OTHER constitution shit Flashcards
Who is the “father of the Constitution”?
James Madison
The essays urging ratification during the New York ratification debates were known as…
The Federalist Papers
Name two authors of “The Federalist Papers”.
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison
How many states were required to ratify the Constitution before it could go into effect?
Nine.
Which were the last two states to ratify (after the new government had already begun to function)?
North Carolina and Rhode Island
How often is the number of congressional districts per state determined?
Every ten years
According to Article I, Section 2, of the Constitution, how were slaves to be counted when determining the number of congressional districts per state?
As 3/5ths of a person
Who has the sole power of impeachment?
The House of Representatives
Who has the sole power to try officials who have been impeached?
The Senate
When the president of the U.S. is tried for impeachment, who presides at the trial?
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
According to the Constitution, a writ of habeas corpus may not be suspended except under what conditions?
Rebellion or invasion
The first article of the Constitution places limits on the states. Name one.
Cannot make treaties
Name two congressional limits on the President according to the Constitution.
- Treaties must be approved by the Senate
- Presidential appointments must be approved by the Senate
Which article of the Constitution defines the powers of the President?
article II, Section 2
For what office mentioned in the Constitution must a person be a natural-born citizen?
The President
Name three powers of the President as stated in the Constitution.
- Commander and chief of the military
- Can appoint the heads of departments
- Can pardon anyone convicted of a federal crime
Which branch(es) of the federal government is responsible for establishing lower federal courts?
Congress
What is the Vice-President’s only constitutional responsibility?
Being the president of the Senate
What is the only condition specified by the Constitution concerning the nature of state governments?
They must be republican forms of government
What is the only crime defined by the Constitution?
Treason
What does the Constitution require to convict a person of treason?
Witnesses of the act or a confession in a public court
How does Article VI of the Constitution resolve possible conflicts between state laws and federal laws?
Federal laws overrule state laws
What does Article VI say about administering religious tests to candidates for public office?
There shall be none.
When is it possible for a constitutional convention such as the Convention of 1789 to occur?
Whenever 2/3 of the state legislatures request a convention.
Can the president introduce, ratify, or veto a constitutional amendment?
No
What are the first ten amendments to the Constitution called?
The Bill of Rights
There are five basic rights mentioned in the First Amendment. Name three.
There are five basic rights mentioned in the First Amendment. Name three. - Freedom of religion
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of the press
Name five of the rights guaranteed to all citizens in the Bill of Rights.
The right to…
- Keep and bear arms
- Freedom from search and seizure
- Trial by jury
- A speedy trial
- No cruel or unusual punishment
What does the tenth amendment say about the delegation of powers to the states?
It grants the states all of the powers that aren’t granted to the federal government in the constitution.
Which amendment established the federal income tax?
The 16th amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, passed in what year?
1920
People who fought for the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment were called…
Suffragettes
According to the Twentieth Amendment, if the President-elect dies before the beginning of his/her term, who becomes President?
The vice President-elect
Name the only amendment that specifically repeals another amendment?
The 21st amendment repeals the 18th amendment
What was the purpose of the most recent amendment to the Constitution?
To prevent congress members from voting to directly increase their own salary.
The argument that “anyone old enough to fight for his country, is old enough to vote” secured passage of what amendment?
The 26th amendment
What is the term (number of years) served by a member of the House of Representatives?
2 years
What is the term served by a member of the Senate?
6 years
What is the minimum age for a Representative?
25 years old
What is the minimum age for a Senator?
30 years old
What is the minimum age for a President?
35 years old
Which amendment banned slavery?
Which amendment banned slavery?
Which amendment declared all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. to be citizens?
14th amendment
Which amendment established due process and equal protection under the law?
5th amendment
Which amendment established suffrage for black Americans?
15th amendment
What is the exception to the Thirteenth Amendment’s abolition of involuntary servitude?
Criminal punishment after one is convicted
The Twenty-fifth Amendment says a president unable to discharge the powers of his/her office must declare this in writing to two people. Who are they?
- The president pro-tempore of the Senate
- The speaker of the house
Which branch of government is given constitutional responsibility for regulation of trade?
congress
federalism
powers divided into two
what are the two powers that federalism is divided into
state and national government
concurrent
means that the states and the federal government have the same power
what is the shared power within the concurrent
tax
make laws
court system
reserve
powers reserved for the federal government
what are the powers within the reserve
punishment of crimes
declare war
what is the delegated stuff
it is to the states;/
each state has their own educational system/ economic system/
postal system
where is the elastic clause
article 1 section 8 clause 18
what is the elastic clause
to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into election the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof
who were some of the federalists
james madison
george washington
alexander hamilton
what did the federalists want
a strong national government
what did the anti-federalists fear
feared a strong national government; wanted the states to have more power (the opposite of the federalists)
who made up the anti-federalists
people form rural areas; nationalists who did not support the constitution
how did the anti-federalists feel
did not like the executive branch because they thought that president would just be another person and he might end up hurting them in the long run like what happened before/
they worried that their rights would be taken away/
they did not like the taxes that were going to be put on them/
they wanted individual rights
bill of rights
19 amendments that were put forward to the Constitution; that was eventually withered down to 12
what happened to those 12 amendments
only 10 of them were ratified
what were the two that weren’t ratified
salaries of congressman and senators/
apportioning representatives in the states
1 amendment
the freedoms of press, religion, speech, and protest
2 amendment
right to keep and bear arms
3 amendment
no soldier shall be quarter in any house with the consent of the owner
4 amendment
unreasonable searches and seizures; needs to have a warrant
5 amendment
no double jeopardy/
can’t be witness against themselves in a federal case; self incrimination/
cannot take your home for anything unless provided with a new one /
can’t just throw you in jail for no reason
6 amendment
right to a speedy and public trial/
person is to get an impartial jury (unbiased)
7 amendment
20$ or more get the right to a jury/
cannot change a verdict because you don’t like it
8 amendment
cannot torture/
excessive fines
9 amendment
the enumeration in the Constitution, go certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people
10 amendment
protects states from federal government/
establishes that powers not given to the national government- or denied to the states- by The Constitution belongs to the states or to the people
