Civics Test Flashcards
What is the supreme law of the land?
U.S. Constitution
What does the Constitution do?
Sets up the government
Defines the government
Protects 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?
Announced our independence (from Great Britain)
Declared our independence (from Great Britain)
Said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)
What are two rights in the 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 of the U.S.?
Capitalism
Free market economy
What is the rule of law?
Everyone must follow the law.
Leaders must obey the law.
Government must obey the law.
No one is above the law.
Name one 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?
The 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 U.S. Senators now?
D.C. does not have any senators
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
435
We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
2
Name your U.S. Representative.
Eleanor Holmes Norton - non-voting Delegate
D.C. does not have any voting members in Congress
Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
All people of the state
Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
(Because of) the state’s population
(Because) they have more people
(Because) some states have more people
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 the United States now?
Kamala Harris
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
The VP
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?
The President
Who signs bills to become laws?
The President
Who vetoes bills?
The President
What does the President’s Cabinet do?
Advises the President
What are two Cabinet-level positions?
Attorney General
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 Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of State
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
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?
The Supreme Court
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
9
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
John G. Roberts Jr.
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 departments)
Give a driver’s license
Approve zoning and land use
Who is the Governor of your state now?
DC does not have a Governor
What is the capital of your state?
D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital.
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?
Nancy Pelosi
There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
Citizens eighteen (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 U.S. 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
Publicly 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?
At age eighteen (18)
Between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (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?
American Indians
Native Americans
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
Africans
People from Africa
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 4, 1776
There were 13 original states. Name three.
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Connecticut
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Delaware
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
The Constitution was written.
The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
When was the Constitution written?
1787
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
(James) Madison
(Alexander) Hamilton
(John) Jay
Publius
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
Founded the first free public libraries
First Postmaster General of the United States
Helped write the Declaration of Independence
Inventor
U.S. diplomat
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?
The Louisiana Territory
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 U.S. war between the North and the South.
The Civil War
The War between the States
Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
Slavery
Economic reasons
States’ rights
What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
Saved (or preserved) the Union
Led the United States during the Civil War
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
Freed the slaves
Freed slaves in the Confederacy
Freed slaves in the Confederate states
Freed slaves in most Southern states
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
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
(Persian) Gulf War
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 in World War II?
Japan, Germany, and 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 United 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
Arawak
Shawnee
Mohegan
Huron
Oneida
Lakota
Apache
Iroquois
Creek
Blackfeet
Seminole
Cheyenne
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 U.S. territory.
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
American Samoa
Northern Mariana Islands
Guam
Name one state that borders Canada.
Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont
New York
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Michigan
Minnesota
North Dakota
Montana
Idaho
Washington
Alaska
Name one state that borders Mexico.
California
Arizona
New Mexico
Texas
What is the capital of the United States?
Washington, D.C.
Where is the Statue of Liberty?
New York (Harbor)
Liberty Island
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Because there were 13 original colonies
Because the stripes represent the original colonies
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
Because there is one star for each state
Because each star represents a state
Because there are 50 states
What is the name of the national anthem?
The Star-Spangled Banner
When do we celebrate Independence Day?
July 4th
Name two national U.S. holidays.
New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Presidents’ Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
