Test 1 - Version 2020 Flashcards
What is the form of government of the United States?
Republic
Constitution-based federal republic
Representative democracy
What is the supreme law of the land?
U.S. Constitution
Name one thing the US constiturioni does
forms the government
defines powers of government
defines the parts of government
protects the rights of the people
The U.S. Constitution starts with the words “ we the people.” what does “we the people” mean?
Self-government
popular sovereignty
people should govern themselves
example of social contract
How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution?
Amendments
the amendment process
What does the bill of rights protect?
The basic rights of Americans
The basic rights of people living in the united states
How many amendments does the US Constitution have?
27
Why is the declaration of independence important?
IT SAYS AMERICA IS FREE FROM BRITISH CONTROL
IT says all people are created equal
it identifies inherent rights
it identifies individual freedoms.
What founding document said the American colonies were free from Britain?
Declaration of independence
Name two important ideas from the Declaration of independence and the US consitution
Equity liberty social contract natural rights limited government self-government
The words “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are in what founding document?
Declaration of independence
What is the economic system of the United States?
Capitalism
Free 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
Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name One
Declaration of the independence Articles of Confederation Federalist Papers Anti-Federalist Papers Virginia declaration of rights Fundamental orders of Connecticut Mayflower compact Iroquois great law of peace
There are three branches of Government. Why?
So one part does not become too powerful
checks and balances
separation of power
Name the three branches of government
Legislative, executive, and judicial
Congress, president, and the courts
The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government?
Executive branch
What part of the federal government writes laws?
US Congress
US or National legislature
Legislative branch
What are the two parts of the US Congress?
Senate and House (of Representatives)
Name one power of the US Congress
Writes Laws
Declares war
Makes the federal budget
How many US senators are there?
100
How long is a term for a US Senator?
6 years
Who is one of your state’s US senators now?
TBD
How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?
435
How long is a term for a member of the house of Representatives?
2 years
Why do US representatives serve shorter terms than US senators?
To more closely follow public opinion.
How many senators does each state have?
2
Why does each state have two senators?
Equal representation (for small states) The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)
Name your US representative
TBD
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
TBD
Who does a US senator represent?
Citizens of their state
Who elects US Senators?
Citizens from their state
Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent?
Citizens in their (congressional) district
Citizens in their district
Who elects members of the House of Representatives?
Citizens from their (congressional) district
Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?
Because of the State’s population
Because they have more people
Because some states have more people
The President of the United States elected for how many years?
4 years
The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why?
Because of the 22nd amendment
to keep the president from becoming too powerful
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 of the United States
Name one power of the president
Signs bills into law Vetoes bills Enforces laws Commander in Chief (of the military) Chief diplomat
Who is Commander in Chief of the US Military?
The President of the united States
Who signs bills to become laws?
The President of the United States
Who vetoes bills?
The President of the United States
Who appoints federal judges?
The president of the United States
The executive branch has many parts. Name one
President of the United States
Cabinet
Federal departments and agencies
What does the President’s Cabinet do?
Advises the President of the United States
What are two Cabinet-level positions?
- Attorney General
- 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
- Vice President of the United States
Why is the Electoral College important?
It decides who is elected president
It provides a compromise between the popular election of the president and congressional selection.
What is one part of the judicial branch?
Supreme court
Federal courts
What does the judicial branch do?
Reviews laws
Explains laws
Resolves disputes (disagreements) about the law
Decides if a law goes against the US constitution
what is the highest court in the US?
Supreme Court
How many seats are on the Supreme Court?
9
How many Supreme Court justices are usually needed to decide a case?
5
How long do Supreme Court justices serve?
- For life
- Lifetime appointment
- Until retirement
Supreme Court justices serve for life. WHy?
- To be independent of politics
- To limit outside political influence
Who is Chief Justice of US now?
TBD
Name one power that is only for the federal government
- Print paper money
- mint coins
- Declare war
- create an army
- Make treaties
- set foreign policy
Name one power that is only for the states
- Provide schooling and education
- Provide protection police
- Provide safety (fire departments)
- Give a driver’s license
- Approve zoning and land use
What is the purpose of the 10th amendment?
It states that the powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.
Who is the governor of your state now?
TBD
What is the capital of your state?
Sacramento
There are four amendments to the US Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
- Citizens 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)
Who can vote in federal elections, run for federal office, and serve on a jury in the US?
- Citizens
- Citizens of the US
- US Citizens
What are three 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 US
- The flag
Name two promises that new citizens make in the oath of allegiance
Give up loyalty to other countries defend the US constitution obey the laws of the united states Serve in the military if needed Serve (help, do important work for) the nation (if needed) Be loyal to the United states
How can people become US citizens?
- Naturalize
- Derive citizenship
- Be born in the US
What are two examples of civic participation in the US
- Vote
- run for office
- 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)
- contact elected officials
- Support or oppose an issue or policy
- write to a newspaper
What is one way Americans can serve their country?
- Vote
- Pay taxes
- Obey the law
- Serve in the military
- Run for office
- Work for local, state, of federal government
Why is it important to pay deferal taxes?
- Required by law
- All people pay to fund the federal government
- Required by the US Constitution (16th amendment)
- civic duty
it is important for all men age 18 through 25 to register for the Selective Service. Name one reasons why
- Required by law
- Civic duty
- Makes the draft fair, if needed
The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one
- Freedom
- Political liberty
- Religious freedom
- Economic opportunity
- Escape persecution
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- American Indians
- Native Americans
What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?
- Africans
- People from Africa
What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?
- American Revolution
- The (American) Revolutionary war
- War for (American) Independence
Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain?
- High taxes
- taxation without representation
- British soldiers stayed in Americans’ houses (boarding, quartering)
- they did not have self-government
- Boston massacre
- Boston Tea Party (tea act)
- Stamp Act
- Sugar Act
- Townshend Acts
- Intolerable (Coercive) acts
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4, 1776
The American Revolution had many important events. Name one:
- Battle of Bunker Hill
- Declaration of Independence
- Washington Crossing the Delaware (Battle of Trenton)
- Battle of Saratoga
- Valley Forge Encampment
- Battle of Yorktown (British surrender at Yorktown)
There were 13 original states. Name five.
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- NY
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
What founding document was written in 1787?
US Constitution
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the US Constitution. Name one fo the writers
James Madison
Alexander Hamilton
John Jay
Publius
Why were the Federalist Papers important?
- They helped people understand the US Constitution
- They supported passing the US Constitution
Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one
- Founded the first free public libraries
- First postmaster general of the US
- Helped write the Declaration of Independence
- Inventor
- US diplomat
George Washington is famous for many things. Name one.
- Father of our Country
- First president of the US
- General of the Continental Army
- President of the Constitutional Convention
Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.
- Writer of the Declaration of Independence
- Third president of the US
- Doubled the size of the US (Louisiana Purchase)
- First Secretary of State
- Founded the University of Virginia
- Writer of the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom
James Madison is famous for many things. Name one
- “Father of the Constitution”
- Fourth president of the US
- President during the War of 1812
- One of the writers of the Federalist Papers
Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name One
- First Secretary of the Treasury
- One of the writers of the Federalist Papers
- Helped established the First Bank of the United States
- Aide to General George Washington
- Member of the Continental Congress
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
- Louisiana Territory
- Louisiana
Name one war fought by the US 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 Civil War had many important events. Name One.
- Battle of Fort Sumter
- Emancipation Proclamation
- Battle of Vicksburg
- Battle of Gettysburg
- Sherman’s March
- Surrender at Appomattox
- Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg
- Lincoln was assassinated
Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name One
- Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)
- Saved (or preserved) the Union
- Led the United States during the Civil War
- 16TH President of the US
- Delivered the Gettysburg Address
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 US war ended slavery?
The civil war
What amendment gives citizenship to all persons born in the US?
14th Amendment
When did all men get the right to vote?
- After the Civil War
- During Reconstruction
- With the 15th amendment
- 1870
Name one leader Of the women’s rights movement in the 1800s
- Susan B Anthony
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Sojourner Truth
- Harriet Tubman
- Lucretia Mott
- Lucy Stone
Name one war fought by the US in the 1900s.
- WW I / WW II
- Korean War
- Vietnam War
- Persian Gulf War
Why did the US enter World War I?
- Because Germany attached US civilian ships
- To support the Allied Powers ( England, France, Italy, and Russia)
- To oppose the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria)
When did all women get the right to vote?
- 1920
- After WW I
- With the 19th Amendment
What was the Great Depression?
- Longest economic recession in modern history
When did the Great Depression start?
- The Great Crash 1929
- Stock Market crash of 1929
Who was president during the Great Depression and WWII?
Franklin Roosevelt
Why did the United States enTer WW II?
- Bombing of Pearl Harbor
- Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor
- To support the Allied Powers (England, France, and Russia)
- To oppose the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan)
Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one.
- General during WW II
- President at the end of during the Korean War
- 34th President of the US
- Signed the Federal-Aid Highway act of 1956 (Created the Interstate system)
Who was the US main rival during the Cold war?
- Soviet Union
- USSR
- RUssia
During the Cold war, what was one main concern of the US.?
- Communism
- Nuclear War
Why did the US enter the Vietnam War?
To stop the spread of communism.
Why did the United States enter the Korean War?
To stop the spread of communism.
What did the civil rights movement do?
Fought to end racial discrimination
Martin Luther King Jr. is famous for many things. Name one
- Fought for civil rights
- Worked for equality for all Americans
- Worked to ensure that people would “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”
Why did the US enter the Persian Gulf War?
To force the Iraqi military from Kuwait.
What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the US
- Terrorists attached the US
- Terrorists took over two planes and chased them into the World trade center in NYC
- Terrorists took over a plane and chased into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia
- Terrorists took over a plane originally aimed at Washington, D.C. and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania
Name one US military conflict after the September 11, 2001 attacks
- Global War on Terror
- War in Afghanistan
- War in Iraq
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States
- Creek
- Crow
- Navajo
- Pueblo
Name one example of an American Innovation
- Light Bulb
- Automobile (cars, internal combustion engine)_
- Skyscrapers
- Airplane
- Assembly line
- Landing on the moon
- Integrated circuit (IC)
What is the Capital of the US?
Washington D.C.
Where is the Statue of Liberty?
NY - Harbor
Liberty Island.
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Because there were 13 original colonies
Represent the original colonies
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
One star for each state
What is the name of the national anthem?
The star-spangled Banner
The nation’s first motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” what does that mean?
Out of many one.
We all become one
What is Independence Day?
A holiday to celebrate the US Independence from Britain
The country’s birthday
Name three national US Holidays
New year's day MLK Jr. Day Presidents day Memorial day independence day labor day Columbus day veterans day thanksgiving day Christmas day
What is memorial day
A holiday to honor soldiers who died in military service
What is veterans day?
A holiday to honor people in the US military
A holiday to honor people who have served in the US military.
