100 Questions for Civics test Flashcards
what is the supreme law of the land
the constitution
what does the constitution do
sets up the government, defines the government, protects the 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 to the Constitution
an addition to the constitution
what do we call the first ten amendments to the constitution?
the Bill of Rights
what is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
speech, religion, assembly, press, petition the government
how many amendments does the Constitution have?
27
what did the Declaration of Independence do?
declared our independence from Great Britain
what are 2 rights in Declaration of Independence?
life, liberty, pursuit of happiness
what is freedom of religion?
you can practice any religion, or not practice a religion
what is the economic system in the United States?
capitalist economy, market economy
what is the “rule of law”?
No one is above the law
name 1 branch or part of the government
congress
legislative
president
executive
the courts
judicial
what stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
checks and balances
separation of powers
who is in charge of the executive branch
the president
who makes federal laws?
congress
senate and house of representatives
U.S. or national legislature
what are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
senate and house of representatives
how many U.S. senators are there?
100
we elect a U.S. senator for how many years
6
who is one of your state’s US senators now?
Laphonza Butler
Alex Padilla
the house of representatives has how many voting members
435
we elect a us representative for how many years
2
name your us representative
Mike Levin
who does a us senator represent
all people of the state
why do some states have more representatives than others states?
because of the state’s population
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 united states now
joe biden
what is the name of the vice president of united states now
Kamala Harris
if the president can no longer serve, who becomes president
the vice president
if both the president and the vice president can no longer serve, who becomes president
the speaker of the house
who is the commander in chief of the military
president
who signs bills to become laws
president
who vetoes bills
president
what does the president’s cabinet do
advises the president
what are 2 cabinet-level positions
secretary of agriculture
secretary of commerce
secretary of defense
secretary of education
secretary of energy
secretary of health and human services
secretary of homeland security
secretary of the interior
secretary of labor
secretary of state
secretary of transportation
secretary of the treasury
secretary of veterans affairs
attorney general
vice president
what does the judicial branch do
reviews laws
explains laws
resolves disputes (disagreements)
decides if a law goes against the constitution
what is the highest court in the united states
supreme court
how many justices are on the supreme court
9
who is the chief justices of the united states now
john roberts
under our constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. what is one power of the federal government
to print money
to declare war
to create an army
to make treaties
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 department)
give a driver’s license
approve zoning and land use
who is governor of your state now
gavin newsom
what is the capital of your state
sacramento
what are the two major political parties in the united states
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
mike johnson
there are four amendments to the constitution about who can vote. describe one them
citizens 18 and older can vote
you don’t have to pay a poll tax to vote
any citizen can vote (women and men can vote)
a male citizen of any race can vote
what is one responsibility that is only for united states citizens
serve on a jury
vote in a federal election
name one right only for united states citizens
vote in a federal election
run for federal office
what are two rights of everyone living in the united states?
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 to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
the united states, the flag
what is one promise you make when you become a united states citizen
give up loyalty to other countries, defend the constitution and laws of the united states, obey the laws of the united states, serve in the us military (if needed), serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed), be loyal to the united states
how old do citizens have to be to vote for president?
18 and older
what are two ways that americans can participate in their democracy?
vote, join a political party, help with a campaign, join a civic group, join a community group, give an elected official your opinion on an issue, call senators and representatives, public support or oppose an issue or policy, 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?
between18 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?
native americans
what group of people was taken to america and sold as slaves?
Africans
why did the colonists fight the british
because of high taxes (taxation without representation), 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 4th, 1776
there were 13 original states. name 3
new hampshire, massachussets, rhode island, connecticut, new york, new jersey, pennsylvania, delaware, maryland, virginia, north carolina, south carolina, georgia
what happened at the constitutional convention?
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
james madison, alexander hamilton, john 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 united states buy from France in 1803
louisiana
name one war fought by the united states 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
name one problem that led to the civil war
slavery
what was one important thing that abraham lincoln did
freed the slaves (emancipation proclamation)
what did the emancipation proclamation do?
freed the slaves
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
who was president during world war i
woodrow wilson
who was president during the great depression and world war ii
franklin roosevelt
who did the united states fight world war ii
japan, germany, 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 untied 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 united states
terrorists attacked the united states
name one american indian tribe in the united states
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 river, mississippi river
what ocean is on the west coast of the united states
pacific ocean
what ocean is on the east coast of the united states
atlantic ocean
name one us territory
puerto rico, us virgin islands, american samoa, northern mariana islands, guam
name one state that borders canada
washington
name one states that borders mexico
california
what is the capital of the united states
washington dc
where is the statue of liberty
new york harbor
why does the flag have 13 stripes
because there were 13 original colonies
why does the flag have 50 stars
because there are 50 states
what is the name of the national anthem
the star-spangled banner
when do we celebrate independence day
july 4
name two national us holiday
Christmas and new year’s day
