Studied by 14 people
When was the Declaration of Independence issued?
July 4th, 1776
What are the Articles of Confederation?
The documents that established the functions of the national government of the US after declaring independence from Great Britain
How long did the Articles of Confederation last?
Through the revolutionary war
What is a confederation?
When the smaller units have more power than the larger unit
What was congress not allowed to do because of the Articles of Confederation?
Tax
Create and army or navy
Regulate trade
Make the states obey
What was the Constitutional Convention?
When the constitution was written
When and where was the Constitutional Convention held?
1787 in Philadelphia
How many states attended the Constitutional Convention?
12 out of 13
Why didn’t Rhode Island attend the Constitutional Convention?
It chose not to attend
Who wrote the Great Compromise?
Roger Sherman
What was the Great Compromise?
Created the congress by combining the Virginia and New Jersey Plans
Virginia Plan
Wanted representation in congress based on population
New Jersey Plan
Wanted equal representation in congress
What type of legislature does the US have?
Bi-cameral
Senate
Equal representation
House of Representatives
Representation based on population
How many articles is the constitution divided into?
7
How many amendments are there?
27
What is an amendment?
A change in the constitution
How long has the constitution been around?
234 years
When was the constitution ratified?
1789
When was the Bill of Rights added to the constitution?
1791
What were the two biggest drawbacks to ratification?
Fear the federal government had too much power
No bill of rights
Basic principles of the Constitution
Popular Sovereignty
Federalism
Limited Government
Separation of Power
Checks and Balances
Judicial Review
Popular Sovereignty
All the power rests with the people.
Manga Carta
First document to give “rights” to the people
Who signed the Manga Carta?
King John in 1215
Why was the Manga Carta signed?
King John was forced by the Nobles
Peasants had no rights
Who came up with the idea of Social Contract?
John Locke
Social Contract
People voluntarily give up some rights to the government in exchange for social stability
What did the Declaration of Independence declare?
All men are created equal
All men have unalienable rights
Listed grievances against King George declaring why the United States should be independent
Unalienable Rights
God given rights
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Tyranny
Oppressive government
Federalism
the division of power between national, state, and local governments
Limited Government
The government is not all powerful.
What article explains the powers the federal government has?
Article 1, section 8
What article explains the powers the government DOES NOT have?
Article 1, section 9
Delegated Powers
Powers given to the federal government
-Copyrights, declaring war, make treaties, etc.
Reserved Powers
Powers given to the states
-Driving laws, drinking, marriage laws, casinos, education, smoking
Concurrent Powers
Powers shared by federal and states
-voting, maintaining roads, taxes, abortion, minimum wage
Elastic Clause
Article 1, section 8, clause 18
Stretches the power of congress
AKA the necessary and proper clause
Who did FDR’s Federal Programs help?
The unemployed, the homeless, and the elderly
What did the federal programs do for the federal government?
It became increasingly larger and more prominent in people’s lives
Medicade
Health insurance for the poor
What did the great Society programs include?
War on poverty (Welfare) and Medicare
Bureaucracy
The large complex organization of government that handles day to day business…all the red tape that goes with federal programs
Separation of Power
The three branches of government
Checks and Balances
Each branch of government makes sure the others aren’t too powerful
Judicial Review
Courts have the right to determine the constitutionality of a law- the courts can set aside a state law, or declare it null and void
How many votes does an amendment need to be passed?
2/3 vote in congress
3/4 or 38 states
The 21st amendment was passed this way
proposed by congress and ratified by a convention
What topic can’t an amendment be about?
The number of senators from each state
How many amendments have been proposed?
More than 9,000
How many amendments have been sent to the states?
34
How many amendments have been ratified?
27
How many amendments have been rejected?
7
Who has the power to admit new states?
Congress
What is the one exception for admitting new states?
No state can come from an existing state’s territory without that state’s permission
How to become a state
Apply to congress
If OK, congress passes an enabling act, which allow for framing of the constitution
Constitution submitted to congress for approval
The power of the courts to decide whether government acts are constitutional
Judicial Review
Illegal; null and void; of no force and effect
Unconstitutional
The division of power between a central government and several regional governments
Federalism
A governmental system having basic political powers distributed among three distinct and independent branches
Separation of Powers
The president’s rejection of an act of congress
Veto
The government may do only the things the people have given it power to do
Limited Government
Devised as a compromise between a powerful central government and a loose confederation of States
Federalism
15th Amendment
Slave’s right to vote
19th Amendment
Women’s Suffrage
10th Amendment
Reserved Powers
26th Amendment
18 years old to vote
27th Amendment
Congressional pay raises
Note 
Flashcard (63)