The Bill of Rights

Question 1

What is a defining characteristic of American culture?

Answer 1

• the lack of established traditions rooted in a long common history.
• a relatively short history, and few common traditions
• resulted in a strong attachment to the founding (myth) of the country.

Question 2

Founding documents

Answer 2

• declaration of Independence, 1776
• US Constitution, 1787-89
• Bill of Rights, 1789-91

Question 3

Three fundamental principal of American political culture

Answer 3

• Independence and self-determination
• Federalism (in favour of small local government)
• Civil liberties (the people must be protected from the government owning the monopoly of the use of force)

Question 4

The Constitution of the USA

Answer 4

1787-89

• a document wrote to unite the 13 newly independent states
• established a national federal government
• created a system of checks & balances

Question 5

Why is the political system created by the constitution remarkably stable?

Answer 5

the process of modifying the constitution established in Article V : it is very difficult to propose and ratify amendments

Question 6

Why does America seem like such a conservatice country compared to France?

Answer 6

• the American political system was designed to be conservative
• the federal structure tends to favour rural conservative states, giving them a disproportional influence in the US Senate and the Electoral College, and therefore disproportionate influence on Supreme Court nominations and Presidential elections.
• federalism also allows relatively small number of very conservative people to pass state laws which are enforced over a large geographic area.

Question 7

Anti-Federalism, about the movements

Answer 7

• “anti-federalists” (Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe) who preferred the existing Articles of Confederation because it gave individual states more power
• “Federalists” proponents of the new constitution (Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison) wrote a series of texts known as the Federalist Papers to try to convince as many people as possible of the benefits of a stronger federal government created by the US constitution.

> still a debate today

Question 8

the Bill of Rights

Answer 8

• the first 10 amendments of the US constitution
• proposed as a way of convincing anti-federalists states

Question 9

The 1st amendment

Answer 9

• freedom of religion (majority of Americans identify as religious)
• freedom of speech, or of the press

Question 10

The 2nd amendment

Answer 10

• the right of the people to keep and bear arms

Question 11

The 3rd amendment

Answer 11

• No solider can enter a house without the consent of the owner

Question 12

The 4rd amendment

Answer 12

If you are not under arrest you cannord be searched or seized

Question 13

The 5th amendment

Answer 13

• you cannot be judge twice for the same crime
• you can’t be forced to say something incriminating yourself
• only court/jury can decide if you get punished

Question 14

The 6th amendment

Answer 14

• your rights have to be said outloud
• assisted by a counsel for your defence in court

Question 15

The 8th amendment

Answer 15

cruel punishment is forbidden

Question 16

The 9th amendment

Answer 16

The enumeration of certain rights, of the constitution is used for the people not against the people&

Question 17

The 10th amendment

Answer 17

The powers no delegated to the US by the Consitution belong to the states

Question 18

The role of the SC

Answer 18

has the last word on federal constitutional law