Citizenship Handbook Chapter Flashcards
This deck of flashcards recaps everything we have learned in the Citizenship Handbook Chapter, which is the reason why the number of flashcards is bigger than usual.
What is a republic?
A government in which citizens rule themselves through elected representatives
Directions: True or False? If false, correct the statement.
A dictatorship is a government in which one person or a small group holds complete authority
True
Directions: Given the definiton, name the correct term.
No person may be held in prison without being charged with a specific crime
Habeas Corpus
Directions: Answer the question with the best available option.
What is separation of powers?
A. The idea that powers of congress must be clearly defined and divided into legislative, house, and senate.
B. The idea that powers of the judiciary must be clearly defined and divided into the Supreme Court, justices, and judges.
C. The idea that powers of government must be clearly defined and divided into legislative, executive, and habeas corpus branches.
D. None of the above
D. None of the above
What are three ideas that the Framers of the Constitution took from John Locke’s writings?
- The idea that every individual has natural rights to life, liberty, and property
- A government is an agreement between the ruler and the ruled
- If a ruler violates the people’s rights, they have a right to rebel
Identify three principles of American government that came from the Magna Carta or the English Bill of Rights?
- People accused of crimes have the right to trial by jury and the right of habeas corpus
- People have the right to private property
- Even the head of the government must obey the law
What was Baron de Montesquieu’s goal of separation of powers?
His goal was designed to keep one person or group from gaining too much power, protecting the liberties of citizens. It ensured a system of checks and balances that would prevent any branch from becoming too powerful.
Who is this?
John Locke
Name the three main parts of the U.S. Constitution
- The Preamble
- The Articles
- The Amendments
In the Preamble, there are six main points. List them
Hint: Use the acronym FEEPPS to help you
- To form a more perfect union
- To establish justice
- To ensure domestic tranquility
- To provide for the common defense
- To promote the general welfare
- To secure the blessings of liberty
How many articles are there in the U.S. Constitution?
Seven
Directions: The next series of flashcards will be dealing with the articles of the Constitution. When provided with a definition, name the article it best matches.
Establishes the powers and limits of Congress
Article 1
Directions: Identify which article of the Constitution is being described.
Deals with relations between states; requires states to honor one another’s laws; system for new states
Article 4
Directions: Determine which article is being described.
Establishes the powers and limits of the courts
Article 3
Directions: Identify which article of the Constitution is being described.
Establishes the powers and limits of the President
Article 2
Directions: Identify which article of the Constitution is being described.
Provides a process to amend the Constitution
Article 5
Directions: Define what article of the Constitution is being described.
Sets up a procedure for the states to ratify the Constitution
Article 7
Directions: Identify which amendment of the Constitution is being described.
States cannot make laws that violate the Constitution and federal laws prevail in all disputes
Article 6
What are the amendments?
Formal changes that have been made to the Constitution
Directions: True or False? If false, correct the statement.
All amendments are new ideas to the Constitution.
False. Some amendments are new ideas to the Constitution, while others repeal or cancel other parts.
In more than 200 years, how many changes have been made to the Constitution?
27
What year were the Bill of Rights added?
1791
How many principles are there in the United States Constitution?
Seven
__________________ asserts that the _________ are the primary source of the government’s ____________.
Popular sovereignty, people, authority
Directions: True or False? If false, correct the statement.
Limited government is a type of government where citizens elect representatives to carry out their will.
False. Limited government states that the government has only the powers that the Constitution gives it
List a few individual rights that all citizens of the U.S. contain
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of religion
- The right to trial by jury
- Freedom of the press
- The right to petition the government
How does the Constitution reflect the principle of separation of powers?
The Constitution divdes the government into three branches, and each branch has specific functions and distinct powers and responsibilities.
How does the system of checks and balances help protect against abuse of power?
It allows each branch of the U.S. government to monitor and limit the actions of the others
What branch of government can veto laws?
The Executive Branch
Directions: True or False? If false, correct the statement.
The Executive Branch prepares the U.S. budget, while the Judicial Branch has to approve it
False. The Executive Branch prepares the U.S. budget, while The Legislative Branch has to approve it.
What branch of government commands the armed forces?
The Executive Branch
What branch of government can grant pardons and reprieves?
The Executive Branch
What branch of government can interpret the meaning of laws?
The Judicial Branch
What branch of government raises money (tax, borrow, coin, regulate the value of money)?
The Legislative Branch
What branch of government decides if a law or executive act is constitutional?
The Judicial Branch
What is another name for The Legislative Branch?
Congress
What two branches is The Legislative Branch made up of?
- The House of Representatives
- The Senate
To become a senator in Congress, what are the three requirements?
- You must be at least 30 years old
- You must be a citizen of the U.S. for 9 years
- You must be a resident of the state in which elected
To become a federal official in the Lower House, what are the three requirements?
- You must be at least 25 years old
- You must be a citizen of the U.S. for 7 years
- You must be a resident of the state in which elected
Pertaining to the Upper House, how many members does each state get?
Two
In the House of Representatives, how many members does each state get?
At least one per state; based on population
What is the current number of members in the Lower House?
435
What is the term length for the Upper House?
Six years
What is the term length for the Lower House?
Two years
Who is the current President of the Senate?
Kamala Harris
Who is the current Speaker of the House of Representatives?
Mike Johnson
How can Congress pass a bill over a presidential veto?
If Congress gets a two-thirds majority vote in favor of the bill
The most important power of Congress is what?
The power to make the nation’s laws
What are six important powers of Congress?
- Make nation’s laws
- Collect taxes
- Coin money
- Establish post offices
- Fix standard weights and measures
- Declare war
Directions: Answer the question with the best available option.
Some duties of the Executive Branch include…
A. Declaring war, collecting taxes, and establishing post offices
B. Approving federal appointments, proposing other amendments, and impeaching officials
C. Enforcing the laws and running the affairs of the national government
D. None of the above
C
Who is the head of the Executive Branch?
The President
True or False? If false, correct the statement.
The minimum age to be elected for presidency is 36.
False. The minimum age to be elected for presidency is 35
The Vice President, the Cabinet, and the people in the many departments and agencies that help run the government all have what in common?
They are all part of the Executive Branch
Directions: This is a bonus question.
Which president holds the title for the longest presidency, and how long was it??
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 12 years (1933-1945)
What is the system by which President is elected?
Electoral College
List six powers of the President.
- Veto bills
- Serve as commander in chief of armed forces
- Negotiate foreign treaties
- Propose laws
- Grant pardons to federal offenders
- Appoint federal judges, ambassadors, and other high officials
How does the Twenty-second Amendment affect the President?
Hint: Think about the numbers that the word twenty-two contains
It makes it so no President may be elected to more than two complete terms, which would be eight years in total maximum
What determines how many electors each state has?
Clarifier: How is it decided how many electors each state gets?
The number of a state’s electors depends on the amount of its senators and representatives in U.S. Congress
How many departments are there in the Executive Branch?
15
Directions: Answer the question with the best available option.
Each department in the Executive Branch is headed by a secretary except for which one?
A. Department of Agriculture
B. Department of Justice
C. Department of Veterans Affairs
D. Department of Energy
B. Department of Justice
The head of the Department of Justice is referred to as the attorney general, while every other department head is referred to as the secretary.
Departments are divided into what?
Subunits
In a __________ court, evidence is presented during trials, and a jury or a ___________ decides the facts of the case
district, judge
A party that disagrees with a decision made in a federal court may ________ that decision to a higher court. These courts are called _________________.
appeal, Appelate Courts (Circuit Courts)
Directions: Answer the question with the best available option.
The power to hear and decide cases is known as…
A. Federalism
B. Popular Sovereignty
C. Republicanism
D. Jurisdiction
D. Jurisdiction
The highest court in the United States is known as the _______________. It is made up of one _______ justice and eight ___________ justices.
Supreme Court, chief, associate
True or False? If false, correct the statement.
Justices in the Supreme Court are approved by the President.
False. Justices in the Supreme Court are approved by Congress (more specifically, the Senate).
What is the main job of the Supreme Court, and what is their most important power?
- To serve as the nation’s final court of appeal
- The power to decide what the Constitution means
It is very ___________ to get a case with the Supreme Court, as they only hear fewer than _____ cases each year.
difficult, 100
What are the main three things that the Supreme Court can declare as unconstituional?
- The acts of the President
- Laws passed by Congress
- Laws passed by states
Who is this?
John G. Roberts Jr., the current Chief Justice of the USA’s highest court.
The addition of the Bill of Rights was possible because _____________ had written a Constitution that allowed for ________. The Constitution was __________ enough to be changed but not so ________ that it could be _______________.
the founders, change, flexible, flexible, easily changed
What are the two ways to propose a new amendment?
- Congress can propose an amendment if both the House and the Senate vote for a change to the Constitution (two thirds)
- State legislatures call for a national convention to formally propose an amendment
What are the two ways that a proposed amendment can be ratified?
- Through the actions of state legislatures. Currently, 38 states have to say yes.
- An amendment can be ratified through the action of state conventions, if 3/4 of them agree to it
What is the difference between state legislatures and state conventions?
- State convention - Typically created for a specific purpose or issue. Delegates are elected or appointed to represent the people of the state, and they gather to discuss and make decisions on the specific matter at hand. They dissolve once their purpose is fulfilled.
- State legislature - The state legislature is a permanent body responsible for making laws, appropriating funds, and overseeing the operation of the state government. It consists of elected representatives (a Senate and House of Representatives).
Each state has its own ______________ which is able to be _________.
constitution, amended
Directions: Answer the question with the best available option.
State governments are made up of…
A. Executive (headed by Joe Biden), Legislature, Judiciary
B. Legislature, Judiciary, Tyranny
C. Judiciary, Executive (headed by the governor), Legislature
D. None of the above
C. Judiciary, Executive (headed by the governor), Legislature
Local government includes ________, ________, and _______.
county, cities, towns
Directions: Answer the statement with the best available option.
Most of the local budgets are spent on…
A. Firefighters
B. Police Officers
C. Education
D. Garbage collectors
C. Education
Local governments hire ______________, _________________, and ____________________. They also maintain _____________ and ___________ and provide public services like sewers and water.
firefighters, police officers, garbage collectors, local roads, hospitals
What is a citizen?
Someone who is entitled to all the rights and privileges of a particular nation.
To become a citizen of the United States, a person must meet one of three criteria. List all three.
- You were either born in the United States or have at least one parent who is a citizen
- You were naturalized
- You were 18 years old or younger when your parents were naturalized
The official legal process of becoming a citizen is also known as what?
Naturalization
There is quite a hefty process during naturalization. For starters, a person must live legally in the United States for at least ______ years. The person then applies for _____________. He or she must take and pass a _________________________ and undergo a series of ____________. Finally, the applicant takes the __________________ before a judge.
five, citizenship, citizenship examination, interviews, citizenship oath
A naturalizated citizen enjoys every right of a natural-born citizen except one. What is it?
Only natural-born citizens may serve as President or Vice President
Directions: You will be given four responsibilities of a U.S. citizen. You must determine whether these are required by law or not.
- Obey federal, state, and local laws
- Pay your fair share of taxes
- Serve on juries if called
- Defend the nation if called
Required by law
List four responsibilities not required by law.
- Vote in federal, state, and local elections
- Stay informed on important issues
- Serve the community
- Help to create a just society
