The 3 Branches of Government
This branch’s main job is to make and pass laws.
What is the Legislative Branch?
A term meaning a legislature made up of two separate houses or chambers.
What is bicameral?
This document is officially recognized as the "highest law of the land" in the United States.
What is the U.S. Constitution?
This section of the Constitution lists our specific, guaranteed personal rights and protects us from government overreach.
What is the Bill of Rights (the first 10 Amendments)?
This political group supported the new Constitution as written and argued for a strong national government.
Who were the Federalists?
This branch’s main job is to enforce and carry out laws.
What is the Executive Branch?
These are the official names of the two houses that make up the United States Congress.
What are the Senate and the House of Representatives?
The official process by which Supreme Court justices take office: nominated by the President and confirmed by this body.
What is the Senate?
This amendment guarantees freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
What is the 1st Amendment?
This political group opposed ratifying the Constitution without changes because they feared a strong central government would threaten individual rights.
Who were the Anti-Federalists?
This system ensures that no single branch of government becomes too powerful by giving each branch ways to limit the others (e.g., the President vetoing a law).
What are checks and balances?
The total number of members in the Senate, along with the length of a single term in years.
What is 100 members and a 6-year term? (Note: The House has 435 members with 2-year terms).
The power established by the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison that allows courts to declare laws or executive actions unconstitutional.
What is Judicial Review?
This amendment protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures of their personal property.
What is the 4th Amendment?
An amendment to the Constitution can be proposed by a 2/3 vote in both houses of Congress OR by a convention called by this fraction of the states.
What is 2/3 of the states?
This principle divides government power into three distinct branches so no single group holds all authority. Unlike checks and balances (which is about limiting power), this is about dividing specific duties.
What is separation of powers?
The path a bill takes to become a law involves introduced in either house, committee review, floor debate and vote, approval by the second house, and finally this step.
What is being signed by the President (or overriding a veto)?
A division of power between the national (federal) government and individual state governments.
What is Federalism?
If a public school official searches a student's locker without reasonable suspicion or a legitimate reason, this amendment is potentially violated.
What is the 4th Amendment?
To officially ratify an amendment to the Constitution, this fraction of state legislatures (or state conventions) must vote in favor.
What is 3/4 of the states (38 out of 50 states)?
To hold this office, a person must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years.
What is the President? (Note: Senate requires 30 years old / 9 years a citizen; House requires 25 years old / 7 years a citizen).
The group of department heads (like the Secretary of State and Defense) advising the President, and the total maximum number of terms a President can serve.
What is the Cabinet, and 2 terms (or 8 years)?
Establishing local governments, conducting elections, setting up public schools, and issuing driver's licenses are examples of these types of powers.
What are reserved powers (or state powers)?
This amendment states that any powers not explicitly given to the federal government by the Constitution belong to the states or the people.
What is the 10th Amendment?
Anti-Federalists refused to ratify the Constitution unless this specific set of protections was added to guarantee individual liberties.
What is the Bill of Rights?