Constitution Study Guide

1.   In this form of government, citizens elect representatives to make laws.  republicanism

2.   Democracy is the type of Government in which citizens vote directly to make laws.

3.   This system gives each branch of government some ability to limit the actions of the other two branches.  checks and balances

4.   These are protected by the Bill of Rights.  individual rights

5.   This idea supports government by the people.  popular sovereignty

6.   This idea was the basis for dividing the government into three branches.  separation of powers

7.   Federalism  is the system where powers between  the national government state governments.

8.   Congress is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives.  

9.   Members of the House of Representatives are elected every two years.

10. The official power to declare war belongs to the Congress.

11. If the president of the United States is impeached, the Senate acts as the jury in the trial.

12. Senators serve a term of Six years.

13. When Congress passes a bill, the President can veto it, to keep it from becoming a law.

14. If the president vetoes a bill, it can still become law if two-thirds of both houses of Congress vote to override the veto.

15. The head of the Executive Branch of Government is the President. 

16. The Executive Branch of Government enforces the Laws.

17. The Legislature Branch of Government makes the Laws.

18. The Judicial  Branch of Government interprets  the Laws.

19. The role of the Electoral College is to choose the president of the United States.

20. According to the Constitution, the president can make treaties and appoint ambassadors with the approval of the Senate.

21. Committing a high crime or misdemeanor is grounds for impeachment of the president.

22. To appoint Supreme Court justices is the duty of the president. 

23. Article 3 of the Constitution guarantees a trial by jury to all persons accused of crimes in federal court, except in cases of impeachment.   

24. The Supreme Court's authority to decide whether or not a law violates the Constitution is called judicial review.  

25. Unless they resign or are dismissed for bad behavior, Supreme Court justices hold their offices for life.  

26. The Supreme Court's power to review the decisions of lower courts is called appellate jurisdiction. 

27. When citizens move from one state to another state, under the Constitution their rights remain unchanged.

28. The Constitution can be amended if the change is approved by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and three-fourths of the states.

29. In the Constitution, the "supreme law of the land" is defined as being the Constitution.  

30. The process by which the Constitution or amendments to it were approved is called ratification.

31. A person's home cannot be searched without a warrant, or special permission from a judge, because to do so would violate a person's right to privacy.  

32. No person can be found guilty of a crime and punished without due process of law, or fair treatment under the law.

33. The right to present a list of complaints to the government and demand changes is part of freedom to petition. 

34. Women finally gained the right to vote with the passage of  the Nineteenth Amendment.

35. A person is allowed to hold the office of president of the United States for a maximum of two terms.

36. The president has the power to make treaties with foreign governments provided two-thirds of the Senate approve.  

37. The power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional is an example of checks and balances.

38. The First President of the United States was George Washington.

39. The Second President of the United States was John Adams.

40.  When was The Declaration of Independence signed? 1776

41. 1st Amendment-Protects the people's right to practice religion, to speak freely, to assemble (meet), to address the government and of the press to publish.

42. 2nd Amendment-Protects the right to own guns.

43. 3rd Amendment-Guarantees that the army cannot force homeowners to give them room and board.

44. 4th Amendment-Protects the people from the government improperly taking property, papers, or people, without a valid warrant based on probably cause (good reason).

45. 5th Amendment-Protects people from being held for committing a crime unless they are properly indicted, that they may not be tried twice for the same crime, and that you need not be forced to testify against yourself. It also guarantees due process.

46. 6th Amendment-Guarantees a speedy trial, an impartial jury, and that the accused can confront witnesses against them, and that the accused must be allowed to have a lawyer.

47. 7th Amendment-Guarantees a jury trial in federal civil court cases. This type of case is normally no longer heard in federal court.

48. 8th Amendment-Guarantees that punishments will be fair, and not cruel, and that extraordinarily large fines will not be set.

49. 9th Amendment-Simply a statement that other rights aside from those listed may exist, and just because they are not listed doesn't mean they can be violated.

50. 10th Amendment-Says that any power not granted to the federal government belongs to the states.