🇺🇸 Flashcards
What is the supreme law of the land?
The Constitution
What does the Constitution do?
Sets up and defines the government
Protect Basic rights of Americans
The idea of self government is in the first three words of the constitution. What are these words?
We The People
What is an amendment?
A change or addition to the constitution
What do we call the first ten amendments to the constitution?
The Bill of Rights
What is one right or freedoms from the first Amendment?
Speech, religion, assembly, press, petition the government
How many amendment does the Constitution have?
27
What did the Declaration of Independence do?
Announce our independence from Great Britain
Declared our independence
Said that the United States is Free from GB
What are the two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness
What is freedoms of religion?
You can practice any religion or not practice a religion
What is the economic system in the USA?
Capitalist and Market economy
What is the rule of the law?
Everyone must follow the law
Leaders must obey the law
Government must obey the law
No one is above the law
Name one branch of part of the government
Legislative: congress
Judicial: courts
Executive: president
What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
Checks and balances
Separation of power
Who is in charge of executive branch?
President
Who makes federal laws?
Congress
Senate and House
US or national legislature
What are two parts of the of the US Congress?
Senate and House
How many Senators are there?
100
We elect a US senator for how many years?
6
Who is your US Senators now?
Ben Cardin
Chris Van Hollen
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
435
We elect a US representative for how many years?
2
Name your US Representative
Andrew Harris
C.A Dutch Ruppersberger
John Sarbanes
Glenn Ivey
Steny Hoyer
David Trone
Kweisi Mfume
Jamin Ruskin
Who does your U.S Senator represent?
All people of the state
Why do some states have more representatives than other states?
Because of state’s population, they have more people, and some states have more people
We elect a president for how many years?
4
In what month do we vote for President?
November
What is the name of the president of the US now?
Joseph R. Biden
What is the name of the vice president of the United States now?
Kamala Harris
If the President can no longer serve who become President?
Vice President
If both the President and the vice president can no longer serve, who becomes president?
Speaker of the house
Who is the commander in chief of the military?
the President
Who signs the bills to become laws?
the President
Who vetoes bills?
the President
What does the President’s cabinet do?
advises the President
What are the two cabinet level positions?
Sec of Agriculture
Sec of Commerce
Sec of Defense
Sec of Education
Sec of Energy
Sec of Health and Human Services
Sec of Homeland Security
Sec of Housing and Urban Development
Sec of Interior
Sec of Labor
Sec of State
Sec of Transportation
Sec of Treasury
Sec of Veteran Affairs
Attorney General
Vice President
What does the judicial branch do?
reviews laws
explains laws
resolves disputes
decides if a law goes against the Constitution
What is the highest court in the United States
the Supreme Court
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
9 including the Chief Justice
Who is the Chief Justice of the united states?
John G. Roberts Jr.
Under the Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
print money
declare war
make treaties
create Army
Under our constitution, some powers belong to the states, what is one power of the states?
Provide schooling and education
Provide protection (police)
Provide safety (fire departments)
Give Driver’s license
Approve Zoning and land use
Who is the Governor of your state now?
Wes Moore
What is the capital of your state?
Annapolis
What are two major political parties in the US?
Democratic and Republican
What is the political party of the President now?
Democratic
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
Kevin McCarthy
There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
Citizens 18 and older
You don’t have to pay a poll tax to vote
Any US citizen can vote
Any male citizen of any race can vote
What is one responsibility that is only for the US citizens?
Serve on a jury
Vote in a federal election
Name one right only for the US citizen
Vote in a federal election
Run for federal office
What are two rights everyone living in the US?
freedom of expression
freedom of speech
freedom of assembly
freedom to petition the government
freedom of religion
the right to bear arms
What do we show loyalty when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
the United States
the flag
What is one promise you make when you become a US citizen?
Give up loyalty to other countries
Defend the Constitution and laws of the US
Obey the laws of the United States
Serve in the US military
Serve the nation
Be loyal to the United States
How old do citizens have to be to vote for the President?
18 and older
What are two ways that American can participate in their democracy?
Vote
Join a Political Party
Help with Campaign
Join a Civic Group
Join Community Group
Give an elected official your opinion on an issue
Call Senators and Representatives
Publicly Support or oppose an issue or polocu
Run for Office
Write to a newspaper
When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
April 15
When must all men register for the Selective Service?
At age 18 or between 18 and 26
What is one reason colonists came to America?
freedom
political liberty
religious freedom
economic opportunity
practice their religion
escape persecution
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
American Indians
Native Americans
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
Africans
people from Africa
Why did the colonists fight the British?
because of high taxes
because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
because they didn’t have self government
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4 1776
What were the 13 original states?
New Hampshire
Delaware
Maryland
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Connecticut
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
What happened to the Constitutional Convention?
The Constitution was written and the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution
When was the Constitution written?
1787
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the US Constitution. Name one of the writers.
Madison
Hamilton
Jay
Publius
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
US diplomat
Oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
first Postmaster General of the United States
Writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
Started the first free libraries
Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
George Washington
Who was the “First President”
George Washington
What territory did the US buy from France in 1803?
Louisiana Territory
Name one war fought by the US in the 1800s.
War of 1812
Mexican-American War
Civil War
Spanish-American War
Name the US war between the North and South
the Civil War
the War between the States
Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
Slavery
Economic reasons
States’ rights
What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
freed the slaves
saved the Union
led the US during the Civil War
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
freed the slaves
freed slaves in the Confederacy
freed the slaves in the Confederate states
freed slaves in most Southern states
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
fought for women’s rights
fought for civil rights
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
World War I
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Persian Gulf War
Who was President during World War I?
Woodrow Wilson
Who was President during Great Depression and World War II?
Franklin Roosevelt
Who did the US fight in WWII?
Japan, Germany, and Italy
Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
World War II
During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
Communism
What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
Civil Rights movement
What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?
fought for civil rights
worked for equality for all Americans
What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the US?
Terrorist Attack
Name one American Indian tribe in the US.
Cherokee
Navajo
Sioux
Chippewa
Choctaw
Pueblo
Apache
Iroquois
Creek
Blackfeet
Seminole
Cheyenne
Arawak
Shawnee
Mohegan
Huron
Oneida
Lakota
Crow
Teton
Hopi
Inuit
Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
Missouri and Mississippi
What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
Pacific
What ocean is on the East Coast of the US?
Atlantic
Name one US territory.
Puerto Rico
US Virgin Islands
Guam
American Samoa
Northern Mariana Islands
Name one state that border Canada
Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont
New York
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Michigan
Minnesota
North Dakota
Montana
Idaho
Washington
Alaska
Name one state that borders Mexico.
California
Arizona
New Mexico
Texas
What is the capitol of the US?
Washington, DC
Where is the Statue of Liberty?
New York (Liberty Island)
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Because there were 13 original colonies
Because the stripes represent the original colonies?
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
because there are 50 states– 1 star for each state
What is the name of the national anthem?
the Star Spangled Banner
When do we celebrate Independence Day?
JUly 4
Name two US National holidays.
New Year’s Day
MLK Day
President’s Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
