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Popular Sovereignty
Popular – appealing to the general public
Sovereignty – having supreme power or authority
Sovereignty – having supreme power or authority
Electoral College
Electoral – consisting of elections or electors
College – an institution for higher learning
College – an institution for higher learning
Judicial Review
Judicial – pertaining to judgement
Review – a critical report
Review – a critical report
Executive Agreement
Executive – a group of people having administrative authority
Agreement – the act of agreeing
Agreement – the act of agreeing
Divides power between federal and state governments
C – Federalism
Against the principles of the Constitution
E – Unconstitutional
Group of advisers to the President
B – Cabinet
A change to the Constitution
A – Amendment
To take back
D – Repeal
Basic _ , or laws, are outlined in the Constitution
Principles
Soon after the Constitution became effective, _ amendments were added to it. It now has _ amendments
10; 27
Article _ says the Constitution is the law of the land
6
The idea that the federal government gets its power from _ _ is called popular sovereignty
The people
Limited government means that the government is never _ the law
Above
Government must follow the principles authorized by the people. This is the _ of _
Rule of law
The division of government into three _ is called the separation of powers
Branches
The Constitution states that only _ can make laws
Congress
The President cannot make laws, but must _ all laws passed by Congress
Ratify
Congress can _ the President’s veto
Override
Courts can decide whether or not actions of the government are _. This power is called judicial review
Constitutional
Federalism is a system of government in which powers divided between a _ _ and _ governments
Central government; regional
One way to make a change to the Constitution is for two-thirds of the members of _ to approve an amendment. Because we have a federal system, three-fourths of the _ _ must then ratify the amendment for it to become part of the Constitution
Congress; state legislatures
The first _ amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights
10
The _ Amendment limited a President to two full terms in office
22
The 27th Amenment was first proposed in _ but was not ratified until _
1789; 1992
_ passed by Congress have helped shape the basic frameworks of the Constitution
Laws
Presidents have brought about constitutional change by making _ agreements with leaders of foreign countries
Executive
The Supreme Court _ the Constitution as it hears and decides cases
interprets
Many of the framers dislike the idea of political parties. Despite this fact, much of American government today is conducted on the basis of _
Party
One way parties have brought about constitutional change in taking over selection of candidates for the – and –
President; vice president
The Constitution does not mention the President’s _ , his group of advisers. Instead, it came about through tradition and custom
Cabinet
Some customs were followed for years before being written into the Constitution, such as the _ _ _ tradition
No Third Term
Anti-Federalists
a person who opposed ratification of the Constitution
Article III
creates the judicial branch
Article V
the amendment process
Checks and Balances
a system in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of the others
Confederation
a group of individuals or state governments
Constitution
a formal, written plan of government
Executive Branch
the branch of government that carries out laws
Federalism
a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states
Limited Government
a government that can only do what the people allow it to do
Popular Sovereignty
the idea that powers lies with the people
Amendment
any change in the Constitution
Bicameral
a legislature consisting of two parts, or houses
Constitutional Convention
meetings of state delegates in 1787 leading to adoption of a new Constitution
Electoral College
a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president
Judicial Branch
branch of government that interprets the laws
Legislative Branch
the lawmaking branch of government
Ratify
to vote approval of
Rule of Law
the principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern
Separation of Powers
the split of authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches
Three-Fifths Compromise
agreement providing that enslaved persons would count as three-fifths of other persons in determining representation in Congress
Believes of Federalists
-Federal law should be supreme over state law
-U.S. could not survive without a strong national government; this was needed to protect property rights
-only a strong national government could solve the country’s problem at home and defend its interests abroad
-U.S. could not survive without a strong national government; this was needed to protect property rights
-only a strong national government could solve the country’s problem at home and defend its interests abroad
Believes of Anti-Federalists
-New constitution would destroy the liberties won in the American Revolution
-Ignore the rights of the states
-feared that government would favor the wealthy over the few common people
-new constitution had no bill of rights
-Ignore the rights of the states
-feared that government would favor the wealthy over the few common people
-new constitution had no bill of rights
How did Federalist get the Anti-Federalist to ratify the new constitution?
They agreed to add a bill of rights to the constitution
Examples of expressed powers found in Article I
-Creates the three branches of government
-The number of representatives from each state is based on their population
-Electing Senators
-Impeachment
– Congressional Salaries
-Tax Laws
-How bills become laws
-Powers of Congress
-Habeas Corpus
-Limitations on the states
-The number of representatives from each state is based on their population
-Electing Senators
-Impeachment
– Congressional Salaries
-Tax Laws
-How bills become laws
-Powers of Congress
-Habeas Corpus
-Limitations on the states
Checks of the Executive Branch
-Can veto legislation
-Can appoint judges
-Can appoint judges
Checks of the Judicial Branch
-Can declare acts of legislature unconstitutional
-Can declare presidential actions unconstitutional
-Can declare presidential actions unconstitutional
Checks of the Legislative Branch
-Can impeach presidents
-Can override veto
-Can reject appointments
-Can refuse to approve treaties
-Can impeach judges
-Can reject appointment of judges
-Can override veto
-Can reject appointments
-Can refuse to approve treaties
-Can impeach judges
-Can reject appointment of judges
Leaders of the Federalists
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay
The Federalist Papers
essays to defend the constitution
Preamble (six purposes of the government)
1. To form a more perfect Union
2. To establish justice
3. To insure domestic tranquility
4. To provide for the common defense
5. To promote the general Welfare
6. To secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity
2. To establish justice
3. To insure domestic tranquility
4. To provide for the common defense
5. To promote the general Welfare
6. To secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity
Shay’s Rebellion
-took place in Massachusetts
-Farmer owed money because of heavy state taxes
-threatened to take his farm to pay his debt
-felt citizens should not be punished for a problem that the state created
-about 1,200 protesters attacked a federal arsenal
-government wondered if they could maintain law and order
-Farmer owed money because of heavy state taxes
-threatened to take his farm to pay his debt
-felt citizens should not be punished for a problem that the state created
-about 1,200 protesters attacked a federal arsenal
-government wondered if they could maintain law and order
From which document did Americans get the idea to add a bill of rights to their own new state constitutions?
Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights
The Great Compromise
-committee headed by Roger Sherman from Connecticut
-congress would have 2 houses (Senate and a House of Representatives)
-Senate; each state would have 2 reps (pleased smaller states)
-House; reps based on the states population (pleased larger states)
-congress would have 2 houses (Senate and a House of Representatives)
-Senate; each state would have 2 reps (pleased smaller states)
-House; reps based on the states population (pleased larger states)
Popular Sovereignty can be practiced by?
voting
Compromises at the constitutional convention
trade – congress could regulate trade between the states and countries, but could not tax exports
Congress could also not ban the slave trade before 1808- 20 years
Congress could also not ban the slave trade before 1808- 20 years
Which branch of government has the power to declare war?
Legislative Branch
Know some reasons why the national government under the Constitution is stronger than the national government was under the articles?
-strong central government with certain powers reserved for the states
-congress has the power to tax, regulate trade etc, declare war, make national laws, make treaties
-president and supreme court
-two house legislature
-congress has the power to tax, regulate trade etc, declare war, make national laws, make treaties
-president and supreme court
-two house legislature
Necessary and Proper Clause
to interpret the constitution in a broad manner
Why was it difficult to amend the Articles of Confederation?
The articles could not be changed without the agreement of all 13 states
What is Article IV about?
guarantees the people “a republican form of government”explains the relationship of the states to one another and to the national government (relations among the states)
Which phrase of the preamble reflects popular sovereignty?
“We the people”
Know the courts that were created by Article III
Supreme Court; federal and state courts
popular sovereignty
the people are the source of any and all governmental power, and government can exist only with the consent of the governed
limited government
the government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that government cannot take away
separation of powers
the executive legislative, and judicial powers are divided among three independent and coequal branches of government
checks and balances
system of overlapping the powers of the three branches to permit each branch to check the actions of the others
veto
chief executive’s power to reject a bill passed by a legislature
Judicial review
the power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a governmental action
unconstitutional
contrary to constitutional provision and so illegal, null and void, of no force and effect
federalism
a system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central, or national, government and several regional governments
Amendment
a change in, or addition to, a constitution or law
ratification
formal approval, final consent to the effectiveness of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty
formal amendment
change of addition that becomes part of the written language of the Constitution itself through one of four methods set forth in the Constitution
bill of rights
the first ten amendments to the Constitution
executive agreement
a binding internal agreement with the force of law but which does not require Senate consent
treaty
a formal agreement between two of more sovereign states (requires senate consent)
cabinet
presidential advisory body, traditionally made up of the heads of the executive departments and other officers
Elastic Clause (Necessary and Proper Clause)
The clause in Article I, Section 8, that grants Congress the power to do whatever is necessary to execute its specifically delegated powers and allows for implied powers.
enumerated powers
Specific powers given to the national government alone
implied powers
Powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution
Supremacy Clause
Constitution is the supreme law of the land
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