Florida Civic Literacy Exam Master Guide

Ancient Civilization Influence: Ancient Rome is most closely associated with basic principles of separation of powers, rule of law, and republicanism.
Social Contract Theory: Asserts that the U.S. government receives authority to rule from the consent of the people.
Founding Philosophy: The Declaration of Independence was heavily influenced by the political philosophies of John Locke.
Magna Carta: Source of the principle of due process.
Grievances: The Declaration of Independence cited the presence of a standing army as a grievance against the British crown.
Rationales for Independence: The Declaration of Independence provided the primary rationale for American independence and inspired later documents like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of Sentiments.

Popular Sovereignty: Government is a trust; people have a say in how they are governed.
Federalism: Established by the U.S. Constitution to divide power between the national and state governments.
Separation of Powers: Prevents one branch from performing the duties of another (e.g., Congress cannot nominate Supreme Court justices).
Checks and Balances: Used to limit the abuse of government power (e.g., the War Powers Resolution Act, the President signing legislation, or the Senate failing to confirm a nominee).
Rule of Law: All individuals, in or out of government, are held accountable to the same standards; this principle would justify impeaching a president for lying under oath.
Judicial Review: Principle established by the case of Marbury v. Madison.
Article I: Assigns the legislative role of breaking ties in the Senate to the Vice President.
Article V: Describes the process for amending the U.S. Constitution.
Supremacy Clause: Requires that federal law be applied over conflicting state laws.
Necessary and Proper Clause: Introduced to provide flexibility to congressional powers; used as a basis for the ruling in McCulloch v. Maryland.
Electoral College: Constitutional mechanism giving states a key role in selecting the President.
Legislative Power: The "Power To lay and collect Taxes" is granted to the Legislative branch.

Articles of Confederation: Created a weak national government that lacked the power of taxation.
U.S. Constitution: Significant change from the Articles was that power became more centralized at the national level and included provisions for levying taxes on individuals.
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787: Established the process for new states to join on equal footing and addressed slavery (Article 6).
Federalist Papers: Argued that the proposed Constitution should be ratified.
Living Document: An ongoing dispute suggests the U.S. Constitution was intended to be a living document with evolving interpretations.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819): Involved implied powers and uses of the Necessary and Proper Clause; changed the relationship between national and state governments.
Plessy v. Ferguson: Ruled that racial segregation was permitted under the "separate but equal" doctrine.
Brown v. Board of Education: Overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, finding school segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Gideon v. Wainwright: Ruled that counsel must be provided for persons too poor to hire a lawyer to ensure a fair trial.
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): Ruled Congress had no authority to exclude slavery from federal territories.
Mapp v. Ohio: Established the exclusionary rule prohibiting evidence from illegal searches at trial.
U.S. v. Nixon: Limited the ways in which executive privilege could be used.
Korematsu v. United States: Upheld a suspension of civil rights for national security purposes.
Texas v. Johnson (1989): Ruled the government may not prohibit expression (e.g., flag burning) just because it is disagreeable.
Riley v. California: Involved the failure of police to obtain a warrant before searching a phone.
Engel v. Vitale: Focused on issues related to the Pledge of Allegiance and school prayer.

Bill of Rights (1791): Originally intended to protect individual liberty against infringement by the federal government.
First Amendment: Reflects viewpoints on religious freedom (referenced by President Jefferson).
Fourth Amendment: Violated if a police officer enters a home without a valid search warrant.
Fifth Amendment: Protects against self-incrimination and double jeopardy.
Tenth Amendment: Reserves powers to the states.
Thirteenth Amendment: Reflects language from the Northwest Ordinance regarding the prohibition of slavery.
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments: Extended civil rights to African Americans.
Seventeenth Amendment: Empowered voters through the direct election of U.S. Senators.
Nineteenth Amendment: Extended voting rights to women.

Monroe Doctrine (1823): Focused on protecting Central American nations from hostile aggression.
Coercive or Intolerable Acts: Led to the formation of The First Continental Congress.
Three-Fifths Compromise: Addressed disputes over population counts for taxation and representation.
New Deal Legislation: Faced potential threats from a resistant U.S. Supreme Court.
Fair Housing Act of 1968: Aimed to outlaw sex discrimination in mortgage applications.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Federal law associated with data on uninsured rates.

Selection of Chief Justice: The process includes nomination by the President and confirmation by the Senate.
Advice and Consent: An example includes the Senate confirming an ambassador to the United Nations.
Presidential Veto: When a president disagrees with a bill, the data suggests the president's view will likely be reflected in policy-making despite override potential.