civics final

legal duties of US citizens

\-obey laws

\-pay taxes

\-defend the nation

\-serve jury duty

\-attend school until 16

responsibilities of US citizens

\-be informed of current events

\-respect others’ rights

\-vote

\-contribute to the common good

push vs pull factors

push

\-makes people want to leave their countries (politics, environment, economy)

pull

\-attracts people to a new country (family, education, quality of life)

absolute monarchy

(authoritarian) a form of government in which the monarch rules in their own right/power; rule is passed down through family

oligarchy

(authoritarian) a small group of people having control over a country, organization, or institution; people in power are generally there because of wealth or nepotism

theocracy

(authoritarian) government based on religion; led by religious leader

limited monarchy

(democratic) led by king or queen (by heredity), but power is limited where they are only heads of state or symbols, the people still have the power

direct democracy

(democratic) government decisions are made by citizens voting and all votes are equal, so citizens hold ALL the power; most common in smaller gov settings

representative democracy

(democratic) citizens elect officials that make decisions for them, and they are representative of the people that elect them; common form of democracy used w/ larger populations

anarchy

a state of disorder due to the absence or non recognition of authority

how did the French and Indian War lead to the American Revolution?

the war provided Great Britain with territory in the US, but conflict arose over frontier policy and who should pay for the war’s expenses (led to GB taxing colonists)

how did the Stamp Act lead to the American Revolution?

it was enacted by British parliament without the consent and representation of colonists, so they got upset and rioted

how did the Boston Tea Party lead to the start of the American Revolution?

it was the first major act of defiance against the unfair government and taxation in Britain and it rallied the 13 colonies to fight for independence

how did the Intolerable Acts lead to the American Revolution?

it was Britain’s response to the Tea Party, it made the regulations on the colonies very strict to prevent them from rebelling again (ex. closed down the Boston port), led to tension and made colonists realize they should prepare for war

key beliefs of Thomas Hobbes

people were born naturally evil and selfish, so they needed an absolute leader to keep the peace, believed you entered social contract to be part of society (people gave up some of their rights to live in organized society)

key beliefs of John Locke

people were born a blank slate but all have natural rights like life, liberty, and property; believed people had a right to form a new gov if old one failed to protect their natural rights

key beliefs of Baron de Montesquieu

checks and balances, separation of powers

key beliefs of Voltaire

freedom of speech and religion

key beliefs of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

people were born good but corrupted by society, believed in equal rights for people regardless of wealth and social standing; expanded on idea of social contract (people agree to follow gov’s rules and gov agrees to protect natural rights, gov should be based on popular sovereignty)

what grievances were listed in declaration of independence?

27 of them, all against the king; that he disbanded legislatures and organizations, made it difficult to practice laws, cut off trade, added taxes w/o consent, manipulated colonists to fight with each other, etc.

3 main weaknesses of articles of confederation

lack of power, no central leadership, rules are too rigid (esp. for making laws and amendments)

goal of the constitutional convention?

to rewrite the articles of confederation and make them more powerful and suitable for leading a new country

virginia plan

idea for strong nat’l government with 3 branches and legislature divided into 2 bodies with proportional representation (favored states with bigger populations)

new jersey plan

idea for strong central government, but legislature divided into 2 bodies where each state gets one vote (favored states with smaller populations)

great compromise (aka connecticut compromise)

made it so that congress was bicameral, with one body based on population and the other had an equal amount regardless of population

how did federalists feel about the constitution? what type of government did they want

they felt it was good and supported its ratification; a strong federal government

how did antifederalists feel about the constitution? what type of government did they want?

they thought it was missing something that would protect rights of citizens and prevented government from imposing on them (bill of rights), stronger state governments and weaker federal gov

purposes and intent of the constitution (as stated in the preamble)

“form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and posterity”

what is each article of the constitution about?

Article 1: legislative

Article 2: executive

Article 3: judicial

Article 4: states (relations amongst each other)

Article 5: amendments (ways constitution can be changed)

Article 6: supremacy clause (supreme law of the land)

Article 7: ratification (constitution takes effect after 9 states ratify it)

loose interpretation of constitution

congress should be able to pass any laws that the constitution does not strictly forbid

strict interpretation of constitution

congress should not pass any law unless it’s mentioned in the constitution

popular sovereignty

citizens decide who will represent them in government

rule of law

laws apply to everyone equally, even members of the government

federalism

sharing of power between state and federal government

expressed powers

powers listed in the constitution for federal government

reserved powers

powers just for the states

concurrent powers

powers shared by state and federal governments

necessary and proper clause

clause authorizes congress to make any laws necessary and proper for carrying out its duties

supremacy clause

whenever the laws of federal gov and a state gov conflict, the federal government always wins

full faith and credit clause

requires states to respect each others’ laws

separation of powers

division of power so that no part can become too powerful (reason why we have 3 branches)

checks and balances

limits the powers of the 3 branches by having each “check” the other

3 examples of checks and balances

congress can make laws and president can veto them, congress can override a president’s veto, congress can impeach the president

first ten amendments of constitution (called bill of rights)

1. freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition
2. right to bear arms
3. government cannot force you to quarter soldiers
4. protects against “unreasonable searches and seizures”
5. grand jury, due process, no double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent domain
6. must be told the nature of charges against you, trial by jury, speedy and fair trial
7. can have jury trial in civil cases when dispute is more than $20
8. no cruel and unusual punishments
9. rights not in constitution are “retained by the people”
10. powers not in constitution are “reserved” for the states

which amendments deal with voting and how?

15th amendment: gave african american men the right to vote

19th amendment: gave women the right to vote

24th amendment: eliminated poll taxes

26th amendment: lowered voting age for all elections to 18

bicameralism

type of legislature divided into 2 separate chambers

which 2 houses make up congress and what is their power?

senate and house of representatives; to make new laws

how is representation in the house determined vs the senate?

house- by population; senate- each state has 2

qualifications to be a representative

25 years old, citizen for 7 years, lives in the state

qualifications to be a senator

30 years old, citizen for 9 years, lives in the state

leader of house of reps vs senate

house- speaker of the house; senate- vice president

representative’s terms and term limits

2 years, no limits

senator’s term and term limits

6 years, no limits

gerrymandering

manipulating the boundaries of a district so as to favor one party or class

standing committee

a permanent committee that meets regularly

select/special committee

appointed to perform one special function that is beyond capabilities of standing committee

joint committee

contains members of both houses of congress (can be standing or select)

conference committee

temporary, members from both houses, resolves differences in the versions of particular bill

revenue bill always starts in…

the house of representatives

what is the final step in the process of a bill becoming a law?

presidential approval

main power of executive branch

enforce laws

qualifications for president

35 years old, born in america, resident of america for 14 years

presidential term and term limits

maximum of two four-year terms

powers of president

veto bills, call special sessions of congress, command all armies, receive leaders of foreign countries, appoint judges, ambassadors and public officials, pardon citizens of federal crimes

roles of the president

chief executive (enforce laws, leader of cabinet, issue exec. orders, etc.)

chief diplomat (direct foreign policy)

commander in chief (controls military forces)

legislative leader (suggest ideas for laws)

head of state (symbol of america)

economic leader (deals with economic issues, creates budget)

party leader (supports their party)

what is the cabinet?

group of presidential advisors

first 5 positions in line for presidential succession

vice president, speaker of the house, president pro temopre, secretary of state, secretary of the treasury

main power of judicial branch

interpret the law, determine the constitutionality of the law, and apply it to individual cases

3 levels of courts in judicial system

district, appeals, supreme

judicial review

the power of the courts to determine the constitutionality of laws/actions

number of justices on SCOTUS

9

SCOTUS justice term limits

for life

plessy v. ferguson

held a louisiana state law that allowed for “equal but separate accommodations for white and colored races”

brown v. board of education

legally ended segregation of public schools

tinker v. des moines

supreme court’s majority ruled that neither students nor teachers “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate”

schneck v. US

freedom of speech protection afforded in the first amendment can be restricted if the words spoken or printed endanger others

roe v. wade

recognized the right to liberty in the constitution, which protects personal privacy, including the right to decide whether to continue a pregnancy

two main political parties in US

democrats and republicans

the purpose of third parties

candidates failing in the primary may form or join a third party; they have the ability to change a state’s winner

key beliefs of democrats

left leaning; tend to believe that the fed government should be more directly involved in regulating economy and providing housing, income, education, jobs for poor, etc.; favor more gov regulation

key beliefs of republicans

right leaning; tend to believe that if they help nation’s economy grow, poor people have a better chance of finding jobs and meeting their needs on their own; favor less gov regulation

two types of third parties

populist party and progressive party

open primary vs closed primary

anyone can vote in the primary; only members of that party can vote

caucus

a meeting of supporters or members of a political party/movement

super tuesday

the US presidential primary election day in february or march when the greatest # of states hold primary elections and caucuses

how many electoral college votes are there in total? how many are needed to win?

538; 270

what are the qualifications to vote in a US presidential election?

US citizen, resident of the county your’re voting in, registered voter, not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction, at least 18

four branches of civil law

tort law, family law, property law, contract law

what does criminal law deal with?

felonies and higher crimes and the punishment of individuals who commit them

process of a civil case

\-complaint is filed (defendant can: ignore it and receive default judgment, dismiss, answer complaint)

\-litigation happens over dispute

\-discovery period (finding out info from other side)

\-trial (can be avoided by mediation/arbitration/settlement)

\-appeals

process of a criminal case

\-charges are brought, accused is processed

\-charged (accused officially becomes defendant)

\-indictment

\-arraignment (when plea is entered)

\-trial

\-appeals

protections of the accused

\-writ of habeas corpus (bringing detainee before court to see if their imprisonment is lawful)

\-5th amendment

\-6th amendment

\-14th amendment

\-4th amendment

\-8th amendment

how most civil cases end

\-mediation (agreement reached by neutral party called mediator)

\-arbitration (binding decision made by arbitrator who reviews and resolves dispute)

\-settlement

plaintiff

person who is suing (always the government in a criminal case)

defendant

person being sued

discovery

formal process of exchanging info between parties about witnesses and evidence they’ll present at trial

arraignment

part of trial where judge advises defendant of their rights and asks them to enter plea (also time for plea bargain to be entered)

where does municipal police officer have jurisdiction?

within city limits

what types of crimes does the SBI investigate?

public corruption and gov misconduct within state (ex. drugs, arson, election law, theft, computer crimes, homicides, missing persons, robberies, etc.)

what does the US secret service do?

protect top US and foreign officials and investigate financial crimes