Purposes, Theories, and Forms of Government
The U.S. government attempts to fulfill this purpose of government by maintaining an army and navy and by conducting foreign relations with other countries.
What is providing national security?
(Would also accept: provide for the common defense)
The Constitution says that each state receives this many senators in the U.S. Senate.
What is two (2)?
This term refers to the division of governmental power between a national government and several regional (state/local) governments.
What is federalism?
Please provide the term lengths for:
a.) a U.S. representative (House)
b.) a U.S. senator
c.) the president of the U.S.
d.) Supreme Court justices (judges)
a.) 2 years
b.) 6 years
c.) 4 years
d.) N/A (lifetime appointment)
This term refers to the president's title when acting as the supreme leader of the U.S. armed forces.
What is "commander-in-chief"?
The United States, France, Brazil, India, Germany, and Mexico (along with many other countries) use this system of government, in which citizens elect leaders to represent them.
What is a republic?
(Would also accept: representative democracy)
The Constitution states that only this body may impeach federal officials, including the president and Supreme Court justices.
What is the House of Representatives?
This term describes the Supreme Court's ability to invalidate (strike down/cancel) actions of the other two branches that they find to be unconstitutional.
What is judicial review?
What is the Senate?
This term refers to powers assigned to the federal government by the Constitution, such as declaring war and coining/printing money.
Bonus: List two other examples of these types of powers...
What are delegated powers?
Bonus: regulating interstate commerce, establishing post offices, conducting foreign policy, admitting new states to the Union, etc.
This term refers to an implicit agreement between citizens, where they give up certain freedoms to establish a government responsible for protecting their basic human rights.
What is the social contract (theory)?
While the Great Compromise established that states would be represented equally in the Senate, it also established that representation in the House would be based on this.
What is (each state's) population?
The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments illustrate this principle of government, which states that all individuals are entitled to fair legal proceedings before the government can deprive them of life, liberty, or property.
What is due process?
A presidential veto may be overridden by a vote of this many members in each chamber of Congress.
What is a two-thirds (2/3) vote?
This term refers to powers held by state governments under U.S. federalism, such as establishing and maintaining public schools.
Bonus: List two other examples of these types of powers...
What are reserved powers?
Bonus: issuing driver's licenses, passing most laws dealing with public health and safety (police, etc.), regulating intrastate commerce, etc.
In this system of government, a relatively small group of individuals (who are typically unelected) run the country's government.
What is an oligarchy?
This amendment in the U.S. Bill of Rights states that the government may not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
Example of this principle: the president may veto a bill passed by Congress, preventing it from becoming a law.
What are checks and balances?
This constitutional clause says that the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties make up "the supreme law of the land," and that state laws may not contradict federal laws.
What is the Supremacy Clause?
This person serves as the president of the U.S. Senate, and may cast a tiebreaking vote if needed.
Who is the vice president of the United States?
The language of the Declaration of Independence explicitly rejects this theory of government, in which a leader claims that God (or the gods) chose him or her to rule over their citizens.
What is divine right theory?
This constitutional clause (sentence/phrase) states that Congress may pass any law that will help them carry out their enumerated powers, as long as that law does not violate some other part of the Constitution.
What is the Necessary and Proper Clause?
(Would also accept: The Elastic Clause)
This principle of government is illustrated in one of the most famous quotes from the Declaration of Independence: "Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
What is popular sovereignty?
Describe the two-step process used to amend the U.S. Constitution.
Step 1= proposal, Step 2 = ratification (approval)
(Hint: involves only Congress and the states)
Proposal: 2/3 vote in each chamber of Congress
Ratification: Approved by 3/4 of the states
Provide an example of a power Congress currently has that they did not have under the Articles of Confederation (1781-1789).
Taxation, regulating interstate commerce, creating an army, etc.