE...
...not a THEM."
The President is the US main diplomat. What is a diplomat?
A diplomat is someone selected to represent their country to others around the world.
How many elected representatives are in the House of Representatives (The Lower House) and what is it based on?
435 House Representatives (each state gets a different number based on their population size.)
Why is the Supreme Court the least democratic of the other branches of government?
The Supreme Court decides cases by determining if the issue is constitutional or not. They are not elected and should not be influenced by the will of the people.
Name one reason why our democracy isn't as fair as it could be.
1. Voter suppression
2. Lack of diversity
3. More power to wealthy and corporations
4. Unresponsive government
5. Divided government
Define federalism.
Federalism is the American system where the federal government shares power with the 50 state governments.
Name one of the two kinds of decisions that US Presidents can create to carry out their directives:
1. Executive Orders 2. Executive Actions
How long does a Senator's term last? How long does a House of Representative's term last?
6 (Senator); 2 (House)
Name one way a Supreme Court justice gets their position.
1. Appointed by the President
2. Confirmed by the Senate
How do BOTH houses in Congress work together to create legislation (laws)?
Either side of Congress (Senate or House) can write bills and vote for them in their chamber. But, for a bill to become official, it must move to the other chamber of Congress for a vote before it goes to the president to be signed into law.
Explain the system of Checks and Balances.
The system of Checks and Balances means that each of the three branches holds some power over the other two branches so that no branch of government becomes too powerful.
What is one way that the Executive Branch can "check" the Legislative Branch in our system of "checks and balances."
The Executive Branch (the President) can VETO a bill from the Legislative Branch (aka Congress)
Congress has two chambers (or parts). Why?
The House of Representatives provides proportional representation and the Senate provides equal power.
What is one way that the Judicial Branch can "check" the Legislative Branch?
The Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) can rule a law made by Congress unconstitutional.
State governments have: a state constitution, three branches of state government (State Executive, State Judicial and State Legislative branches)