The Constitution Flashcards
How many colonies were there in America to start with
13
When was the Boston Tea Party
1773
When was the first continental congress
1773
When was the Declaration of Independence signed
July 4th 1776 (American Independence Day)
When was the constitution written and signed
At the Philadelphia convention in 1787
Who was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence
John Hancock
Who was the first person to sign the constitution
George Washington
When was the first president elected
1789
Who was the first president
George Washington
How many presidents and presidencies have there been
43 presidents and 44 presidencies as Grover Cleveland served two non consecutive terms
What are the features of the U.S. Constitution
Codified Federal Popular sovereignty Separation of powers Limited government Judicial review
Uncodified constitution definition
A constitution that is not written down in a single document
Codified constitution definition
A constitution that is written down in a single document
Entrenched constitution definition
A constitution that is hard to change
Constitution definition
The set of basic riled by which a country is governed
Amendment definition
A hanger made to a constitution
What are the advantages of the U.S. Constitution
Defines people’s liberties
Safeguard against tyrannical government
Public can access and understand it easier
Disadvantages of the U.S. Constitution
Hard to agree on
Inflexible
To much power to unelected judges
Advantages of the UK constitution
Flexible
Modern - constantly evolving
Democrats can function without a codified constitution - UK, NZ
Disadvantages of the UK constitution
Dangerous - government can exploit it
Hard for public to understand
Allows civil liberties to be overridden
What are 5 features of a presidential system of government
Executive barred from legislature Separation of powers Co-equal branches Centralisation and decentralisation Federal system
How many amendments have there been
27
What is federalism
A theory of government by which political power is divided between national and local governments
