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Among the broad purposes of the United States government spelled out in the Preamble to the Constitution is the obligation to
provide for justice and the people's general wealfare
The theory underlying modern democracies was developed to challenge the idea that
those of royal birth have absolute authority to rule.
The dominant political unit in the world today is the
state.
A federal government is one in which
power is divided between a central goernment and local governments
What is not true of parliamentary government?
The legislature is subject to the direct control of the executive.
The individual 50 States lack which basic characteristic of a state?
sovereignty
What is a description of sovereign states?
They decide their own foreign and domestic policies, they determine their own form of government, and they have supreme power within their own territories.
All political powers in a state are concentrated at the central level under which form of government?
unitary
What are the purposes of government outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution?
defending the nation against foreign enemies, insuring order and domestic tranquility, and promoting the general welfare of the citizens
What is true about the social contract theory?
People bbelieve the state was created voluntarily by a free people and that governmental powers are granted by the people and limited by the people.
In the charter colonies, most governmental matters were handled by
the colonists.
What influenced the Framers?
Locke's and Rousseau's ideas and state constitutions,
Which feature did the State constitutions and the Articles of Confederation have in common?
principle of popular sovereignty
Which state constitution is the oldest and is still used today?
Massachusetts
After the Revolutionary War, the National Government
proved too weak to deal with growing economic and political problems.
Describe George Washington's inaugeration.
It was followed by a unanimous election in the Electoral College and took place in New York City after the Constitution had been ratified.
The government set up by the Articles of Confederation had
only a legislative branch, consisting of a unicameral Congress.
One achievement of the Second Continental Congress was
raising an American army.
Parliament first limited the power of the Crown under the
Petition of Right
The Federalist was written to
win support for the Constitution in New York.
What government directly influenced the Farmers in the development of the Constitution?
the Articles of Confederation
By the mid-1700s, British rule in the colonies was marked by
allowing a certain degress of self-rule to the colonists
Delegates met at Mount Vernon and Annapolis to
recommend a federal plan to regulate commerce
The first State constitutions, adopted after independence,
place most authority with the State legislatures.
Much of the work of the framers centered aound the proposals that had been set out in the
Virginia Plan
The success of which plan led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787?
interstate plan for regulating trade between Virginia and Maryland
The idea that the people have the right to abolish an abusive and unresponsive government was FIRST formally expressed by Americans in the
Declaration of Independence
With the words, "We the People, " the Constitution establishes its authority on the basis of
popular sovereignty.
The President's Cabinet is an example of informal amendment by
unwritten custom.
In most cases involving judicial review, the courts have
found the governmental actions in question to be constitutional.
Which of the following is a method of formal amendment?
proposal by two-thirds of Congress and ratification by three-forths of State legislatures
The basic constitutional rights of the people were first set out in the
Bill of Rights.
The legislative branch can check the judicial branch by its power to
remove federal judges through impeachment.
The President's power to veto an act of Congress is an example of
checks and balances
Which of the following accounts for the ability of the Constitution to endure for more than 200 years?
built-in pnrovisions for accomodating change
According to Article V of the Constitution, no amendment may
deprive a State of its equal representation in the Senate.
Which of the following is mentioned by the Constitution and its amendments?
succession of Vice President to presidency
These are all examples of what?
The Supreme Court declares a law passed by Congress to be unconsstitutional.
The President vetoes a bill.
The Senate approves the President's nominee for Supreme Court justice.
checks and balances
How did Prohibition occur?
It was formally amended to the Constitution.
The system of federalism provides for what?
local action in matters of local concern, a dual system of government, and strength through unity
Concurrent powers are those that are
exercised simultaneously by the National and State governments.
States must honor the legality of one another's civil laws because of the
Full Faith and Credit Clause
An example of an expressed power is
the power to coin money.
Citizens who commit a crime in one state and then flee to another state to escape prosecution are to be returned to the original state under
extradition.
The Constitution requries the National Government to guarantee
a republican government for every state.
Examples of obligations that the National Government has to the States are:
protection against foreign attack and domestic violence, guarantee of a representative form of government and recognition of each State's legal existence and physical boundaries.
Agreements States enter into with both foreign nations and other States with the concent of Congress are
interstate compacts
The basic characteristic of federalism is
It divides power between a National Government and State governments.
Local government is a subunit of what?
State government
The concept of equality of opportunity can be illustrated with what example?
Public schools may not exclude students because of their race or gender.
Note 
Flashcard (40)