Questions 1-50 Flashcards
What is the Supreme Law of the land
The Constitution
What does the constitution do?
Sets up the government
Defines the government
Protects the 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
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.
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
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.
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?
one hundred (100)
We elect a U.S. Senator for
how many years?
six (6)
Who is one of your state’s
U.S. Senators now?*
Diane Finestein
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 (2)
Name your U.S. Representative
Mike Garcia
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 (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?
Kamella 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?
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 State ★★ 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?
9
Who is the Chief Justice of
the United States now?
John 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?
Governor Gavin Newsome
What is the capital of your
state?*
Sacramento
What are the two major
political parties in the
United States?*
Democratic and Republican
What is the political party of
the President now?
Democrat
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 State
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 15th
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
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4th, 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?
★★ U.S. diplomat ★★ oldest member of the Constitutional 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
What territory did the United States buy from France in
1803?
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
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
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
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 [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]
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
