Civics Final Exam

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781

U.S. Constitution

"The supreme law of the land." Written in 1787 at Philadelphia Convention to replace Articles of Confederation and create stronger central government. Outlines structure & power of 3 branches of national government. Oldest written constitution still in use (but amended 27 times plus myriad informal amendments).

\_______ are the ultimate source of the authority of the government which derives its right to govern from their consent.

The people

2 party system

political system in which the candidates of only two major parties have a chance of winning

What does a third party bring?

Ideas

7 Principles of the Constitution

Popular Sovereignty, Limited government, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Federalism, Republicanism, and Individual Rights.

Popular Sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

Limited Government

The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens.

Separation of Powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Federalism

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

Republicanism

A philosophy of limited government with elected representatives serving at the will of the people. The government is based on consent of the governed.

Individual Rights

Basic liberties and rights of all citizens are guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.

Judicial Review

review by the US Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act.

original jurisdiction

The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first, usually in a trial. These are the courts that determine the facts about a case.

Appelette Jurisdiction

The authority of a court to review decisions made by lower courts

The supreme court has both ___ and ____ jurisdiction

original and appellate

Felony

a crime, typically one involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death.

Misdemeanor

a crime or offense that is less serious than a felony; any minor misbehavior or misconduct

Shay's Rebellion

Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786

Why did we fight for independence?

We felt like Britain was taking away from out unalienable rights

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution

1st Amendment

Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition

2nd Amendment

Right to bear arms

3rd Amendment

No quartering of soldiers

4th Amendment

Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures

5th Amendment

The Right to Remain Silent/Double Jeopardy, right to due process

6th Amendment

The right to a Speedy Trial by jury, representation by an attorney for an accused person

7th Amendment

Right to jury in civil trials.

8th Amendment

No cruel or unusual punishment

9th Amendment

Citizens entitled to rights not listed in the Constitution

10th Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

11th Amendment

Prohibits citizens of one state or foreign country from suing another state.

12th Amendment

Brought about by the Jefferson/Burr tie, stated that presidential and vice

13th Amendment

Abolition of slavery

14th Amendment

Declares that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws

15th Amendment

U.S. cannot prevent a person from voting because of race, color, or creed

16th Amendment

Allows the federal government to collect income tax

17th Amendment

Established the direct election of senators (instead of being chosen by state legislatures)

18th Amendment

Prohibited the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcoholic beverages

19th Amendment (1920)

Gave women the right to vote

20th Amendment

(FDR) , change of dates for start of presidential/congressional terms

21st Amendment

Amendment which ended the Prohibition of alcohol in the US, repealing the 18th amendment

22nd Amendment

Amendment that created a 2 term limit on presidents.

23rd Amendment

Gives Washington DC electoral college votes as if it were a state (DC still has no representation in Congress)

24th Amendment

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1964) eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections.

25th Amendment

(1) Succession of VP if president dies or become incapable to do his job.(2) if there is no VP, president must appoint one, and congress must approve

26th Amendment

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

27th Amendment

Limits the power of Congress to increase its own salaries

Federal Powers

Declare war, regulate banks, negotiate treaties

implied powers

Powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution

expressed powers

powers directly stated in the constitution

inherent powers

Powers the Constitution is presumed to have delegated to the National Government because it is the government of a sovereign state within the world community

State Powers

establish local governments, set up schools, regulate state commerce, make regulations for marriage, establish and regulate corporations

reserved powers

Powers given to the state government alone

concurrent powers

Powers held jointly by the national and state governments.

Interest Groups vs. Political Parties

An interest group, or a collection of people with the shared goal of influencing public policy, are different from political parties in that they do not run their own candidates for office, and they typically seek more specific policy goals than parties.

Interest groups are

organizations that seek to influence government in order to achieve some or all of their goals.

special interest

an organization of people with some common interest who try to influence government decisions

Fiscal Policies

policies used by a government regarding how it collects and spends revenue

monetary policy

Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.

How is the president elected?

through the electoral college

How are senators elected?

By the people

The Fed

the Federal Reserve System created by Congress in 1913 as the nation's central banking organization

What does the Fed do?

1)Control the money supply2)Supply the economy with paper money3)Hold Bank Reserves4)Provide check

Republicans and Democrats

two main political parties in US

Republican Ideology

Gun rights, lowering income taxes, self reliance, government money shouldn't be used for social programs, operate businesses without government interference, overall less government interference is better, business friendly policies.

Democrat Ideology

more likely to favor social welfare programs, job programs through public works, tax laws that help people with lower income, and government regulation of business

Primaries

Election in which voters choose the candidates from each party who will run in the general election

Primaries vs. Caucuses

Primary

Caucus

A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform.

general election

An election held to choose which candidate will hold office

special election

an election held for a particular purpose, such as to replace elected officials who have died or resigned from office or to settle a controversial issue

recall election

a special election called by voters to remove an elected official before his/her term expires.

Referendum

a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.

Open Primary Election

a party

closed primary

A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote

Citizenship Requirements

18 years old, lived in the USA for at least 5 years, Good moral Character, Read, write, speak and understand English. Basic knowledge of US history and Gov. Take an Oath of Allegiance

How many electoral votes are needed to win the presidency?

270

\___% is needed to pass a law in congress

51

Article 1 of the Constitution

Legislative Branch

Article 2 of the Constitution

Executive Branch

Article 3 of the Constitution

Judicial Branch

Requirement to be President

35 years of AgeNatural Born CitizenResident 14 Years

Requirement to be a senator

This person must be 30 years old, a resident of the state they represent, and a U.S. citizen for the previous 9 years

Requirement to be a Supreme Court Justice

None listed in the constitution

Level of Federal Courts

3

District Courts

Lowest level of fed. courts, where fed. cases begin &trials are held (bank robbery, environmental violations, tax evasion)

Court of Appeals

A court with appellate jurisdiction that hears appeals from the decisions of lower courts.

Supreme Court

Consists of nine justices, each appointed by the President and confirmed by Congress. Appointment is for life. Supreme Court exercises the power to determine constitutionality of statutes

State Courts

Courts that hear disputes about the laws of one state

Natural Rights

the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

He believed that people have natural rights

Locke

He believed in checks and balances for the government

Montesquieu

He coined the term unalienable rights

Locke

In his book, The Social Contract, he believed that no one should rule over others

Rousseau

Social Contract

A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.

His ideas appear in the US Constitution

Montesquieu

He believed that people relinquish prats of their natural rights to give government the authority to protect the greater good

Locke

He believed in 3 branches of government

Montesquieu