U.S. Government Structure, Principles, and Key Documents

What is government?

The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies.

What is a state?

A group of people living in a specific area, who are politically organized and have the power to make and enforce laws.

What is the structure of the federal government?

Legislative Branch: Congress (Senate and House of Representatives); Executive Branch: Led by the President; Judicial Branch: Supreme Court and lower federal courts.

What does each branch of the national government do?

Legislative: power to make laws; Executive: power to execute & enforce laws; Judicial: power to interpret laws.

What are the elements of a state? (4)

Population, Land, Sovereignty & Government.

How are governments classified?

By who can participate, where the power to govern is located, and the relationship between the executive and legislative branches.

What type of government does the US have?

Federal, constitutional, and republic.

Who has supreme authority in a democracy?

The citizens of that democracy.

What is the Supreme Law of the Land?

The US Constitution.

Where are the powers of the national government written down?

The US Constitution.

What are the 6 purposes of government?

Establish justice, form a perfect union, provide for common defense, promote general welfare, ensure domestic tranquility, and secure the blessings of liberty.

What is socialism?

Advocates for government ownership of the means of production, focusing on social ownership.

What is a theocracy?

A system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.

What is an oligarchy?

A small group of people who have control of a country, often wealthy.

What is a constitutional monarchy?

A system of government where a monarch serves as the head of state, but their powers are limited.

What is a representative democracy?

A system of government where citizens elect representatives to make laws and govern on their behalf.

What does it mean that the US has a republican form of government?

Citizens hold ultimate power but elect representatives to govern on their behalf.

When was the Constitution written?

The Constitution was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788.

What was the first document to govern the country?

Articles of Confederation.

What were some weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

Lack of centralized military power, absence of single leader power, inability to tax, difficulty in amending, no national court system.

Under the Articles of Confederation, who had more power?

States had more power.

What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

Delegates created the United States Constitution, replacing the weak Articles of Confederation.

What does the term Framers mean?

Delegates.

Why did some early Americans not want the Constitution ratified?

Fears of central government power, lack of a bill of rights, bad protection for individual rights, and loss of freedom.

What are informal amendments?

Changes in the application and practice of a law or constitution without altering the written text.

What was decided under the Great Compromise?

Bicameral legislature.

What was decided under the 3/5 Compromise?

Resolved the conflict over enslaved people being counted for population.

What do the terms Federalist and Anti-Federalist mean?

Federalists supported a stronger central government under the Constitution; Anti-Federalists feared centralized power and demanded protection for individual liberties.

What do the first 3 Articles of the Constitution discuss?

Establish the framework for the federal government, detailing the powers and responsibilities of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches.

How many Articles are there in total in the Constitution?

7 articles.

What are the 6 principles of the Constitution?

Popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and judicial review.

What are formal amendments?

A written change to the U.S. Constitution that follows a strict procedure.

Give an example of checks and balances.

Judicial review, congressional oversight, veto power.

What is the Necessary and Proper Clause?

It allows Congress to make laws that aren't in the Constitution but are necessary to enumerate powers.

What is the Supremacy Clause?

Declares that the Constitution and all federal laws are the supreme laws of the land.

What is the Full Faith & Credit Clause?

States are required to honor the courts' proceedings, contracts, and acts of other state governments.

What is the Privilege and Immunities Clause?

Prevents states from depriving rights to citizens who reside in different states.

What are interstate compacts?

Agreements between states.

Can state laws violate the Constitution?

Yes, the Supremacy Clause establishes that the Constitution and federal laws are the supreme law of the land.

What are the national government's obligations to the states?

Protection from invasion, Full Faith and Credit, Extradition, Service Provision.

Why did the Framers choose a federal system of government for America?

Prevents too much centralized power, allows state individuality, practical considering U.S. population, allows learning from state successes/failures.

What amendment allows the states to have powers?

Tenth Amendment.

What Article of the Constitution discusses Congress?

Article 1.

What groups make up Congress?

House of Representatives and Senate.

What is gerrymandering?

Political manipulation of electoral district boundaries to advantage a party.

How many members are in the House and Senate?

House: 435, Senate: 100

What is the term length for House and Senate members?

House: 2 years, Senate: 6 years

Who do House and Senate members represent?

House: People of district, Senate: People of the state

What is the role of the House in the impeachment process?

Investigation, drafting Articles of Impeachment, and Voting on Articles

What is the role of the Senate in the impeachment process?

Trial Conduct, Presentation of Evidence, Voting

What are the requirements to be elected to the House?

25 years old, 7 years as a citizen, resident of State

What are the requirements to be elected to the Senate?

30 years old, 9 years as a citizen, live in the state

What term of Congress is it currently?

The 119th term of Congress

What factors influence how members of Congress vote on legislation?

Being a trustee, delegate, partisan, and politico.

What does the 17th amendment allow?

It allows citizens to elect their senators directly.

When are Congressional elections held?

The 1st Tuesday after a Monday of November during even-numbered years.

What is the difference between strict and liberal constructionism?

Liberal constructionists advocate for a more powerful federal government; strict constructionists argue for a smaller federal government.

What are Conference Committees?

Temporary committees that work out differences in a bill and produce a compromise bill.

What are Standing Committees?

Committees that handle bills dealing with specific policy matters.

What Article of the Constitution discusses the executive branch?

Article 2

What are the Constitutional requirements to be president?

At least 35 years old, a natural-born US citizen, and has lived in the US for 14 years.

What does the 22nd amendment state?

It limits the number of times a person can be elected to the presidency to twice.

What takes place at national conventions?

Nominate candidates, speeches, rallies, delegate voting, and media coverage.

What is the presidential primary process?

Most states hold primaries 6-9 months before the presidential election.

What is the purpose of the Electoral College?

It was created as a compromise between direct election by the people and Congress choosing the president.

What is a battleground or swing state?

A state that could vote for either political party.

What is a safe state?

A state predicted to vote for a particular political party.

What does the 25th amendment address?

Presidential disability and the role of the Vice President as acting president.

What does the Vice President oversee?

Presides over the Senate and helps in case of presidential disability.

What is the Presidential Succession Act of 1947?

It established the order of succession for the presidency.

How is the number of electors per state determined?

By the state's population.

How many total electoral votes are there and how many are needed to win?

538 total electoral votes; 270 needed to win.

What is the popular vote?

The total number of individual votes cast by qualified citizens in an election.

How can someone win the popular vote and lose the electoral college vote?

More populated states can vote for a different candidate than the overall popular vote.

What does the winner-take-all system mean?

The candidate who wins the popular vote in a state gets all the state's electors.

What are the steps in the presidential campaign process?

Candidates register, announce intentions, hold primaries and caucuses, conventions, debates, election day, and electoral vote counting.

What are the arguments for abolishing the Electoral College?

It can produce different results than the popular vote and is seen as unfair.

What are the arguments for keeping the Electoral College?

It prevents populous areas from dominating rural areas and gives minority groups a voice.

What is the job of the judicial branch?

To settle disputes between criminal and civil trials.

What is the difference between a criminal trial and a civil trial?

A civil trial resolves disputes between individuals; a criminal trial determines if a law has been broken.

What did the Judiciary Act of 1789 establish?

The federal court system.

What is jurisdiction?

The power to hear a court case.

What is judicial review?

The main check of the judiciary on the other two branches.

What is the structure of the federal court system?

1. US Supreme Court, 2. 13 Federal Circuit Courts, 3. 94 Federal District Courts.

What are the rights guaranteed by the 1st amendment?

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