Final exam CIVICS

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 welfare

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

The theory underlying modern democracies was developed to challenge the idea that

Those of royal birth has absolute authority to rule.

The dominant political unit in the world today is the

State.

Characteristics of a state

Population- people that are members of a state, Territory- the area in which a state's rules apply, Sovereignty- is the ability to rule within a territory, Government- An organization inside a state that controls all policies and actions

A federal government is one in which

power is divided between a central government and local governments

All political powers in a state are concentrated at the central level under which form of government

Unitary

Equality of opportunity

the idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to succeed in life

In the charter colonies, most governmental matters were handled by the colonists.

Declaration of Independence

signed in 1776 by US revolutionaries, declared the United States a free state.

What influenced the Framers

Locke's and Rousseau's ideas and state constitutions

What government directly influenced the Farmers in the development of the Constitution

the Articles of Confederation

Massachusetts - colony founding, oldest state Constitution, popular vote

colony founding, oldest state Constitution, popular vote

Which feature did the State Constitutions and the Articles of Confederation have in common

principle of popular sovereignty

Delegates met at Mount Vernon and Annapolis too

recommend a federal plan to regulate commerce

Articles of Confederation problems

The government set up by the Articles of Confederation had only a legislative branch, consisting of a unicameral Congress.

The Federalist was written to

win support for the Constitution in New York.

The President's Cabinet is an example of informal amendment by

unwritten custom.

Limited government

the idea that certain restrictions should be placed on the government to protect the natural rights of citizens

Which of the following is a method of formal amendment

proposal by two-thirds of Congress and ratification by three-fourths 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

These are all examples of Checks and Balances. The Supreme Court declares a law passed by Congress to be unconstitutional.- The President vetoes a bill.- The Senate approves the President's nominee for Supreme Court justice.

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.

Local government power

determine and execute measures within restricted areas.

Expressed powers - definition and examples

An example of an expressed power is the power to coin money.

Obligations of the national government to the states

guarantee of a republican form of government 2. Protection against invasion and domestic violence.

Subunits of state government

local governments, executive, legislative, and judicial branch

The implied powers doctrine, upheld in McCulloch v. Maryland, gives Congress the power to do what

anything reasonably related to carrying out the expressed powers

What event brought McCulloch v. Maryland before the Supreme Court

The state of Maryland attempted to tax federal bank notes

Political party and political party chairperson

groups of people who seek to control government through winning elections and the holding of public office, 2. Is the head of the party's organization

The two major parties have members who take on which roles

party leaders, loyal party members and votes, and party officeholders

Membership in either of the two major parties is based upon what

personal choice

The two-party system developed in the U.S.

mainly because there were conflicts over what document created differing viewpoints. Constitution

functions of the two major parties

keep the general public informed about key issues, monitor the conduct of its candidates in office, and assure the qualifications of candidates for office

Past limitations on voting rights

Poll tax, Amendment 14- women under 21, Literacy test, Grandfather clause- Allowed voters who failed the literacy tests to vote if their grandfather was eligible to vote in previous elections.

Voting Rights Act and its amendments

a law designed to help end format and informal barriers to african american suffrage. ( banned literacy tests)

Long-term trends marking the expansion of suffrage in the U.S. include what

removing restrictive requirements based on religious belief, eliminating requirements based on race, and eliminating requirements based on tax payments

Literacy tests worked to deny the right to vote to African Americans primarily because African Americans were asked what

more difficult questions

Which act first established a federal commission to investigate claims of individual voter discrimination

Civil Rights Act of 1957

The single most significant predictor of a person's partisan voting behavior is his or her what

party identification

The 15th Amendment ratified in 187-, did not secure the right of African Americans to vote. Why

The federal government did not intervene to uphold it.

Gerrymandering is unfair because

it sets district boundaries. decrease one group's voting strength

The nominating stage is the most important in the electoral process mostly because nominations set real limits to what

the choices that voters can make in general elections

Ways in which voters are asked to complete election ballots

moving levers on a machine, marking a punch card, returning a mail-in ballot

Campaign contributions to a presidential candidate can be made by who

any American

The most costly items in a typical campaign budget today are what

TV ads

What can PACs do

distribute money to the candidates who are sympathetic to their policy goals, give not more than $5,000 to any one federal candidate in an election, give no more than $15,000 a year to a political party

Closed primary

a party nominating election in which only declared party members can vote

What is the earliest and one of the most significant agents in the political socialization process

family

Attitudes held by a significant number of people concerning governmental and political questions are known as what

public opinion

A term used to describe the entire group of persons whose opinions a poll seeks to measure is called what

universe

Public opinion is made known in which ways

interest groups, personal contacts, and the media

What is the first step in scientific polling

defining the universe

Senate

one of the two parts of the US Congress, the legislature that makes the country's laws.

House of Representatives

the lower house of the United States Congress. With 435 popularly elected officials, the House (as it is often called) is the most representative body in the federal government. House seats are apportioned (see apportionment) relative to each state's population.

Senate qualifications

30 years of age, 9 year US citizen, Inhabitant of the state represented

House of Representatives qualifications

at least 30 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years, and a resident of the state by the date of the general election.

Non-legislative power held by state legislatures

power to choose a president, removal, confirmation, ratification, amendment powers

Petit jury

To determine if the accused is guilty or innocent

Selection of judges for state and local courts

the president/ constitution

Constitutional Convention

55 men from all the states but Rhode Island med in Philadelphia at the Constitutional Convention

Why did the convention meet in secrecy

To protect the delegates from outside pressure

When did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention complete their work

(Give the month, day, and year.)? September 17th,1787 now called "Constitution Day"

Terms of state legislators

2 or 4 years

fundamental laws of each state

the State Constitution

Bicameral nature of state legislatures

elects a speaker to preside

The first step in the budget process

Consider the important goals you have set in your life-span plan.

Unreasonable tax classification

people over 65

Impact of mass media on the public agenda

public agenda the societal problems that political leaders and citizens agree need government attention

Lobbying

Activities by which group pressures are brought to bear on legislators, the legislative process, and all aspects of the public-policy-making process

federal regulation of the lobbying act

requires lobbyists to register with the clerk of the house and the secretary of the senate; it required the registration of individuals and groups who collected or spent money for the "principal purpose" of influencing legislation

. 8 roles of the president

Chief of State, Chief Executive, Chief Administrator, Chief Diplomat, Commander in Chief, Chief Legislator, Chief of Party, Chief Citizen

National Security Council's purpose

it is to advise the president on all domestic, foreign, and military aspects of the nation's security.

Budget submission

A plan that outlines what money you expect to earn or receive, and how you will save it or spend it for a given period of time

Which federal court exercises both original and appellate jurisdiction

the Supreme Court

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit differs from the other 12 federal courts of appeals. How so

It hears cases from across the country.

The Due Process Clause guarantees what

States will not deny people any fundamental or essential liberties

Why is there no exact definition of the due process guarantees

The Supreme Court only defends the guarantees on a case-by-case basis.

The right to privacy inherent in the concept of due process has been applied with the most controversy in cases involving what

abortion

The inclusion of two due process clauses in the Constitution reflects what idea

The Bill of Rights is for the National Government and the 14th Amendment is for the States and their local governments.

What requires the police to bring a prisoner before the court and explain why he or she should not be released

writ of habeas corpus

What prevents the accused from being unjustly arrested and imprisoned without cause

writ of habeas corpus

Under the Establishment Clause, the government still has the power to do what

use tax money to pay for busing students to parochial schools, provide public funds for some uses in church-related schools, exercise control over public, seasonal displays

Basic principles the Constitution is built around

popular sovereignty, limited Government, separation of powers, checks and balances, Judicial Review, Federalism

Government

institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies

Democracy

a type of government in which supreme authority rests with the people

Autocracy

a kind of government in which a single person holds unlimited political power

Federalists

people who favored the ratification of the Constitution

judicial review- the power of the court to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional

Bill of Rights

list of first ten constitutional guarantees of rights

Conference Committee- resolves differences between House and Senate versions of a bill

Federalism

the division of power among a central government and several regional government

Expressed powers

powers that are written in the Constitution

Implied powers

powers that are reasonably suggested, but not stated in the Constitution

Political party

people who seek to control government through the winning of elections

Political socialization

the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

Direct primary

intra-party election to pick that party's candidates for the general election