Chapters 4-5 Flashcards
Prepare for Test 2
What document was the forerunner of the written constitution in America?
Mayflower Compact
What documents emphasized the relationship between the king and the colonies?
Charters
What was America’s first national constitution?
Articles of Confederation
What type of government did the Articles of Confederation establish?
Confederacy
In what type of government is the central government subordinate to state governments and has only the powers which they grant it?
Confederacy
How many branches of government did the Articles of Confederation provide for?
One
What was the crowning achievement of the Articles of Confederation?
The wise disposition of western lands
Under the Articles of Confederation, what provided for the surveying of western lands in the Northwest Territory?
Land Ordinance of 1785
Under the Articles of Confederation, what provided a plan of government for the Northwest Territory?
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Name a weakness of the Articles of Confederation
You could choose any of the following:
(1) At least nine states had to approve any measure before it could be passed by Congress.
(2) The Articles did not provide for an executive or judicial branch.
(3) The Articles did not grant Congress the power to tax.
What event put the fear of rebellion into the hearts of many Americans?
Shays’ Rebellion
What was the purpose of the Mount Vernon Conference?
To work out differences between Virginia and Maryland over commercial navigation on the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay
How many delegates attended the Constitutional Convention?
55
Name one of the two most famous Americans to attend the Constitutional Convention?
You could have chosen:
George Washington or Benjamin Franklin
Which Founding Father is remembered as the “Father of the Constitution”
James Madison
Who wrote the final draft of the Constitution?
Gouverneur Morris
Who was the youngest delegate of the Constitutional Convention?
Jonathan Dayton
What year did the Constitutional Convention take place?
1787
Where did the Constitutional Convention take place?
Independence Hall
In what governmental system are areas of authority divided between the states and the national government?
Federal System
In what governmental system are officials chosen to represent the people and the states?
Republican System
Which plan at the Constitutional Convention proposed a bicameral legislature?
Virginia Plan
Which plan at the Constitutional Convention proposed a unicameral legislature
New Jersey Plan
What compromise between the Virginia Plan and New Jersey plan was accepted by the Constitutional Convention?
Great Compromise or Connecticut Compromise
What compromise decided that three-fifths of a state’s slave population would be counted in determining both taxation and representation?
Three-Fifths Compromise
What compromise decided that Congress could regulate interstate and foreign commerce and trade with Native Americans but could not levy import taxes or regulate the save trade, except by a small head tax?
Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise
What did those who favored the Constitution call themselves?
Federalists
What were those who opposed the Constitution called?
Anti-Federalists
Name one of the three men who wrote the Federalist Papers
You could have chosen:
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, or John Jay
What is considered the premier commentary on the Constitution?
The Federalist Papers
What city was chosen as the temporary capital of the new government?
New York City
When did the new government begin to function?
When George Washington was inaugurated in 1789
What is the introduction to the Constitution?
Preamble
Name one of the six purposes for the Constitution
You could have chosen one of the following:
(1) To form a more perfect government
(2) To establish justice
(3) To ensure domestic tranquility
(4) To provide for the common defense
(5) To promote the general welfare
(6) To secure the blessing of liberty
What is a form of government in which voters elect others to represent them in government?
A Republic
What is a division of the power between the national government and the state governments.
Federalism
What are the powers that have been given to the national government by the Constitution?
Delegated Powers
What are powers not given to the national government by the Constitution or prohibited by the Constitution?
Reserved Powers
What are powers given to both the national and state governments?
Concurrent Power
Who did the Founding Fathers get the idea of separation of powers from?
Charles de Montesquieu
Which branch makes laws?
Legislative
Which branch carries out or “executes” laws?
Executive
Which branch interprets laws?
Judicial
What is a system in which each branch of government exercises a measure of control over the other branches in an effort to balance the power within the national government?
Check and Balances
Which articles describe the legislative, executive and judicial branches?
Articles I, II, and III
Which article outlines the federal relationship among the states and between the national government and the states?
Article IV
Which article provides for making amendments?
Article V
What are changes to the Constitution called?
Amendments
Which article establishes that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land?
Article VI
Which article sets fort the manner in which the Constitution was to be ratified?
Article VII
What is the name of the legislative branch?
Congress
What is the power to make laws?
Legislative power
What are the names of the two houses of Congress?
The Senate and House of Representatives
Which house is the lower house of Congress?
House of Representatives
How many members are in the House of Representatives?
435
How long is a term in the House?
Two years
What is the proportional distribution of congressional seats among the states?
Apportionment
What is a counting of the number of people in a specific area?
Census
What is a practice in which a state legislature draws its district boundaries so as to purposely favor the party in power?
Gerrymandering
Which house is the upper house of Congress?
Senate
How long is a term in the Senate
Six years
How many members of the Senate are there?
100
How is representation in the Senate based?
Equal representation
Which Amendment changed the way senators are chosen?
17th
How are senators chosen?
At-large, by all the voters of their state
What is the name of the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years?
General Election Day
What are the three qualifications of serving in Congress?
Age, citizenship, and state residency
Name one of the three leadership positions in Congress
You could have chosen one of the following:
(1) Speaker of the House
(2) president of the Senate
(3) president “pro tempore”
What is the name of the party with the most members in the House?
Majority Party
What does the term “pro tempore” mean
“For the time being”
Who is the chief spokesman of his party and is responsible to secure his party’s interests in the legislative process?
Floor leader
Who assists the floor leader in his responsibilities?
Party whip
What is a private meeting of political party members to decide on policy or to choose their party leaders?
Caucus
What is the most often used system to assign committee or subcommittee chairs?
Seniority system
Who is the senior member of the minority party?
Ranking member
What kind of committee is used for investigations
Select committee
What kind of committee is made up of members from both houses?
Joint committee
Who is the chief protocol and law enforcement officer for his house?
Sergent at arms
Who is to advise house officials on rules?
Parliamentarian
Who ministers to the spiritual needs of members, staff, and their families?
Chaplains
Who is the official record keeper for his house
Secretary
Who helps maintain much of the operational infrastructure in the House?
Chief administrative officer
How long does each term in Congress last?
Two years
How many sessions of Congress are there every term?
Two
What changed both the meeting time of Congress and the day on which members assume their duties.
20th Amendment
What constitutes a quorum?
Simple majority
What is a required number to do business?
Quorum
Where is a thorough record of everything said on the Senate floor kept?
Congressional Record
What states that any pay raise that Congress gives itself cannot go into effect until the next congressional election?
27th Amendment
What privilege means that congressmen are not charged postage on official mail?
Franking privilege
What privilege says that congressmen cannot be held liable for any statements made in speeches on the floor of Congress?
Congressional immunity
What term means “to officially condemn”?
censure
What is the greatest penalty which either house of Congress may impose on a disorderly member?
Expulsion
What is the chief responsibility of Congress?
Legislating
What is a proposed law?
Bill
What kind of bills apply to the nation at large?
Public bills
what kind of bills apply to only individuals or groups of people?
Privet bills
What is a formal statement of opinion or determination adopted by a legislative assembly?
Resolution
What is a resolution passed by only one house and dealing with matters dealing with that house?
Simple resolution
What is a resolution passed by both houses and dealing with matters that need joint action but no formal law?
Concurrent resolution
What term means “to act together”?
Concure
What is a box on the side of the Clerk’s desk?
Hopper
What is a bill that is sponsored by both parties?
Bi-partisan Bill
What term means a bill is purposely put aside and forgotten?
Pigeonhold
What means that if a house member can get 218 signatures on his petition, he can get his bill out of committee and onto the floor?
Discharge Petition
What is an attempt to kill a bill by stalling the vote on it?
Filibuster
What is the only effective way to prevent a filabuster?
To invoke the senate’s cloture rule
What limits each senator to a max of 1 hour to speak on a bill under consideration?
Cloture Rule
In what procedure does the House sit temporarily under one committee?
Committee of the Whole
What is a temporary committee composed of members of both houses for the purpose of working out a compromise on a bill?
Conference Committee
Congress forbidding the implementation of an agency’s policy without input by the President?
Legislative veto
Powers given explicitly to Congress
Express Powers
Powers that are not specifically stated in the Constitution
Implied Powers
What gives Congress the authority to put into operation both the expressed and implied powers given by the Constitution
“Necessary and proper clause”
The House of Rep. has what 3 powers?
- Origination of all revenue bills
- selecting a president from the top 3 candidates
- conferring charges of impeachment against a federal official
The Senate has what 4 powers?
- choosing a vice president
- approving all presidential appointments
- trying all cases of impeachment
- approving all presidential treaties
The House of Reps. has the sole power of what?
Impeachment
