Constitution Test Flashcards
PRINCIPLES OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
What is the supreme law of the land?
The constitution
What does the constitution do?
Set up the government
Defines the government
Protects basic rights of Americans
The ideas 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 did the Declaration of Independence do?
announced our independence (from Great Britain?
Declared our independence (from Great Britain)
Said that United States is free (from Great Britain)
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
Speech Religion Assembly Press Petition the government
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
Twenty-seven(27)
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
Life
Liberty
Pursuit of happiness
What is freedom or religion?
You can practice any religion,or not practice a religion
What is the economic system in the United States?
Capitalist economy
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
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
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 Home (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?
one hundred (100)
We elect a U.S Senator for how many years?
six years (6)
Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?
Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
Four hundred thirty-five (435)
We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
two years (2)
Name your U.S. Representative.
Sean Casten
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?
four years (4)
In what month do we vote for the 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 vice President
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?
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 Transportation Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of Veterans Affairs Attorney General 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
Nine Justices
Who is the Chief Justice of the Untied States now?
John Roberts
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 in one power of the states
Provide schooling and education
Provide protection (police)
Provide safety
Who is the Governor of your state now?
J.B. Pritzker (Democratic Party)
What is the capital of your state?
Springfield
What are two major political parties in the Untied States
Democratic and Republican
What is the political party of the President now?
Democratic Party
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives?
Nancy Pelosi
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
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 Untied States citizens?
Serve on a jury
vote in a federal election
Name one right only for United States
Vote in 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?
Eighteen (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 l income tax forms?
April 15
When must all men register for Selective Service?
At age eighteen (18) Between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
AMERICAN HISTORY
COLONIAL PERIOD AND INDEPENDENCE
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 American and sold slaves?
Africans
People from Africans
Why did the colonists fight the British?
Because of high taxes (taxation without representation)
Because the British army stayed in their house (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 ,1976
There were 13 original states. Name three?
New Hampshire Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut New York Mew Jersey Pennsylvania Delaware Maryland Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Georgia
What happened at the Constitution Convention?
The Constitution
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 in famous for?
U.S. diplomat
Oldest member of the Constitution Convention
First Postmaster General of the United States
Writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
Started the first free libraries
Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
(George) Washington
Who was the first President?
(George) Washington
1800s
What territory did the United States buy from France 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 Untied 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 is most Southern states
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
Fought for women’s rights
Fought for civil rights
RECENT AMERICAN HISTORY AND OTHER IMPORTANT HISTORICAL INFORMATION
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?
[USCIS officers will be supplied with a list of federally recognized American Indian tribes]
Cherokee Navajo Sioux Chippewa Pueblo Apache Iroquois Creek Blackfeet Seminole Cheyenne Arawak Shawnee Mohegan Huron Oneida Lakota Crow Teton Hopi Inuit
GEOGRAPHY
Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States?
Missouri (River)
Mississippi (River)
What ocean is on the West Coast of the Untied States?
Pacific (Ocean)
What ocean is on the East coast of the Untied States?
Atlantic (Ocean)
Name one U.S. territory?
Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands American Samoa Northern Mariana Islands Guam
Name one states 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 Untied States?
Washington, D.C.
Where is the Statue of Liberty?
New York (Harbor) Liberty Island
SYMBOLS
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 ave 50 stars?
Because there is one star for each state
Because each star represents a state
Because there are 50 states
What is that name of the national anthem?
The Star-Spangled Banner
When do we celebrate Independence Day?
July 4
Name two national U.S. Holidays?
New Year's Day Martin Luther king, Jr. Day President's Day Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Christmas
