Government Final Exam Review

Amendments 1 – Freedom of speech, religion, press, gather 2 – Right to bear arms 3 – Protection against quartering soldiers 4 – Search & seizure 5 – Due process & self incrimination 6 – Speedy trial 7 – Trial by jury 8 – Excessive fines & bails 9 – rights not enumerated given to states 10 – Federalism – rights to Federal government

Amendments 12- electing the President & Vice President separately 14 – Citizenship to former slaves 15 – Gave the vote to former slaves (men only) 16 – Levy taxes 17 – Direct election of senators 19 – Gave women the vote 22 – Presidential term limits 25 – President can select a vice president if the position is vacant 26 – gave vote to 18 year olds

What are the main differences between the different types of governments? Democracy (Direct, Representative) Theocracy Autocracy (monarchy, dictator) Republic Oligarchy (communism, socialism) Confederation (group of nations) Unitary government Federation

What are political parties and how do tend to operate in different types of government? Group of people who think the same about how the government should be run Autocracy’s & Oligarchy’s tend to have 1 party Democracy has typically more than 1

How did the Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights and the Petition of Rights influence our concept of government? Magna Carta: limited government English Bill of Rights: rule of law Petition of Right: document on rights of people

How did the writings of Hobbes (Leviathan), Locke (Second Treatise on Government), and Montesquieu (The Spirit of Laws) affect our concept of government? Hobbes: Natural rights of equality Locke: social contract Montesquieu: separation of powers

How did the idea of Social Contract influence our Declaration of Independence? People can overthrow a bad government Declaration of Independence was a letter to King George about why we were leaving England

What was the main purpose of the Declaration of Independence What was the main purpose of the Declaration of Independence? What were the key issues as spelled out by the colonists? Separation of the colonies from England (breaking up) Not allowed to trade with non England Taxation without representation Quartering soldiers Ask for help but he ignored them and made it worse No trial by jury

What is the Articles of Confederation? First organization of our government

What were its weaknesses? No executive branch No court system Single chamber government Very weak national government

What is the structure of the Constitution What is the structure of the Constitution? How many parts are there and what are they called? Three parts Preamble Articles (7) Amendments (27)

What were the fundamentals principles of the Constitution? Popular sovereignty Federalism Separation of powers Checks & Balances Rule of law Limited government

What does each statement in the Preamble actually mean? To form a more perfect union”: which means to keep the states working together in a friendly way “To establish justice”: which means to treat people fairly “To insure domestic tranquility”: which means to keep order To provide for the common defense”: which means to keep people safe from enemies “To promote the general welfare”: which means to help the people “To secure the blessings of liberty”: which means to protect each person’s freedom

What is Article I of the Constitution? Created the legislative branch

What is Article II of the Constitution? Created the Executive branch

What is Article III of the Constitution? Created the judicial branch

What are some examples of enumerated, implied, concurrent, reserved and denied powers? Enumerated: written in constitution Implied: not written down Concurrent: shared between states & federal government Reserved: states only Denied: not allowed to states or federal

What were the key issues between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists when discussing the new Constitution? Size of the government Lacked a bill of rights

What were each groups ideas for how the new government should be run? Federalists: strong national government Anti-Federalists: limited national government with states rights

How did the Constitution set up the federal government? 3 branches Legislative Executive Judicial

What is the structure, powers and limitations of each branch? Legislative: House of Representatives & Senate; create laws Executive: President and Cabinet; enforces laws Judicial: Supreme Court & federal court system; interprets laws

How can each branch check the other branches in the federal government Executive to legislative: can veto laws Executive to Judicial: appoint judges Legislative to Judicial: approve appointments Legislative to Executive: override veto Judicial to Legislative: declare laws unconstitutional

What is the relationship of power between state and federal governments? Shared power; Local decisions left to state government National decisions left to federal government

House of Representatives What are the formal qualifications for members of the House of Representatives and Senators as listed in the Constitution? Qualification House of Representatives Senate Age 25 30 Citizenship 7 years 9 years Residency Must be resident of the state they represent (not formally required to be from their district) Must be resident of the state they represent

House of Representatives What are the terms of office for each house of Congress and how many members does each house hold? House of Representatives Senate Terms of office 2 years 6 years Members 435 100

Why is the legislative branch split into two houses of Congress? House of Rep  based on state population Big states were happy Senate  2 per state Little states happy

What are the steps in the legislative process (how does a bill become a law)? Idea Call local congressmen Introduce as a bill Goes to committee debate If passes go to house/senate to vote If fails it “dies” If passes go to other part of congress for debate and vote If passes goes to white house to sign into law If vetoed the whole process starts over

What are the powers of Congress? Write the laws Declare war Approve treaties Impeach president Coin money Levy taxes Create budget

What is the process for impeachment of federal officials? House impeaches federal officials Senate tries the officials If it is the president the chief Justice must preside over the trial

What are the formal qualifications to be President? 35 years of age Natural born citizen Resident of the United States for 14 years

What are the informal qualifications to be President? Married Access to money White Protestant Successful Northern European background

What is the maximum term of office for President? 2 terms of 4 years each plus 2 years of another term (max serve 10 years)

What is the line of succession for the President? President  Vice President  Speaker of the House  President Pro Tempore of the Senate  Secretary of State

How is a President elected to office? Wins the popular vote in states and from that wins the electoral college votes for that state. Must win at least 270 electoral college votes.

What role does the electoral college play in electing the President? President must win 270 electoral college votes to win the Presidency

If there is no clear winner in an election, how would a President be selected? If no clear winner, the House selects the winner from the top 3 vote recipients

Roles of President: Chief Diplomat Commander in Chief Head of State Party Leader Chief Executive Chief Legislator Economic Planner

How are federal judges selected and approved? Selected: Nominated by the President Approved: Approved by the Senate

What types of cases do federal courts have jurisdiction over? Military case  Military court Federal Case  federal courts Interpretation of the Constitution  Supreme Court Maritime law  Federal courts

What is the structure of the federal court system? Supreme Court  Federal Appellate Courts  Federal District Courts

What is the structure of the Supreme Court? 9 justices (1 chief justice & 8 associate justices)