study questions Gov

Question 1

What are the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 1

the nation’s first national constitution, which established a national form of government following the American Revolution. The Articles provided for a confederal form a government in which the central government had few powers.

Question 2

What is a confederation?

Answer 2

a league of independent states that are united only for the purpose of achieving common goals.

Question 3

What problems led to a desire to change the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 3

government had no power, the states had all of the powers, the us had no revenue they couldn’t build anything,

Question 4

What did Framers of the Constitution want to do and what did they fear?

Answer 4

elistists were only allowed to vote and be in charge, rich male whites, a lot of property, they didnt want to lose control of the country. they didnt want the mob to attack them

Question 5

What are the 3 branches of government?

Answer 5

Judicual,executive, legasltive,

Question 6

What is the Great Compromise?

Answer 6

strengthen national government, life liberty property, consent of the government, elistists want to be protected from the people (the mob)

Question 7

What are expressed powers?

Answer 7

constitutional or statutary powers that are expressly provided for the constitution.

Question 8

expressed powers of the president

Answer 8

veto legislation; pardon power; Commander-in-Chief; appointment power (don’t need to know everyone he can appoint); negotiate treaties

Question 9

expressed powers of Congress

Answer 9

power to tax and borrow; power of the purse (only money appropriated by Congress available); declare war; regulate interstate commerce (Commerce Clause); pass legislation; impeachment of president, vice-president, and federal judges

Question 10

How does the elastic clause (necessary and proper clause) affect the powers of Congress?

Answer 10

gives congress the power to make all laws “necessary and proper” for the federal government to carry out its responsibilites

Question 11

What is impeachment?

Answer 11

Someone is removed from office

Question 12

Who can Congress impeach and how?

Answer 12

The president, single majority in the house, then goes to senate to convince and remove by 2/3 of votes. only Johnson and Clinton were impeached

Question 13

What is judicial independence and from whom are federal judges independent?

Answer 13

independence from the president, the people, and congress. The supreme court

Question 14

How can the Constitution be amended? and how to ratify amendments.

Answer 14

Article 5: The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress;

Question 15

Ratification

Answer 15

is a principal’s approval of an act of its agent where the agent lacked authority to legally bind the principal.

Question 16

Why did the Framers create indirect election?

Answer 16

The framers believed that having state legislatures elect senators would strengthen the states’ ties to the national government and increase the chances for ratification of the Constitution. They hoped the arrangement would give state political leaders a sense of participation, calming their fears about a strong central government

Question 17

What indirect election still exists?

Answer 17

Electoral collages

Question 18

What is the job of the Electoral College?

Answer 18

To elect the president

Question 19

Does the Supremacy Clause mean that federal law always overrides state law?

Answer 19

usually but not always, example drugs, tickets,

Question 20

What is a Presidential System?

Answer 20

A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch is led by a president who serves as both head of state and head of government. In such a system, this branch exists separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which it cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss.

Question 21

What is a Federalist System?

Answer 21

a central government that has certain powers, with the state as the basic unit of political power. The allocation of power between the state and federal government has been a point of contention from the Articles of Confederation to the present day.

Question 22

What is a self-limiting government?

Answer 22

is a system in which the citizens of a country (or smaller political unit, such as a state) rule themselves and control their own affairs. Self-governments are free from external government control or outside political authority. Republican government and democracy in the United States are based on principles of self-government.

Question 23

Why did the Founders want a “self-limiting government” with a system of checks and balances?

Answer 23

other branches of gov think that one branch has too much power they can take it away. if a court makes a ruling on a law and if congress doesnt like it they can change it. congress can change an ammendment too.

Question 24

Legislative checks and balances.

Answer 24

Legislative checks executive and judicial by impeachment.

Question 25

Executive checks and balances

Answer 25

Executive checks legislative with veto. Executive checks judicial with appointment power and pardons.

Question 26

Judicial checks and balances

Answer 26

Judicial checks both executive and legislative with judicial review. can declare an executive action unconstitutional.

Question 27

Why did the Constitution recognize slavery and include the 3/5th Compromise?

Answer 27

Slaves were added as 3/5 of a person to the states population. because of how many representatives were allowed to be in the house.

Question 28

Why is interpretation important to our understanding of the Constitution?

Answer 28

because if it is not interpreated correctly it can mess everything up, like treaties.

Question 29

Why is Marbury v Madison an important ruling? What did it decide?

Answer 29

because it challenged two laws, and they had to decided which law took over. they had to make sure all of the other branches were doing their jobs. judicial review.

Question 30

What is judicial review?

Answer 30

the power of the courts to decide on the constituionality of legislative enactments and of actions taken by the executive branch. Judicial branch has control.

Question 31

How is judicial review enhanced by judicial independence?

Answer 31

because if they don’t follow judicial review then they amount to nothing.

Question 32

What did McCulloch v Maryland decide about congressional powers?

Answer 32

that no state could use its taxing power to tax an arm of the national government. national supremacy.

Question 33

Why is McCulloch v Maryland also about federalism?

Answer 33

because the national government had more power than the state government

Question 34

representative democracy

Answer 34

A form of democracy in which the will of the majority is expressed through groups of individuals elected by the people to act as their representatives.

Question 35

bicameral legislature

Answer 35

A legislature made up of two chambers or parts

Question 36

checks and balances

Answer 36

A major principle of American government in which each of the three branches is given the means to check the actions of the others.

Question 37

commerce clause

Answer 37

the clause in Article 1, section B, of the constitution that gives congress power to regulate interstate commerce involving more than one state

Question 38

Federal system

Answer 38

a form of government that provides for a division of powers between a central government and several regional governments

Question 39

expressed powers

Answer 39

written in the consitution

Question 40

implied powers

Answer 40

How people intrupert them

Question 41

commander in chief

Answer 41

the supreme commander if a nation’s military force

Question 42

concurrent powers

Answer 42

powers held by both the federal and the state governments in a federal system.

Question 43

confederal system

Answer 43

a league of independent sovereign states, joined together by a central government that has only limited powers over them.

Question 44

cooperative federalism

Answer 44

a model of federalism in which the states and the federal government cooperate in solving problems

Question 45

unitary system

Answer 45

a centralized governmental system in which local or subdivisional government exercise only those powers given to them by the central government