Government Final 

Three levels of government: judicial, legislative, executive

Creator of director democracy: Athens, Greece

Creator of representative democracy: America

Federalism: a system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

Democracy: government by which all people or in which all citizens take part in

Natural Rights: life, liberty, property

Sovereignty: supreme power of authority

Locke: natural rights

Montesquieu: separation of power

Hobbes: absolute sovereignty

Rousseau: social contract

Deceleration of Independence: Thomas Jefferson, independent but free

Popular Sovereignty: government gets its authority from the people

Limited Government: protection of natural rights

Separation of Power: dividing power between the branches of government

Checks and Balances: to keep the government from getting too powerful in one branch

Judicial Branch: interprets law

Federalism: power divided from national and state government

# of Articles in the Constitution: 7

Article I: legislative branch

Article II: executive branch

Article III: judicial branch

Article V: relations among states

Total Amendments: 27 amendments

Bill of Rights: first 10 amendments

1st Amendment: freedom of speech

2nd Amendment: right to bear arms

4th Amendment: search and seizure

5th Amendment: right to remain silent

6th Amendment: right to fair, speedy trial

8th Amendment: no cruel and unusual punishment

10th Amendment: power reserved to states

Suffrage: right to vote

Election Day: tuesday after the first monday in novemeber

19th Amendment: women’s right to vote

24th Amendment: abolishes poll tax

26th Amendment: lowered voting age to 18

Leading to 26th Amendment: Vietnam War

Electoral College Total Votes: 538

Electoral College Winning Votes: 270

Electors Chosen: parties nominate potential people

Least Number of Electoral Votes: 3

Democrat Ideology: more likely to favor social welfare programs, job programs through public works, tax laws that help people with lower income, and government regulation of business

Republican Ideology: conservative

Legislative Branch: makes laws

House Leadership Title: speaker of the house

House Term Length: 2 years

House Representatives Per State: based on population

House Age Requirements: 25 years old, citizen for 7 years

House Size: 435 members

Senate Leadership Title: vice president

Senate Term Length: 6 years

Senate Representatives Per State: 2 senators

Senate Age Requirement: 30 years old, citizen for 9 years

Senate Size: 100 members

Vice President’s Job: preside over the senate and break ties

Impeachment Process: 1. house passes articles of impeachment by majority

2. senate tries and 2/3 must convict

Checks & Balance of Legislative Branch: -can impeach and convict federal judges

-must approve all treaties

-can impeach and convict the president

-can override a veto (2/3 vote)

Filibuster: a procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.

Gerrymandering: process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

Bill to Law Death: committee review

Bill to Law Override: 2/3 vote in house and senate

Executive Branch: enforces law

President Election Process: nov/oct '16-'18: invisible primary-unofficial campaigning by unofficial candidates

nov '18: midterm congressional elections

dec '18-july'19: self declaration of candidacy

jan-june '20: nomination phase-purpose is to narrow down to 1 from each party (rep: 2,472 demo: 4,763)

sept-oct '20: Fall campaign (most intense) - down to 2 main candidates

nov '20- ELECTION DAY-1st tues. after the 1st mon. in Nov every 4 years

jan '20- inauguration day-prez is sworn to chief

Execuative Branch Term Length: 4 year

22th Amendment: can’t be elected president more than twice

Secretary of State: President foreign policy

Attorney General: enforce laws

Secretary of Defense: oversees Defense Department

Treasury: funds government

Judicial Branch: interprets the law

Supreme Court Justices: 9

Requirements for Supreme Court Justices: none

Supreme Court Justice Term Length: life

Current Supreme Court Ideology: conservative

Brown v. Board: outlawed school segregation

Roe v. Wade: access to safe abortion

Plessy v. Ferguson: separate but equal

Miranda v. Arizona: miranda rights

Marbury v. Madison: courts have power to strike down laws

Texas v. Johnson: flag burning protected by first amendment

New Jersey v. TLO: search and seizure at school

Tinker v. Des Moines: distruption test

Ingraham v. White: coporal punishment

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier: school paper restrict student expression

Santa Fe v. Jane Doe: prayer groups not sponsered by schools

Kent v. United States: allowed for child to be tried as an adult