Ch 8 Big Idea Citizenship and the Constitution Citizenship and the Constitution –What makes up the Constitution and what are my responsibilities as a citizen.

Vocabulary Terms representative democracy representative democracy delegated powers delegated powers elastic clause elastic clause reserved powers reserved powers concurrent powers concurrent powers separation of powers separation of powers apportionment apportionment impeach impeach veto veto executive order executive order pardon pardon cabinet cabinet Thurgood Marshall Thurgood Marshall Sandra Day O’Connor Sandra Day O’Connor

8.1 Big Idea Understanding the Constitution Understanding the Constitution –What are the basic parts of the Constitution and how do they work?

Ch8 Section 1 Understanding the Constitution Objective 1 - How did the framers of the Constitution try to balance state and federal powers?

I. The Federal System A. The United States is a representative democracy – a government led by officials chosen by the people B. Powers 1.Powers granted in the Constitution to the federal government are delegated powers. 2.Article I, section 8 also called the elastic clause, provides flexibility so that the government can respond to unexpected situations and “make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper” for carrying out its duties. 3.Powers kept by the state government or by the citizens are reserved powers. 4.Concurrent powers are powers shared by the federal and state governments.

Important Questions Which section of the Constitution provides flexibility so that the federal government can respond to unexpected issues and situations?  Article I, section 8; also know as the elastic clause

Ch8 Section 1 Understanding the Constitution Objective 2 - List the three branches of the federal government and describe the requirements for membership in each branch. Objective 3 - Analyze how power is divided between the three branches of government.

II. The Legislative Branch A. Separation of Powers 1.Each of the government’s three branches has specific powers. 2.This separation of powers keeps any one branch from becoming too powerful. B. Congress 1.Makes the nation’s laws, divided into two houses. 2.Congress uses apportionment, or planned distribution, to determine how many of the 435 representatives each state receives in the House. 3.The Senate is made up of two representatives, or senators, from each state. 4.House of Representative- has a 2 year term, you must be 25 years old, U.S. citizen for 7 years, resident of the state you represent. 5.Senate- has a 6 year term, you must be 30 years old, U.S. citizen for 9 years, resident of the state you represent

III. The Executive Branch A. Powers are specified in Article II of the Constitution. B. Enforces the laws that Congress passes. C. The President 1.Must be at least 35 years old, a native-born citizen, and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years. 2.Has a 4 year term, 2 term limit, elections are held every four years. 3.House of Representative can impeach, bring charges against, a president. 4.Senate tries all impeached cases and can remove the president from office.

IV. Working with Congress A. Making Laws A.President can veto, or cancel, laws that Congress passes B.Congress can override, or undo, a veto by 2/3 majority vote. C.In certain cases, presidents can issue an executive order, which has the force of law D.President has the power to pardon, or grant freedom from punishment, people accused or convicted of crimes. E.President is also commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces. B. The cabinet advises the president and consists of the heads of each executive department.

V. The Judicial Branch A. Article III of the Constitution outlines the courts’ duties. B. Appointed by President but approved by Senate: no special requirements, term is for “life” C. The federal court can strike down state or federal laws it finds to be unconstitutional. D. Has 94 district courts and 13 courts of appeals, which review lower-court decisions.

VI. The Supreme Court A. Hears appeals on cases from court appeals. B. Decisions are final. C. Hears all cases involving international diplomats or disputes between states. D. The Justices 1.Traditionally has nine Justices, led by the Chief Justices. 2.Thurgood Marshall became 1 st African American justice Sandra Day O’Connor became 1 st female justice in 1981.

Important Questions What are the responsibilities of the Supreme Court?  Hear appeals from court appeals  Hear all cases involving international diplomats and disputes between the states