FCLE Exam

How does the Magna Carta provide a foundation for the English perspective of participatory governance?

It establishes a basis for individual rights.

What led to the creation of the English Declaration of Rights (sometimes known as the "English Bill of Rights") in 1689?

Tension over who should rule; an individual or the people

Who is considered to have been the most influential Enlightenment philosopher on the Declaration of Independence?

John Locke

What is the significance of the Mayflower Compact?

It is the first attempt by Europeans of self-government in the colonies.

What aspect of the U.S. Constitution was influenced by Montesquieu?

Separation of powers

For what purpose were the Federalist Papers written?

To support ratification of the Constitution and explain its commitment to limited government.

What did the anti-Federalist want the Constitution to include?

A bill of rights

What rights are listed in the Declaration of Independence?

Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness

For what purpose did Thomas Paine write Common Sense?

To encourage the colonists to demand independence from Great Britain

Which of the following were thought to be weaknesses of the government laid out by the Articles of Confederation?

no power to tax and no executive or judiciary

A state that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and policies is practicing a form of:

direct democracy

An individual's belief that ordinary citizens can affect what government does is:

political efficacy

The principle that authority of the government rests in the hands of the people is:

popular sovereignty

The "rule of law" is best described as:

citizens are governed by laws; no one is above the law

In the U.S., voters chose representatives from the state to represent them in the U.S. Congress. This is known as:

indirect democracy

Which of the following are reserved for U.S. citizens only?

voting, serving on a jury, and holding federal office

Which of the following best are the two dominant political parties in the U.S.

Democrats and Republicans

In general, the Republican party is ideologically

conservative

Who is responsible for registering voters in the state of Florida?

a county supervisor of elections

Who is the chief executive in a state?

the governor

Congress creates laws, but those laws can be vetoed by the president or overturned by the Supreme Court. This is an example of a Constitutional principle known as:

Checks and Balances

Articles one, two, and three in the Constitution reflect which constitutional principle:

separation of powers

Which part of the U.S. Constitution declares it to be the supreme law of the land?

Article VI

The concept of self-government can be found in:

the preamble beginning with "we the people"

How many amendments have been added to the Constitution?

27

Which of the following best describes the concept of 'rule of law':

No one is above the law, including government and elected officials.

Which of the following best describes federalism:

a dual system of sovereignty where both national and state governments have authority.

What is the purpose of the 22nd amendment:

Limits the president to two terms

Which amendments expanded protections for voting rights (check all that apply):

15, 19, 24, and 26

The Constitution established a system of "dual sovereignty," under which the states have surrendered some of their powers to the federal government, but also retained some sovereignty. All other powers were to be held by the states, local communities, or the people themselves in a concept known as:

Federalism

The Constitution used the Virginia Plan's two-house, or "bicameral," legislature, but it accorded proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate. This feature of Congress is a result of:

The Great Compromise

During the ratification of the Constitution, Federalists eventually agreed to support further ratification of ten amendments to the Constitution in order to appease Anti-Federalists' fears of an overwhelming national government that could impinge upon personal liberties. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are collectively known as the:

Bill of Rights

Signing a petition in support or in opposition to pending legislation is an exercise of which Amendment?

The First Amendment

The Fourth Amendment:

prevents "unreasonable searches and seizures," and requires authorities to show probable cause to obtain warrants to search dwellings and seize property.

Which Amendment provides that "no persons shall be compelled in any criminal case to testify against themselves," that is, to submit to self-incrimination?

The Fifth Amendment

Which founding document directly influenced the American Bill of Rights (1791)?

English Declaration of Rights (1689)

Which feature of the Constitution did the Anti-Federalists fear would lead to the emergence of tyranny?

the provisions that created a government without direct responsibility to the citizens

During the ratification process of the Constitution, two major camps emerged: the _______ who opposed ratification, and ______ who supported its ratification.

Anti-Federalists, Federalists

The Anti-Federalists opposed the ratification of the Constitution because they were afraid that the new national government would be too powerful and thus threaten individual liberties. They favored all of the following EXCEPT:

the indirect election of government officials

To appease some of the fears of the Anti-Federalists and to ensure the ratification of the Constitution, the Federalists promised that they would:

add amendments specifically protecting individual liberties

Which of the following cases established the precedent that the Supreme Court has the power of judicial review?

Marbury v. Madison 1803

Which of the following cases established the precedent that the U.S. Congress had the power to establish a bank based on the necessary and proper clause?

McCullough v. Maryland 1819

Which of the following cases limited power held by the states:

Dred Scott v. Sandford 1857 and U.S. v. Nixon 1971

Which of the following cases rule that states could not put limits on abortion access in the first trimester of pregnancy:

Roe v. Wade 1973

Which of the following cases established a right to privacy in the marital bedroom:

Griswold v. Connecticut 1965

Which of the following cases ruled evidence of crime collected outside of the parameters of the search cannot be used in court:

Mapp v. Ohio 1961

Which of the following cases required states to provide attorneys to criminal defendants who cannot afford their own:

Gideon v. Wainwright 1963

Which of the following cases required state law enforcement to read suspects their constitutional rights before custodial interrogation:

Miranda v. Arizona 1966

Which of the following cases determined standardless manual recounts violate the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Constitution:

Bush v. Gore 2000

Which of the following is a case that centered on the first amendment:

Engle v. Vitale 1962

Which of the following cases centered on political speech paid for by unions and corporations?

Citizen's United v. Federal Elections Commission 2010

A federal judge dismissed a libel lawsuit by Sarah Palin because she could not prove actual malice on the part of the New York Times. Which of the following cases reflects this position?

New York Times Co. V. Sullivan 1964

Which of the following cases established the "separate but equal" precedent?

Plessy v Ferguson 1896

Which of the following cases overturned the "separate but equal" precedent in education?

Brown v. Board of Education 1954

Which of the following cases focused on the fourteenth amendment?

Plessy v Ferguson 1896 and Brown v. Board of Education 1954

Which of the following cases limited state endorsed religious prayer in public schools?

Engle v. Vitale 1962

The power of government to take private property for public use is called:

eminent domain

Which of the following cases ruled that achieving "a diverse student body" was a "compelling public purpose,", but the method of a rigid quota of admission slots assigned on the basis of race violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause?

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke 1978

Which of the following cases centered on the first amendment right of freedom of the press?

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier 1988

Which of the following cases declared "students did not lose their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech when they stepped onto school property"?

Tinker v. Des Moines 1969

Amendment that represents freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition

Amendment 1

The right to bear arms

Amendment 2

Amendment that prohibits forced quartering of soldiers

Amendment 3

Amendment that prohibits unreasonable search & seizures

Amendment 4

Amendment that lists the rules for indictment by grand jury, and eminent domain. Protects the right to due process. Prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy

Amendment 5

Amendment that protects the right to a fair and speedy trial. Gives you the right to be notified of accusations, confront the accuser, and obtain a witness for or against you

Amendment 6

Amendment that provides the right to trial by jury in civil cases

Amendment 7

Amendment that prohibits cruel & unusual punishment

Amendment 8

People's rights are not limited to those in the Constitution.

Amendment 9

Amendment that states some powers reserved to the states

Amendment 10

Amendment that states cases in which a state was sued without the consent from jurisdiction of federal government must be removed

Amendment 11

Amendment that states presidential electors have to vote for president and vice president seperately

Amendment 12

No person under the jurisdiction of the US can be a slave and congress can pass legislation implementing the abolition of slavery

Amendment 13

Amendment that gives rights of citizens: 1)all persons born in the united states are granted citizenship, 2) no state can deny any person the equal protection of the laws, 3)no state can deny any person life, liberty, property without due process of law

Amendment 14

Amendment that doesn't allow you to deny a vote because of race, color, previous condition of servitude

Amendment 15

Amendment that states congress has the right to levy an income tax

Amendment 16

Amendment that gives the right to elect US senators by popular vote

Amendment 17

Congress has the right to prohibit the manufacture, sale and transportation of liquor

Amendment 18

Amendment that states all women have the right to vote

Amendment 19

Presidential Inauguration Day is Jan. 20 and Jan. 3 is the date for the new congress opening. If the president dies before swearing in, the Vice President elect becomes president

Amendment 20

Amendment that repeals the 18th Amendment; empowered Congress to regulate liquor industries

Amendment 21

Amendment that limits the Presidnet to two full terms in office

Amendment 22

Granted voters in the District of Columbia the right to vote for president and vice president

Amendment 23

Amendment that forbade requiring the payment of a poll tax to vote in a federal election

Amendment 24

Amendment that provided for succession to the office of president in the event of death or incapicity and for filling vacancies in the office of the vice president

Amendment 25

Amendment that guaranteed the right to vote to 18 year olds

Amendment 26

Amendment that banned Congress form increasing its members' salaries until the next election

Amendment 27

The president is elected by a majority of electoral votes. After an election a group of electors chosen by each state officially cast the electoral votes for their state to choose the President.

Electoral College

This document was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1781 during the Revolutionary War to create a national government. The new government was weak because states held most of the power, and Congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control the coining of money. It was later replaced with the U.S. Constitution.

Articles of Confederation

introduced by Roger Sherman; set up a bicameral Congress - upper house called Senate with each state getting 2 votes & a lower house called the House of Representatives with each state's representation based on its population--satisfied both the large and small states

Great Compromise

is the breaking of the gov't into Federal and state levels, each having certain powers

Federalism

system of each branch of gov't having a power to check the power of the other to make sure no one branch becomes too powerful

Checks and Balances

headed by the President and carries out the laws; also includes the Vice President and the Cabinet members

Executive Branch

a statute in draft before it becomes law

Bill

the judge who presides over the supreme court

Chief Justice

The role of the president as the supreme commander of the armed forces of the United States.

Commander-in-Chief

highest ranking member of a state's executive branch

Governor

powers reserved for the states; examples: creating and maintaining an education system, creating local governments

Reserved powers

presidential power to stop a bill from becoming a law by rejecting it

Veto power

the order in which officials fill the office of president in case of a vacancy-1. Vice President, 2. Speaker of the House of Representatives, 3. President of the Senate Pro Tempore, ...

presidential succession