Blue Flashcards
What form of government does the United States have?
A Democratic Republic
A nation in which the people elect representatives to govern according to the laws in their constitution.
bro it glitches agh
Under what plan of government were the states governed from 1781-1789?
The Articles of Confederation
What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
Couldn’t raise an army
No executive or judicial branches
Couldn’t tax anyone
Couldn’t settle state disputes
No power to enforce treaties or regulate trade
States had more power than national government
In what city did the Constitutional Convention meet? In what year?
Philadelphia 1787
Who was the presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington
What man is known as the Father of the Constitution?
James Madison
What are the main parts of the Constitution?
Preamble (states the purpose)
Articles (states the laws)
Amendments (the additions or corrections)
What does each branch of government do?
Executive-President-enforces and carries out the laws
Judicial-Supreme Court-interprets laws
Legislative-Congress-makes laws
What are the districts called from which the representatives are elected?
Congressional District
In what district is Bakersfield? Name our representative.
Bakersfield is in the 20th congressional district of California
Vince Fong
Who presides over the House of Representatives?
Speaker of the House-they are chosen by their fellow House Representatives
Who presides over the Senate? Do they have the right to vote on issues before the Senate?
Vice President of the United States- they DO NOT VOTE except in case of a TIE
Who presides over the Senate when the Vice President of the United States is absent?
President Pro-tempore of the Senate-they are chosen by their fellow senators
Who presides over the impeachment trial when the President of the U.S. is on trial?
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
What is meant by the franking privilege?
Free postal service for official mail
What is a bill?
A proposed law
What is meant by the term filibustering?
In the Senate only, a senator can talk all during the time allowed for discussion and voting on the bill and actually talks the bill to death
What is meant by the term lobby?
An attempt to influence the votes of members of Congress
What is a tariff?
A duty (tax) on exports or imports
What is the cabinet?
A group of advisors to the President
Who presides over these departments of the President’s Cabinet and what do they oversee?
1. State Department
2. Justice Department
3. Treasury Department
4. Defense Department
- Secretary of State- foreign affairs
- Attorney General- legal matters
- Secretary of Treasury- money matters
- Secretary of Defense- military matters
Name the only Court created by the Constitution
U.S. Supreme Court- the highest court in the land- NO APPEALS ABOVE IT
What is meant by original Jurisdiction?
To hear cases that must go first to a particular court
What is meant by appellate jurisdiction?
To hear cases appealed from a lower court
What is meant by extradition?
To return a suspected criminal to the location of the crime for purposes of prosecution
What is the name given to the first 10 amendments?
The Bill of Rights
What is a warrant?
Authorization for search, seizure of property, or arrest
What is bail?
Money or property posted to guarantee a person’s appearance in court
Things Congress can do without the President’s approval:
They can impeach
They can override the President’s veto
They can adjourn their meetings
it’ll glitch if this isn’t here
Definition of incumbent
person who currently holds that office
Definition of gerrymandering
re-drawing a voting area so as to unfairly favor a candidate
Definition of primary
an election in which people choose candidates for their party ticket for the general election
Definition of split ticket
a ballot on which a voter votes for candidates of more than one party
Definition of straight ticket
a ballot on which a voter votes for all candidates of the same party
Definition of census
official count of the population every 10 years
Definition of naturalization
the legal process to make an alien a U.S. citizen
Definition of Grand Jury
a group that determines if there is sufficient evidence to bring a person to trial
Definition of indictment
a formal accusation
Definition of capital crime
a crime for which a death may be the penalty
Definition of felony
a serious crime, i.e. rape, murder, burglary- punishable by a severe sentence
Definition of misdemeanor
a less serious crime than a felony
Definition of jeopardy
in danger
Definition of alien
a foreign born person legally living is the U.S.
Definition of ex post facto law
making an act criminal after it was done- you can’t be arrested for something you did if it was not illegal at the time you did it
Definition of writ of habeas corpus
an accused person has the right to appear before a judge to see if they are legally being held
Definition of bill of attainder
a person can not be punished without a trial by jury
