Principles and Systems of American Government Practice Flashcards

A complete set of 128 flashcards based on pages 2-5 of the American Government lecture notes, focusing on founding principles and the system of government.

Republic

A form of government of the United States.

Constitution-based federal republic

A form of government of the United States.

Representative democracy

A form of government of the United States.

U.S. Constitution

The supreme law of the land.

Supreme law of the land

The (U.S.) Constitution.

Forms the government

One function of the U.S. Constitution.

Defines powers of government

One function of the U.S. Constitution.

Defines the parts of government

One function of the U.S. Constitution.

Protects the rights of the people

One function of the U.S. Constitution.

"We the People"

The opening words of the U.S. Constitution, which express the idea of self-government.

Self-government

A meaning of the phrase "We the People."

Popular sovereignty

A meaning of the phrase "We the People."

Consent of the governed

A meaning of the phrase "We the People."

People should govern themselves

A meaning of the phrase "We the People."

Social contract

An example of the principle expressed by the words "We the People."

Amendments

Changes made to the U.S. Constitution.

The amendment process

The method used to make changes to the U.S. Constitution.

Bill of Rights

The document that protects the basic rights of Americans and people living in the United States.

Basic rights of Americans

Rights protected by the Bill of Rights.

Twenty-seven ($27$)

The total number of amendments the U.S. Constitution has.

Declaration of Independence

The document that says America is free from British control and identifies inherent rights.

Free from British control

What the Declaration of Independence says about America.

All people are created equal

A fundamental principle stated in the Declaration of Independence.

Inherent rights

Rights identified by the Declaration of Independence.

Individual freedoms

Freedoms identified by the Declaration of Independence.

Equality

An important idea from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Liberty

An important idea from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Natural rights

Important ideas from the founding documents regarding personal status.

Limited government

An important idea from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness

The words found in the Declaration of Independence.

Life

One of the founding rights found in the Declaration of Independence.

Pursuit of Happiness

One of the founding rights found in the Declaration of Independence.

Capitalism

The economic system of the United States.

Free market economy

The economic system of the United States.

Rule of law

The principle that everyone, including leaders and the government, must follow the law.

Everyone must follow the law

The meaning of the rule of law.

Leaders must obey the law

A requirement of the rule of law.

Government must obey the law

A requirement of the rule of law.

No one is above the law

A key concept of the rule of law.

Articles of Confederation

An early document that influenced the U.S. Constitution.

Federalist Papers

A series of documents that influenced the U.S. Constitution.

Anti-Federalist Papers

Documents that influenced the development of the U.S. Constitution.

Virginia Declaration of Rights

A document from Virginia that influenced the U.S. Constitution.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

A colonial document that influenced the U.S. Constitution.

Mayflower Compact

A document from early American history that influenced the U.S. Constitution.

Iroquois Great Law of Peace

An Indigenous document that influenced the U.S. Constitution.

Three branches of government

A system designed so that one part of government does not become too powerful.

Checks and balances

A reason for the three branches of government.

Separation of powers

A reason for the three branches of government.

Legislative, executive, and judicial

The three branches of government.

Congress, president, and the courts

The entities that make up the three branches of government.

President of the United States

The person in charge of the executive branch.

Executive branch

The branch of government led by the President.

U.S. Congress

The part of the federal government that writes laws.

National legislature

The legislative branch of the federal government.

Senate and House (of Representatives)

The two parts of the U.S. Congress.

Senate

One part of the U.S. Congress.

House of Representatives

One part of the U.S. Congress.

Writes laws

A power of the U.S. Congress.

Declares war

A power of the U.S. Congress.

Makes the federal budget

A power of the U.S. Congress.

One hundred ($100$)

The number of U.S. senators.

Six ($6$) years

The term length for a U.S. senator.

District of Columbia residents

Residents of the United States who have no U.S. senators.

Four hundred thirty-five ($435$)

The number of voting members in the House of Representatives.

Two ($2$) years

The term length for a member of the House of Representatives.

Public opinion

Who U.S. representatives follow more closely due to shorter terms.

Two ($2$)

The number of senators each state has.

Equal representation for small states

The reason each state has two senators.

The Great Compromise

The compromise that established each state has two senators (also known as the Connecticut Compromise).

Connecticut Compromise

Another name for the Great Compromise.

Citizens of their state

Those represented by a U.S. senator.

People of their state

Those represented by a U.S. senator.

Citizens from their state

The people who elect U.S. senators.

Residents of U.S. territories

Residents who may have no U.S. senators and no voting representatives in Congress.

Speaker of the House of Representatives

The officer for whom current names should be verified at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates.

U.S. Representative

The government official who represents citizens in their congressional district.

Citizens in their congressional district

Whom a member of the House of Representatives represents.

Citizens in their district

Whom a member of the House of Representatives represents.

People from their congressional district

Whom a member of the House of Representatives represents.

People in their district

Whom a member of the House of Representatives represents.

Citizens from their congressional district

The group that elects members of the House of Representatives.

State's population

The reason some states have more representatives than others.

More people

The reason some states have more representatives than others.

Four ($4$) years

The number of years for which the President of the United States is elected.

22nd Amendment

The amendment that prevents the president from serving more than two terms.

Two terms

The maximum length of service for the President of the United States.

Prevent the president from becoming too powerful

A reason the President can serve only two terms.

Nonvoting Delegates

The title of representatives from some U.S. territories.

Resident Commissioners

A title for representatives from some U.S. territories.

Legislative branch

The branch of government that includes the U.S. Congress.

Judicial branch

The branch of government that includes the courts.

U.S. Constitution (Starting words)

Starts with the famous phrase "We the People."

27

The total numerical count of amendments to the Constitution.

British control

The external authority America declared freedom from in the Declaration of Independence.

$100$

The total number of senators in the United States Senate.

$435$

The total number of voting members in the House of Representatives.

$6$ years

The duration of one term for a U.S. senator.

$2$ years

The duration of one term for a member of the House of Representatives.

$4$ years

The length of a presidential term after an election.