Studied by 13 peopleWhat are the functions of government?
make laws, provide services, keep peace and order, provide security, and plan for the future
What do people complain about?
The funding the costs of government through their taxes, however they rely on the government to provide services
Civics Virtue
putting others before yourself (community service)
Americans are allowed to vote at the age of 18 as set by
the 26th Amendment.
Citizen participation is key for elections...
It is necessary for a democratic society.
When voter turnout is low, special interests groups (those who particularly want something passed or defeated)...
influence the election
When politicians are elected to a position in government it is the responsibility of...
the citizen to hold the politician accountable for his or her actions while in public office
There are two main political parties in the US:
the Democrats and the Republicans
The Democratic Party's platform typically emphasizes...
programs that advance the welfare of people as demanded by society
Since President Regan's terms of office, the Republican Party platform has favored...
the reduction of taxes imposed on business.
In order for a democracy to work, citizen participation in the form of...
running for office, voting, voicing concerns is a must, and to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.
Dictatorship
government that tells the people what to do, how to do it, and when to do it
An individual person would have the greatest amount of freedom under a...
democracy
The Magna Carta limited the power of the...
monarch
No longer would the monarch be above the law. The Magna Carta influenced the concept of a...
limited government in the US Constitution
The English Bill of Rights of 1689 gave Parliament the sole power to...
make laws, raise taxes, control the government, and set up an election system all of which negated the rule of the monarch. Parliament now had more power than the monarch (the King).
A direct democracy is where all citizens vote directly on every issue whereas, in a representative democracy citizens...
elected representatives to represent them in voting on issues
A direct democracy would not work for a large society because there are...
too many issues that every citizen would need to vote on.
Mayflower Compact
direct democracy by the Pilgrims where laws would be created and leaders would be elected by the majority of the people
In colonial America, typically, voting rights were reserved to...
males who owned property.
The Colonies won their independence from Great Britain in the...
Revolutionary War.
Popular sovereignty
deriving the powers of government comes directly from the people governed (Rousseau's philosophy)
In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson highlights...
Rousseau's philosophy that government should rule through popular sovereignty.
Jefferson argues that a government that does not protect the rights of its people does not have the right to...
govern those people therefore the main purpose of government is to serve and protect its citizens.
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation:
no central government, no single leader, no federal judiciary, states fighting against other states over high tariffs (taxes), uncommon currency among all states, no power to tax (no money to provide services or pay for the war), no ability to regulate trade.
Limited Government
government is limited to the actions that are expressly permitted within the Constitution. A limited government is further limited through checks and balances of the three branches. This limits what the government may not do, such as, obtaining a search warrant before entering someone's house without permission to search for something.
The father of the Constitution is
James Madison.
In order for ratification of the Constitution to occur
9 of 13 states had to approve.
The Constitution has
7 Articles
The number of members in the House of Representatives is based on population, while the number of members in the Senate is based on...
equality.
The New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plans were
two plans of government that was proposed at the Constitutional Convention
The New Jersey Plan called for
a one house Congress with equal representation, similar to what they had under the Articles of Confederation, with equal representation for all states
The New Jersey Plan would favor
small states
The Virginia Plan was proposed by
James Madison
The Virginia Plan suggested that representation would be based on ___ and called for ___.
population, bicameral Congress
The Virginia Plan would favor
large states.
The 3/5ths Compromise dealt with the issues of
slavery for purposes of population, which would affect representation in the House, and taxation
A compromise was reached with the
3/5 compromise, whereas for every five slaves would equal three free persons.
This meant that for every 5 slaves
3 would count for purposes of census for representation and 2 would be taxed as property.
The Federalists and the Anti-Federalists were the first political parties which formed over
the ratification of the Constitution
The Federalists favored
a strong central government and were the writers of the Constitution
The Anti-Federalists opposed
The Constitution and feared a strong central government. They favored states' rights and wanted protection of individual rights as had been guaranteed by states
The anti-federalists feared
that a strong executive might become a tyrant just like the king was
Notable Federalists
John Jay, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison
Notable Anti-Federalists
Thomas Jefferson and George Mason
The Federalists Papers were written by
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and others to defend the US Constitution
The Federalists and Anti-Federalists compromised by
adding the Bill of Rights
Goal one of the preamble
form a more perfect union (create a stronger government than that under the Articles of Confederation)
Goal two of the preamble
establish justice (create a court system)
Goal three of the preamble
insure domestic tranquility (peace amongst the states)
Goal four of the preamble
provide for the common defense (security of the country)
Goal five of the preamble
promote the general welfare (good living conditions)
Goal six of the preamble
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity (freedoms not only now but also for the future)
The weaknesses of no chief executive or a judiciary under the Articles of Federation were used to
create the three branches of government by the Constitution
The organization of government into three branches was first described by
the French philosopher Montesquieu
The Constitution provides for a separation of
powers of the three branches of government to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful
System of Checks and balances
Legislative Branch makes laws which are signed into law or vetoed by the President
If the bill is vetoed by the President
Congress can override the veto by a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress, which would then make it a law
Congress makes a law and the President signs it into law, but
the Supreme Court declares it illegal
The President nominates a Supreme Court Justice but
the nomination must be confirmed by the Senate
The President negotiates a treaty but
the treaty must be ratified by a 2/3 vote of the Senate in order to become law
Congress checks the Judicial and Executive Branches through the
impeachment process
Article V (5)
An amendment to the US Constitution can be proposed by 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress or by a national convention requested by 2/3 of the state legislatures. The amendment must be ratified by ¾ of the states. The process was made difficult on purpose to make sure that any changes would have the overwhelming support of the people.
Article VI (6)
the Supremacy Clause- The Constitution is the Supreme law of the land and sets up the hierarchy of government. If a state law conflicts with a federal law the federal law will prevail. If a federal law conflicts with the Constitution, the Constitution will prevail.
The Bill of Rights (Amendments 1-10) were added to the Constitution to
protect individual freedoms from the government
There have been __ amendments added to the constitution
27
1st Amendment
freedom of speech (expression), religion, press, assembly, petition without the interference of the government
4th Amendment
protects from unreasonable searches and seizures to ensure the privacy of those who are only suspected of committing a crime
10th Amendment
any power that is not specifically delegated to the federal government is reserved for the states: education, marriage, etc. The 10th amendment and the necessary and proper clause usually conflict. People who interpret the 10th Amendment as restricting the federal government are called states' righters.
13th Amendment
prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude
15th Amendment
designed to allow former male slaves the right to vote- actually allowed all men the right to vote with the exception of Native Americans.
19th Amendment
granted suffrage to all females with the exception of Native Americans. It was a struggle to extend voting rights to women because of the traditional viewpoints about the proper role of women.
26th Amendment
set the voting age at 18 because of the draft during the Vietnam war
Freedom of speech is important for a democracy because
it allows society to challenge authority.
Freedom of assembly allows
one to participate in peaceful political rallies and to join organizations.
Freedom of the press does not allow
books to be banned regardless of the content.
Freedom of petition allows one to
express their ideas and complaints to the government.
The first state to grant suffrage to women was
Wyoming
Article I of the Constitution
Establishes Congress as the legislative branch of Federal Government and lists the powers of Congress.
Branch of government that is closest to the people is the
legislative branch
Job of the Legislative Branch is to
make laws
How old must you be to work in Senate
30
How long must you have lived as a citizen of the US to work in senate
9 years
Where must you live to work in Senate
in the represented state (senate)
How old must you be to work in the House
25
How long must you have been a US citizen to work in the House
7 years
Where must you live to work in the House
in the represented state (house)
The Legislative Branch was patterned after the
British Parliament
Congress is
bicameral (2 house) composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Representation in the House is based on
population
Representation in the Senate is based on
equality
The entire House of Representatives is elected every
two years
A term of the Senate lasts
6 years, with 1/3 up for election every two years
The leader of the House of Representatives is the
Speaker of the House.
The leader of the Senate, according to the Constitution, is the
Vice President
day to day leadership in the House is handled by the
President Pro Tempore
Powers given to Congress
impeachment process, ratification of treaties, regulation of trade, declare war
Impeachment charges are brought up against the
President or Supreme Court Justices in the House of Representatives
The senate acts as the ____ during impeachments
Jury
Budget Deficit is when
more money is being spent by government than the revenue that it is taking in.
Note
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