What philosophe argued in favor of a three branch government?

1
What philosophe argued in favor of a three branch
government?

• Montesquieu

2
Who was the first to introduce the idea of
natural rights that should be protected?

• John Locke

3
What document defined the first govt of the U.S.?

• Articles of Confederation

4
What were three key weaknesses of this document?

• no executive, no power to tax, coin money,
  regulate trade, pay for a military

5
Identify three of the men who stood out as early
leaders of the Constitutional Convention.

• George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James
  Wilson, James Madison

6
Which section of the Constitution establishes its
purpose? Who did it say the Constitution would
serve?

• The Preamble, the people

7
How many articles does the Constitution have?
What do the first three cover?

• 7, the 3 major branches

8
What is the supremacy clause?

• Makers it clear that the Constitution is the
  supreme law of the land

9
What is the last section of the Constitution made
up of? Why is this so important?

• Amendments, which allow the Constitution to be
  changed makes it a flexible living document

10
The Constitution is based on rule of the people,
also known as ______.

• Popular sovereignty

11
What is the name for a system in which power is
divided between national and state governments?

• federalism

12
Why did the founders choose a federalist approach?

• Even though the weak union of the A of C failed,
  they still feared putting too much power in the
  hands of the central govt

13
What is the primary purpose of separation of
powers?

• Limit overall power of central govt by dividing
  powers between branches

14
What is judicial review? What case established
it?

• The power of the courts to declare laws invalid
  if they violate the Constitution, Marbury v.
  Madison

15
Define the concept of limited govt.

• The Constitution limits govt by specifically
  listing the powers it does and does not have

16
Which branch did the founders believe would be
the most powerful? Why did they fear its power?

• Congress, bad experiences with Parliament

17
In what list are most of the specific powers of
Congress found? What two areas do most of these
relate to?

• The enumerated powers, finance and defense

18
What gives Congress the power to make all laws
necessary and proper?

• Elastic clause

19
What was the key outcome of McCulloch v. Maryland?

• Broad interpretation of the elastic clause

20
What govt role was a part time job for much of
the first 100 years of our history? When did
Congress first start meeting in continuous
session?

• Working in congress, mid 20th century

21
How many bills are introduced in Congress each
year?

• About 10,000

22
Which branch was expected to execute acts of
Congress and protect against mass movements to
redistribute wealth?

• The Executive branch

23
What are three specific powers given to the
President?

• Commander in Chief, appoints cabinet members,
  grant pardons, make treaties appoints judges and
  ambassadors, etc.

24
Why was Washington so careful about the discharge
of his duties?

• Fearful of setting precedents, which is how most
  presidential powers have been established

25
In what way do we have a dual court system in
the U.S.?

• We have both Federal and State courts, each of
  whom has different jurisdictions

26
What is the only way to overrule the Supreme
Court on a constitutional issue?

• Amend the Constitution

27
Which branch most often takes exception to the
growing power of the President?

• Legislative

28
Who has the power to create new courts? Do they
use this power often?

• Congress, no

29
Who must the Supreme Court count on to make sure
that its decisions are adequately enforced?

• Executive Branch

30
Which early plan became the basis for the new
constitution? Who was its primary author?

• The Virginia Plan, James Madison

31
Which plan was devised to represent the needs of
the small states?

• The New Jersey Plan

32
Why did the New Jersey Plan want to keep the
unicameral legislature?

• Because it made representation equal for all
  states, regardless of size

33
After the New Jersey Plan was rejected, what
question deadlocked the Convention?

• Whether representation should be equal for all
  states or determined by population

34
What was the name of the compromise that resolved
this issue? What did it do?

• Connecticut Compromise, provided for 2 houses -
  the House (by population) the Senate (equal for
  all states)

35
What issue was resolved by the 3/5 Compromise?
How did it resolve the issue?

• How to count slaves in a states population, 1
  slave 3/5 of a free man (for both
  representation and taxes)

36
What 2 groups quickly formed during the debate
over ratification

• Federalists (for the Cons.) and Anti Federalists
  (against the Cons.)

37
Identify two reasons the Anti-Federalists opposed
the new Constitutions.

• Drafted in secret, the convention had overstepped
  its bounds, main reason had no Bill of Rights

38
What famous Patriot was opposed to the
Constitution because it lacked a bill of rights?
What was his argument?

• Patrick Henry, if people are not explicitly given
  rights the government will take them away

39
Why did the federalists argue that a Bill of
Rights was unnecessary?

• because most of the states already had them in
  their constitutions

40
What did the federalists promise in order to move
the Constitution toward ratification?

• that a Bill of Rights would be the first order of
  business for the new govt

41
What did John Jay and Alexander Hamilton do to
try and assure ratification in New York?

• They wrote The Federalist Papers

42
Who served as the first President and Vice
President of the United States?

• George Washington and John Adams

43
Which branch did the framers intend to have the
most power?

• The legislative branch (Congress)

44
How many sessions is each term of congress
divided into? How long does a modern session
last?

• 2, January to November

45
What is the age requirement for serving in the
House? The citizenship requirement?

• 25 years of age, 7 years a citizen

46
How many representatives currently serve in the
House? How are these reps divided between the
states?

• 435, by population

47
Who has the power to cast the tie-breaking vote
in the Senate?

• The Vice President

48
How long is the term of office in the house?

• 2 years

49
What organization determines the population of
each state? How often is this done?

• The Census Bureau, every ten years

50
Who is in charge of redistricting a state after
the census?

• The legislature of each state

51
Identify the two main ways that state
legislatures have traditionally abused this power.

• creating districts of unequal population and
  gerrymandering

52
What is gerrymandering?

• its when districts are drawn to benefit a
  specific political party

53
What did the one person-one vote decision
require?

• that all districts contain approximately 600,000
  people, assuring equal power for each vote

54
What is the age requirement to be a senator? The
citizenship requirement?

• 30 years of age, 9 years a citizen

55
How long is the term of office for a senator?
What portion of the senate is up for reelection
every two years?

• 6 years, 1/3 is up for reelection

56
What is censure?

• a formal vote that disapproves of a members
  behavior

57
Describe the average member of congress in terms
of age, ethnicity, profession and gender.

• over 50, white, lawyer and male

58
What percentage of incumbents won reelection
between 1945-1990?

• 90

59
Identify two reasons why incumbents are generally
more successful in winning reelection.

• money from PACs, gerrymandering, voter
  recognition, franking privileges

60
When did the tide begin to turn against
incumbents?

• the Voter Revolution of 1994

61
Identify the three House leaders chosen by the
majority party.

• Speaker, majority leader, majority whip

62
What are two of the main powers of the Speaker?

• assigning bills to committees, presiding over
  House debates, playing a key role in the
  calendaring of bills

63
What do the party leader and whip do,
respectively?

• leader sets the agenda and priorities, whip
  maintains party discipline

64
What is the primary role of congressional
committees?

• to closely evaluate proposed bills, hold hearings
  on them, and decide whether they go on to the
  full house or senate

65
Which committee controls the proceedings of the
house and gives final consent to the calendar?

• the Rules Committee

66
Who appoints Justices Ambassadors? Who
approves them?

• President, Senate

67
Who has the power to negotiate treaties and
enforce the laws?

• President

68
Who has the power to declares laws/acts
unconstitutional?

• Judicial Branch/Supreme Court

69
Who has the power to tax, regulate trade and coin
money?

• Congress

70
Who is commander in Chief of the armed forces and
also in charge of federal departments (Defense,
Treasury, State, etc.)

• the President

71
Who has the power to declare war, raise an army,
and approve treaties?

• Congress

72
What branch has used many precedents over time to
add to its powers?

• executive branch

73
What are two ways the President can try to
influence Congress?

• veto, call special session, make State of the
  Union Address

74
What are two powers Congress has over the
President?

• approve treaties, cabinet officials, judges,
  veto override, control the budget

75
What percentage of bills actually become laws?

• roughly 5