Constitution Flashcards
What are the three branches
Executive, legislative and judicial
What does the executive branch consist of
president
vice president
Cabinet
department
What does the legislative branch consist of
senate and house of rep.
What does judicial branch consist of
Supreme court
Lower Federal law courts
Key things forbidden to Congress:
Show preference for one state over another
Spend Federal money without passing a spending bill
Grant titles of nobility (e.g. king, duke, earl)
checks and balances what checks and balances are supposed to protect against
At least four examples
-The Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional
-Congress can pass laws, but the President must sign approval
-If the President vetoes a law, Congress can approve by a ⅔ vote
-The President is in charge of the military, but only Congress can declare war
-The meaning of checks and balances is to make sure one branch does not have more power over the other.
Key powers and responsibilities of the President
Makes treaties (with advice and consent of the Senate)
Appoints ambassadors, federal judges, and heads of federal departments/agencies
Commander-in-Chief of the military
Key powers of Congress:
Establish taxes
Establish laws of citizenship and bankruptcy
Regulate commerce with other countries and between states
Declare war
Key things forbidden to Congress:
Show preference for one state over another
Spend Federal money without passing a spending bill
Grant titles of nobility (e.g. king, duke, earl)
Specific powers of the House of Representatives:
Initiate impeachment
Initiate bills for spending Federal money (Federal budget)
Specific powers of the Senate:
Conduct impeachment trials
Approve treaties
Approve job appointments made by the President
republic
country ruled by elected officials
impeach
to bring formal charges against someone (usually a public official)
Important: to impeach someone is to charge them with a crime. They do not get removed from office unless found guilty at a trial.
Articles of Confederation
Document that established the first U.S. government. It had problems:
Congress couldn’t tax
No national army
Congress couldn’t regulate business
Didn’t address issues about slavery
No checks and balances
Legislators in the Senate are called:
Senators
Legislators in the House of Representatives are called:
Congressman/Congresswoman
How does a law get made
Either the Senate or the House introduces a bill.
2. After approval by a simple majority, the bill gets sent to the other chamber.
3. Once approved by both the House and the Senate, the bill is sent to the President.
4. The President can sign law into place, veto it, or do nothing.
If the president does nothing for 10 business days, the bill automatically becomes law.
After a veto, the Senate and House vote on the bill again; it must pass by a 2/3 majority to become a law.
Term length for the Senate
6 years
Term length for the House of Representatives
2 years
Term length for the President and VP
4 years
Maximum time someone can be President
10 years
Number of justices (judges) on the Supreme Court
9
In the Constitution, this much of the slave population counted for the House of Representatives
3/5
If the President vetoes a law…
Congress can approve by a ⅔ vote
What checks and balances are supposed to protect against
The meaning of checks and balances is to make sure one branch does not have more power over the other.
More checks and balances
-Congress can impeach the President
-The President can negotiate a treaty, but the Senate must approve it
-The President can ask to fund specific things, but only Congress can allocate the money
-The Federal Court system can find people guilty, but the President can pardon some people
