8C Constitution Review
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118 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Constitution | A set of laws or principles for a government |
| Articles of Confederation | First Constitution |
| Under the AOC who had all the power | States |
| Why did the Constitutional Convention meet | To revise the AOC -- ended up rewriting |
| New Jersey Plan | Small states wanted one house of Congress to have equal representation |
| Virginia Plan | Large states wanted two houses of Congress both based on population |
| Great Compromise | Bicameral Congress with one house based on population, one with equal representation |
| Bicameral | Two houses |
| Unicameral | One house |
| # of Articles | 7 |
| # of Amendments | 27 |
| Bill of Rights | First Ten amendments |
| # of Branches | 3 |
| Federalism | State and federal governments share power |
| Separation of Powers | Government is divided into 3 branches to avoid tyranny |
| Checks and Balances | Each branch of government has the power to block the power of the other branches |
| Cabinet | President's advisors -- There are 15 |
| Preamble | Introduction to the Constitution |
| Eminent Domain | Government may take your land for public use if they pay a fair price |
| Elastic Clause | 18th power of Congress allows them to make laws to meet the changing needs of the nation |
| Judicial Review | Supreme Court has the power to determine the constitutionality of the law |
| Impeach | To accuse a government official of wrong-doing |
| Bill | An idea or proposal for a law |
| Veto Override | If the President vetoes a bill, goes back to the house it started in and needs 2/3 majority from both houses to become law |
| Pocket Veto | If bill passes Congress with simple majority, goes to President and he does not sign or veto and if within 10 days Congress adjourns, then bill cannot become a law, no override and president does not need to explain why |
| Simple Majority | 50% + 1 |
| Quorum | Simple majority needed to conduct business |
| What does Article I discuss? | Legislative Branch |
| What does Article II discuss? | Executive Branch |
| What does Article III discuss? | Judicial Branch |
| What does Article IV discuss? | How states will work together |
| What does Article V discuss? | How to amend the Constitution |
| What does Article VI discuss? | Says Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land |
| What does Article VII discuss? | Ratifying the Constitution |
| What is the main job of the Legislative Branch? | Make laws |
| What is the main job of the Executive Branch? | Carry out/enforce laws |
| What is the main job of the Judicial Branch? | Interpret laws |
| What are the qualifications to be a Senator? | 30 years old, U.S. citizen for 9 years, live in state represent |
| What are the qualifications to be a Representative in the House? | 25 years old, U.S. citizen for 7 years, live in state represent |
| Total number of Senators | 100 |
| Total number of Representatives in House | 435 |
| # of Senators representing IL | 2 |
| # of House representatives for IL | 19 |
| Presiding officer in the HOR | Speaker of the House -- John Boehner |
| Presiding officer in the Senate | Vice President -- Joe Biden |
| Who leads the Senate if the Vice President is absent? | President Pro Tempore -- Daniel Inouye |
| Term of office -- Senate | 6 years |
| Term of office -- HOR | 2 years |
| How are the elections in the Senate staggered? | 1/3 every 2 yrs. |
| Who are the Senators for IL? | Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin |
| Census | Count of the population every 10 years |
| Who has the sole power of impeachment? | House of Representatives |
| Who holds an impeachment trial? | Senate |
| When would we need the line of succession? | If there is a vacancy in the Presidency |
| What is the order of the line of succession | Vice President, Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore, Secretary of State |
| Where must money bills start? | House of Representatives |
| What is the system by which we elect the President called? | Electoral College |
| How many electors are there in the electoral college? | 538 |
| How do they determine the number of electors each state gets? | # of Reps in House + # of Senators |
| Qualification for President/VP | 35 years old, U.S. resident for at least 14 years, natural born citizen |
| How many terms may a president serve? | 2 |
| How many years is a president limited to? | 10 years |
| What are the President's powers? | Veto, pardon, appoint ambassadors and judges, commander-in-chief, make treaties |
| How many electoral votes must a candidate win in order to win the presidency? | 270 |
| If there is no clear winner in the electoral college who picks the President? | House of Representatives |
| If there is no clear winner in the electoral college who picks the Vice President | Senate |
| How many levels are there to the Federal court system? | 3 |
| What are the three levels of the federal court system? | 94 District Courts, 13 Circuit Courts of Appeals, 1 Supreme Court |
| How many Supreme Court Justices are there? | 9 |
| Who is the leader of the Supreme Court? | Chief Justice -- John Roberts |
| How long is the term of office for a Supreme Court Justice? | Life |
| Extradition | If a criminal escapes to a different state, the governor may ask for them to be returned |
| Habeas Corpus | If accused of a crime, you have the right to be brought before a judge and told why you are being held |
| Double Jeopardy | You cannot be tried for a crime twice if you were found innocent in the first trial |
| Ex Post Facto | You cannot be punished for something if it wasn't illegal when you committed it |
| Precedent | A previous court ruling used as an example for future rulings |
| Search Warrant | Needed to search private property (specific and signed by a judge) |
| Probable Cause | Good reason needed to obtain a search warrant |
| Amendment | A change or addition to the constitution |
| Checks by Legislative Branch on Executive Branch | Veto Override, approval of appointments and treaties, declare war, impeach |
| Checks by Legislative Branch on Judicial Branch | Impeach, amend laws, approve appointments, creates lower courts |
| Checks by Executive Branch on Legislative Branch | Commander-in-chief, veto, make treaties/appointments |
| Where did the Constitutional Convention meet? | Philadelphia |
| Who was the President of the Constitutional Convention? | George Washington |
| Checks by Executive Branch on Judicial Branch? | Pardon, appoints judges |
| Checks by Judicial Branch on Executive and Legislative Branch | Judicial Review |
| What fraction of States or Congress is needed to propose an amendment? | 2/3 |
| What fraction of the states is needed to ratify an amendment? | 3/4 |
| Treason | Work against your nation or help your nation's enemies |
| Naturalization | The laws by which someone may become a U.S. citizen |
| Amendment 1 | Freedom of Religion, Expression, Petition, Assembly |
| Amendment 2 | Right to bear arms |
| Amendment 3 | No quartering of soldiers |
| Amendment 4 | Search and Seizure -- in order to search your property government must have probable cause and a search warrant |
| Amendment 5 | Right to due process, no self-incrimination, double jeopardy |
| Due Process | Cannot take away life, liberty or property without a fair trial |
| Amendment 6 | Right to public/speedy trial, habeas corpus, council, confront witnesses |
| Amendment 7 | Right to jury trial |
| Amendment 8 | Right to bail, no cruel or unusual punishment |
| Amendment 9 | Constitution gives you certain rights, but those are not your only rights |
| Amendment 10 | Rights not given to the federal government belong to the people and the states |
| Amendment 11 | If you want to sue a state must first sue in that state |
| Amendment 12 | Electors will get 2 votes -- 1 for President 1 for Vice President |
| Amendment 13 | Abolished slavery |
| Amendment 14 | Due Process affirmed, Equal protection of the laws, defines citizenship (to include former slaves) |
| Amendment 15 | Cannot deny the right to vote based on race |
| Amendment 16 | Income tax (April 15) |
| Amendment 17 | Senators will no longer be chosen by state legislatures, instead by the people of the states themselves |
| Amendment 18 | Prohibition -- made it illegal to buy, sell, carry, distribute alcohol |
| Amendment 19 | Cannot deny the right to vote based on gender (women vote!) |
| Amendment 20 | Lame Duck -- shortened the period of time between presidential election and inauguration |
| Amendment 21 | Repealed 18th amendment |
| Amendment 22 | Limited number of Presidential terms to 2 or 10 years |
| Amendment 23 | Gave Washington DC right to vote in Presidential elections (same # of electors as least populous state --3) |
| Amendment 24 | No poll taxes |
| Amendment 25 | Line of Succession -- if there is a vacancy in the VP, President picks a new one with Congressional approval |
| Amendment 26 | Right to vote at 18 -- Vietnam Era |
| Amendment 27 | If Congress votes to give itself a raise, it will not go into place into the next session |
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