American Government - Unit 2 - Lesson 15

Why did the Framers of the Constitution put the regulation of monetary policy in the hands of the federal government instead of the states?

They wanted the nation to have a unified currency.

What makes some rights "unalienable"?

Those rights are natural and absolute.

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances in government?

Congress can override a presidential veto by a two-thirds vote in each house.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a federal system of government?

Each state or local government can have its own policy on the same issue.

Based on the citation, how does this clause represent a check on unlimited governmental power? If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law[.] -Article I, U.S. Constitution

It allows Congress to override a veto.

How did the Bill of Rights help to satisfy the arguments of some critics of the U.S. Constitution?

It guaranteed certain freedoms and rights to the people.

When the Framers created the legislative branch of government, why did they decide that this branch would have a bicameral structure?

The Framers formed a bicameral legislature as a compromise between small states, which wanted equal representation in the legislature, and large states, which wanted representation based on population.

Which of the following actions best describes judicial power in the United States?

The Supreme Court judges the constitutionality of a law.

Why is it easier for the prime minister of Britain to pass legislation than it is for the U.S. president?

The United Kingdom is a parliamentary system where the prime minister is chosen by and is part of the Parliament. This provides the prime minister with considerable legislative and executive power.

Which idea served as one of the foundations of American government?

constitutionalism

America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each is subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself. -The Federalist No. 51 This excerpt was written to

convince people that the Constitution contained safeguards against government becoming too strong.

Which is a function of state governments that is not a function of the federal government?

creation of a public school system

One of the main reasons the Founding Fathers created federalism was because they believed that

dividing power among the states and the national government would prevent any governmental entity from abusing its authority.

State governments may do all of the following with the exception of

imposing taxes on imports.

Which two principles are the foundation of every state's constitution?

popular sovereignty and limited government

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were European philosophers who influenced American founding documents with which theory?

social contract theory

The President of the United States would be an officer elected by the people for four years; the king of Great Britain is a perpetual and hereditary prince. The one would be amenable to personal punishment and disgrace; the person of the other is sacred and inviolable. The one would have a qualified negative upon the acts of the legislative body; the other has an absolute negative. The one would have a right to command the military and naval forces of the nation; the other, in addition to this right, possesses that of declaring war, of raising and regulating fleets and armies by his own authority. The one would have a concurrent power with a branch of the legislature in the formation of treaties; the other is the sole possessor of the power of making treaties. -Federalist No. 69 In this extract from the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton most likely used a comparison between the president of the United States and the king of Great Britain to show

that the president is subject to far more constraints than the king is.

Which of the following is the best definition of government?

the entity that makes and enforces public policy

What is the main purpose of this excerpt from The Federalist No. 51, and which of the following best illustrates it? TO WHAT expedient, then, shall we finally resort, for maintaining in practice the necessary partition of power among the several departments, as laid down in the Constitution? The only answer that can be given is, that as all these exterior provisions are found to be inadequate, the defect must be supplied, by so contriving the interior structure of the government as that its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places.

to outline the system of checks and balances among the three branches; the Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional

Which factor makes a system of government a theocracy and not a republic?

when laws must be in line with religion