Gov Exam 1 MMHS

What is the idea that government is not all-powerful known as?

Limited government

What was the belief that colonists should have the right to elect delegates to make laws and conduct government known as?

Representative government

What characteristics were shared by early colonial legislatures?

All answers are correct

What was the rich tradition of political and social ideas brought over to America during the Colonial Period know as?

An English Political Heritage

Who originated the philosophy that people enter a contact with the government to protect their natural rights and if the government did not fulfill the contract the people could change that government?

John Locke

What were The Mayflower Compact, Great Fundamentals, and Fundamental Orders of Connecticut early examples of?

Written Constitutions

What trait was common among all of the governments in the colonies?

Legislatures were composed of elected representatives

What was the division of colonial powers between the king's agents, the legislatures and the colonial courts known as?

Separation of powers

What limited the King of England's power to impose taxes, declare martial law, house troops, and imprison people?

The Petition of Right

What gave English subjects the right to petition the government and have a fair and speedy trial?

The English Bill of Rights

What did organizations, such as the committees of correspondence, urge colonists to do?

All answers are correct

What Thomas Paine work argued that the monarchy was a corrupt form of government and inspired colonists to declare independence from England?

Common Sense

Why did England increase taxation in the colonies?

To generate more revenue

What did the First Continental Congress impose on England prohibiting trade?

An embargo

What action did the Second Continental Congress accomplish?

The assumption of the power of the central government and the election of John Hancock as President

What was a primary factor in increased colonial unity?

Increase American sense of community and hostility towards British oppression

What component was contained in ALL 13 of the states' constitutions?

Limited government

What was a key component of the Declaration of Independence?

All answers are correct

What document did the delegates of Congress sign on July 4th, 1776?

The Declaration of Independence

What situation(s) influenced the American Colonists desire for independence?

All answers are correct

What did the Annapolis Convention expressly permit delegates to do?

Revise the Articles of Confederation

What nation established peaceful relations with the United States under the Articles of Confederation?

Great Britain

What was the primary purpose of Congress under the Articles of Confederation?

Foreign affairs and defense

What did growing problems, such as economic instability, territorial quarrels, and a weak central government demonstrate?

The need for a stronger government

What uprising gathered a force of 1,200 farmers who tried to overtake the federal arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts?

Shay’s Rebellion

How was increased western expansion accomplished under the Articles of Confederation?

All answers are correct

What does it mean when a government has a unicameral system?

The government is composed of single legislative branch

Why were the Articles of Confederation weak and ineffective?

All answers are correct

What two delegates at the Annapolis Convention favored a strong central government?

Alexander Hamilton and James Madison

What was the process used when the 13 colonies agreed on the Articles of Confederation?

Ratification

What did the Federalists claim would result if a strong central government was not established?

Anarchy, or political disorder, would triumph

What did the federalists promise to do to gain support for the new constitution?

Introduce a Bill of Rights as the first action of the new government

Why did the Anti-Federalists oppose the new the new constitution?

They felt the new constitution was extralegal, or not sanctioned by law

What was compromised to continue the slave trade until 1808?

Congress had the power to regulate interstate commerce

At the Constitutional Convention, who stood out as a leader?

All answers are correct

What did the Connecticut Compromise propose?

All answers are correct

What did the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan propose compromises concerning?

The organization and composition of the legislature in the new government

What suggestion solved the the debate of counting slaves for voting and taxation purposes?

The Three-Fifths Compromise

What key agreement was made at the beginning of the Convention?

The Articles of Confederation should be discard and a new government formed

What were the creation of the Electoral College and establishing a 4-year term for the president examples of?

Necessary compromises to ensure the new constitution was ratified

What term defines the authority of the Federal Court Systems?

Jurisdiction

What term describes a change or addition to the Constitution?

Amendment

What is the concept that our Constitution is created by the "will of the people"?

Popular sovereignty

What makes the structure of the Constitution effective?

It establishes the structure of government but, does not spell out how it functions

What are the seven divisions of the Constitution called?

Articles

What two concepts prevent any single branch of the government from becoming too powerful?

Checks and balances, separation of powers

What is the idea that power is split between national and state governments known as?

Federalism

What pairs of concepts were major principals of the Constitution?

All answers are correct

What does the Supremacy Clause state?

That the Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and treaties are the supreme law of the land

What power gives the federal court system, and ultimately the Supreme Court, the ability to declare laws invalid if they violate the Constitution?

Judicial review

What are the numbered and specific powers granted to Congress by the Constitution called?

Expressed, enumerated powers

What clause gives Congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper"?

The Elastic Clause

While many presidential powers are vague, what are the specified powers of the President under the Constitution?

All answers are correct

What group of employees under the Executive Branch is responsible for day to day running of the government?

Federal bureaucracy

What is an example of a conflict between Congress and the Courts?

Congress limiting the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court

What factor determines the jurisdiction of courts?

The subject matter of the case and who the parties involved are

What is an example of a conflict between the President and Congress?

All answers are correct

What is an example of a conflict between the Supreme Court and the President?

The President refuses to enforce an order by the Supreme Court

What is an example of the President as a legislator?

The President has a news conference telling the country what Congress should be doing

What Supreme Court case gave the courts the right to declare a law unconstitutional?

Marbury v. Madison

What is the philosophy that the courts should avoid taking the initiative on social and political questions?

Judicial restraint

What is the process of approving an Amendment after it has been proposed called?

Ratification

What method of amending the Constitution has never been used?

A constitutional convention called on petition of two-thirds of the 50 states to people the Amendment

What is an example of an informal change to the Constitution?

All answers are correct

What is an example of a change to the Constitution that has developed through customs and practices over time?

The development of political parties

What term describes the process if the President dies in office or is unable to perform his duties?

Presidential succession

What philosophy holds that the Supreme Court should play a role in shaping national policies?

Judicial activism

What is the difference between a treaty and an executive agreement?

A treaty is an agreement between the nations and an executive agreement is an agreement between the President and another head of state

What is it called when government spending never exceeds its income?

A balanced budget

How are Amendments proposed?

A two-thirds vote of each house of Congress or a petition by two-thirds vote from the states for a national convention

What is an example of a limitation on First Amendment rights of expression?

All answers are correct

How many Amendments to the Constitution have been ratified?

27

What do police need in order to search and/or arrest a citizen?

A search/arrest warrant

What are the first ten Amendments called?

The Bill of Rights

Respectively, what Amendment gave women the right to vote and what Amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment?

19th, 18th

What are the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments known as?

The Civil War Amendments

What Amendment protects citizens from searches and seizures without probable cause?

4th

What is the First Amendment protection from the government censoring the press before material is printed or broadcast called?

Freedom from prior restraint

What were fees charged to voters called before they were banned by the 24th Amendment?

Poll taxes

What does the 5th Amendment guarantee?

All answers are correct

What is the first step to begin admitting a new state?

Congress passes an enabling act

What are powers that are granted to the federal government and expressly stated in the Constitution called?

Expressed powers

What clause of the Constitution states that federal law is supreme?

The Supremacy Clause

What are powers that the Constitution specifically prohibits called?

Denied powers

What are powers that are granted to the federal government called?

Delegated powers

What is the "necessary and proper clause" known as?

The Elastic Clause

What are powers that are granted to the federal government and are not specifically stated in the Constitution called?

Implied Powers

What is the idea that the federal government and state governments share powers?

Concurrent Powers

What are powers not given to the federal government called?

Reserved powers

What Supreme Court case upheld the concept that in conflicts between the federal and state laws, federal law is supreme?

McCulloch v. Maryland

What is the power of the states to send criminals back to the state they are wanted in called?

Extradition

What kind of laws and legal procedures are states not allowed to enforce from other states?

Criminal laws

Name one example of an interstate compact in action?

New York Authority

What are written agreements between two states called?

Interstate compacts

What court decides lawsuits between states?

The U.S. Supreme Court

How many interstate compacts are in place today?

200

What kinds of things are covered under "full faith and credit"?

All answers are correct

What is an example of discrimination of "privileges and immunities"?

All answers are correct

Who was originally responsible for returning fugitives to the states they were wanted in?

The governor of the state

What Article of the Constitution requires the states to give one another's citizens all of the "privileges and immunities" of their own citizens?

IV