High School Government Study Guide

Bicameral

A legislative body composed of two distinct houses or chambers.

Institutions comprising the U.S. Congress

The Senate and the House of Representatives.

Basis of representation in the House of Representatives

A state's total population.

Allocation of seats in the United States Senate

Equal representation, granting exactly two senators to every state.

Enumerated Powers

Powers explicitly listed and granted to the federal government within the text of the Constitution.

Examples of expressed legislative powers

Declaring war, imposing national taxes, and borrowing money.

Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)

Constitutional provision granting Congress the authority to pass laws required to carry out its enumerated powers.

Implied Powers

Powers not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution but reasonably deduced as necessary to execute expressed powers.

Primary role of the Executive Branch

To enforce and administer laws passed by Congress.

State of the Union Address

An annual message delivered by the President to Congress detailing the nation's condition and legislative priorities.

Constitutional qualifications to become President

Must be at least 35 years old, a natural-born citizen, and a resident of the United States for at least 14 years.

Electoral College

The official constitutional mechanism composed of electors that selects the President and Vice President based on a majority vote.

Presidential veto

The constitutional authority of the executive to reject a bill enacted by the legislative branch.

Congressional veto override requirements

A two-thirds vote in favor of the bill in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Division of impeachment powers between chambers

The House of Representatives holds the sole power to impeach (accuse), and the Senate holds the sole power to try all impeachments.

10th Amendment

Declares that powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved to the states or to the people.

12th Amendment

Requires presidential electors to cast distinct, separate ballots for the offices of President and Vice President.

16th Amendment

Authorizes the federal government to collect an income tax without apportioning it among the states.

17th Amendment

Mandates the direct election of United States senators by the popular vote of each state's citizens.

20th Amendment

Shortens the lame-duck period by advancing the commencement dates of presidential and congressional terms to January.

22nd Amendment

Restricts a person from being elected to the office of the President more than twice.

25th Amendment

Establishes formal protocols for filling vice presidential vacancies and handling cases of presidential disability.

27th Amendment

Requires an intervening election of representatives to occur before any alteration to congressional salaries can take effect.

Federalism

A governing framework that divides sovereignty and authority between a central national government and regional state governments.

Concurrent Powers

Authority held and exercised simultaneously by both state and national levels of government, such as the power to levy taxes.

Reserved Powers

Powers kept exclusively by the states or the populace because they were neither granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states.

Checks and Balances

The constitutional mechanism that allows each branch of government to restrain the actions and authority of the other branches.