unit 1 Flashcards
What features of the Constitution attempt to protect individual liberty?
bill of rights Congress is not allowed to pass bills of attainder, which are basically laws
that declare a person guilty without a trial, nor can Congress pass an ex post facto law, meaning that if a new law
says something is now illegal you can’t be punished because you did that action before the law was passed.
Identify features of the Constitution that attempt to promote safety and order.
full faith and credit clause, villain has to be return to the state, checks and balances
What were the primary goals of the anti-federalists?
- limt the government, want the bill of rights, couldn’t overrule the states
How is participatory democracy visible in constitutional amendments and state government policy-making in
the U.S.?
15th, 17th, 19th, and 26h amendments, which expanded suffrage to
African-Americans (15th), women (19th), 18-year-olds (26th), and allowed the direction election of Senators (17th).
Identify key powers the federal government lacked under the Articles of Confederation and gained under the
Constitution.
Power to tax, regulate interstate commerce, an executive and judicial branch, and government has supremacy over states
Identify issues left unresolved by the original Constitution.
slavery trade, happened for 20 more years
Identify advantages of establishing a stronger central government.
factions tons wold hep equal out the power estranges, rasing army and could tax the people
What are advantages of maintaining states’ rights?
states can feed into local needs, and being able to choose and make laws
How do separation of powers and federalism protect the rights of the individuals?
separation of powers between the goverment so they do’t topple each other
How do separation of powers and federalism protect the rights of the individuals?
affect our daily life, and they work togther, laws are changing
Identify how the tremendous increase in federal grants to states has shifted the U.S to cooperative federalism.
categorical grants; get money –> get money –> follow policies –> government gets power
What dilemma do state governments face when deciding whether to accept federal grants-in-aid?
states are given grants; money to spend on whatever they want. But must follow the fedarl law
What features of the original Constitution have led to the federal government gaining more power over time?
commerce clause, supremacy clause
Describe the debate over the meaning of the 10th amendment.
everything that wasn’t implied ot said in the Constitution’ was given to the people
Why has the elastic clause led to expansion of congressional power, and why is this controversial?
congress could place any law into place they felt was necessary. too much power. invade state laws
