American Democracy Flashcards
What form does the US Government have?
A constitutional federal republic, in which the Congress, president, and judiciary share powers
What was one of the main reasons the English colonists came to the New World?
Availability of land
Escape poverty, famine, and disease
Religious tolerance (Catholics & Quakers)
What rights are stated in the Declaration of Independence?
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
What were the reasons the colonists separated from England?
The Stamp Act: Imposed a tax on all paper
The Tea Act: Imposed a tax on tea
The Quartering Act: required house owners to provide for English soldiers
How did the French and Indian War affect the colonists?
A 7 year war between France and England over North America
Left British in debt, so they imposed taxes and acts onto the states
Colonists didn’t like that (“taxation without representation”)
Led to the American Revolution
What are the three branches of the US government?
Legislative, judicial, and executive
What is the system of checks and balances of the US government?
Allows the branches to check or overturn acts of one branch if those acts are unconstitutional
Stops one part of the government form becoming too powerful
What are the three levels of the US Government?
Federal, state, and local
What are the powers of Congress?
Raise and collect taxes
Declare war
Make laws
Impeach federal officers
Approve treaties negotiated by the executive branch
What are the powers of the President?
Has the power to approve or veto bills passed by Congress
Appoint government officials
Make treaties
Command the military
Grant pardons
What are the powers of the Supreme Court?
Judicial review: the authority to overturn any act of government that violates the Constitution
To rule on cases involving the Constitution, federal laws, and disputes between states
The Great Compromise
Defined the structure of the US Congress and the number of representatives each state would have in Congress
Each state would get two representatives in the Senate
The number of representatives in the House depend on the state population
How are the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate chosen?
Members of the House serve two year terms and the Senate served six year terms
Chosen by the members of the state
What is the process of Presidential succession?
Outline who may become or act as President in the case that the current President can no longer serve
Vice President, then Speaker of the House of Representatives
What is the Electoral College?
Composed of electors who cast one electoral vote following the voting that takes place in the general election
Each state gets a certain number of electors based on its total number of representatives in Congress
There is a total of 538 votes
The Presidential candidate must get more than half electoral votes to win
