The US constitution.

Question 1

Articles and what they include.

Answer 1

Section 1 - Legislative
Section 2 - Executive
Section 3 - Judicial
Section 4 - Relationships between states and the Federal Government.
Section 5 - Amendments
Section 6 - Federal supremacy 
Section 7 - Process of ratification.

Question 2

Definition of Codified constitution

Answer 2

When the constitution is written and documented in law and can be open to the interpretation of citizens and the judicial system.

Most major democracies have this. E.g. The U.S constitution

Question 3

Functions of a codified constitution.

Answer 3

Authoritative - Seen as a higher law, sets out the law for all political proceedings
Entrenched - very difficult to amend or abolish
Judicial - Allows other was to be judged against it

Question 4

Benefits of a codified constitution

Answer 4

Clear to see government acting wrong - 2021 trump riots
Protects human rights - Brown vs board of education
Clear rules for political procedure - Prosecuted Nixon in the watergate scandal.

Question 5

Negatives of a codified constitution

Answer 5

Hard to change, requires amendments

Judicial Tyranny can be open to an interpretation.

Question 6

Limited government

Answer 6

Shown in the ninth and tenth amendments, government should operate with minimalist intervention policy and should just uphold the rights and laws of its citizens.

Question 7

Entrenched rights

Answer 7

Defined as rights which are explicitly protected by the constitution.

Question 8

Checks and Balances

Answer 8

Checks and balances are the ways in which each interdependent bodies of government, president, Supreme Court and congress prevent the government from becoming to tyrannical and powerful

Examples of this:

Congress ->Confirms judicial appointments to the Supreme Court e.g. Amy Coney Barnett to the Supreme Court by 52 - 48

Congress ->Makes laws and allocates firms to the president - Vetoing and veto overriding legislation e.g. Obamas 2016 veto on the right of the families of the 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, then overridden

Supreme Court->Rules on legislation that congress introduces e.g.Roe vs wade 1974 women’s abortion is a right

Supreme Court->Rules on executive action e.g. Marbury vs Maddison which allowed the Supreme Court to interpret and rule on legislature and executive action.

President->Can veto congresses legislation e.g. Trump Veto’d 10 acts of legislature in his time as president in 2016-2020

President->Appoints Judges to the Supreme Court e.g. Obama appointing Soto mayor in 2009.

Question 9

Why are the government bodies interdependent?

Answer 9

Prevents a government from becoming to tyrannical and corrupt.

Question 10

What does Article 1 outline

Answer 10

Legislative - Congress

Question 11

What does Article 2 outline?

Answer 11

Executive - The president

Question 12

What does Article 3 outline

Answer 12

Judiciary - Supreme Court and the judicial system

Question 13

What does Article 4 outline

Answer 13

The relationship between state and federal governments

Question 14

What does article 5 outline

Answer 14

Process of amendments

Question 15

What does Article 6 outline

Answer 15

That the Federal Government rules supreme to all other state governments

Question 16

What does Article 7 outline

Answer 16

Process of ratifying amendments into new laws

Question 17

What is the division of government into three branches known as?

Answer 17

Separation of powers and it was introduced to stop tyranny by the founding fathers.

Question 18

The Amendment Process

Answer 18

The process of changing the constitution. Requires a 2/3 house and senate majority to pass. Very difficult to do, there have only been 27 amendments since 1789.

Question 19

The bill of rights (1791)

Answer 19

The Bill of rights amendments 1 - 10

1 - Free expression, speech and religion
2 - Right to bear arms
3 - No quartering of troops in homes
4 - No unlawful searches and seizures
5 - Rights of an accused person
6 - Right to stand trial
7 - Right to common-lawsuits
8 - Excessive bail and punishments are prohibited.
9 - Un-enumerated rights protected
10 - Un-delegated powers reserved to the states or to the people

Question 20

Advantages of the amendment process.

Answer 20

Only meaningful change is passed because of the length of the process so temporary issues wont change the constitution
Supermajorities have the power rather than minority.
With so any checks the legislation will be valid and meaningful and not pointless.

Question 21

Disadvantages of the amendment process

Answer 21

It makes it very difficult for the constitution to be amended, meaning it can become outdated like the electoral college or gun laws
Minority could be underrepresented
Still allowed the prohibition amendment of 1918 to be passed which was clearly a bad idea.
Unelected Supreme Court has a say.

Question 22

Define Bipartisanship

Answer 22

Close cooperation between the two major parties to achieve desired political goals.

Question 23

Define Federalism

Answer 23

A theory of government by which political power is divided between a national government and state governments, each having their own areas of substantive jurisdiction.

Decentralised power