Social Studies, Chapter 8(Creating the Constitution), 9(The Constitution: A More Perfect Union, 10(The Bill of Rights)
What is meant by the term "judicial review" ?
"Judicial review" means that the Judicial Branch reviews cases that involve the Constitution.
What goals does it outline for us?
"We the people"- This part means the delegates are saying that, the people, have the authority "more perfect union"- This part talks about how the people wanted to build a better union than before, so that they can stay as a nation "establish justice"- This part means that the Americans will be ruled by laws and not by people "ensure domestic tranquility"- This part means that if the new system worked there would be peace and no one in the nation would fight with one another. "provide for the common defense"- This part means that the national government would be responsible for protecting the Americans from foreign invaders "promote general welfare"- This means that it could support an economy and it could support an society in which people could prosper "secure blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, etc" This part means that the people have the right to do what they want to do and that right would be passed down to future generations.
What is a federalist?
A federalist is a supporter of the Constitution
What does bicameral mean?
Bicameral means having two law-making parts. It comes from a Latin word taht means "two rooms".
What do cabinet members do?
Cabinet members can impeach the president if he is found guilty committing a crime. The cabinet members helped the president and do what he wants them to do.
What does the term "checks and balances" mean?
Checks and Balances is a system that doesn't let each branch of government have too much power.
How did the views of the delegates from northern states differ from those of delegates from southern states on this issue?
Delegates in the norther states didn't want slaves to be counted because they viewed them as property while delegates in the south wanted more representation so they wanted slaves to be counted.
What is federalism?
Federalism means shared powers. An example of it is when the state government and federal government work together. Federalism is the constitutional system that shares power between the national and state government.
How does a bill become a law?
First, someone from the House or Senate must propose a bill and if the majority from one of the houses are in favor of it, then it is sent to the other house for debate. I both houses approve of it, then it goes to the president. Once the president approves it, then the bill becomes a law. If the president doesn't approve of it, the Legislative Branch has the power to override his decision, but only if 2/3 majority are in favor in both houses.
How are we able to change the Constitution?
First, the amendment has to be proposed by 2/3 vote of each house of Congress, then it has to be ratified by 3/4 of the state legislature in 3/4 of the states. Once an amendment is approved, it will be added to the Constitution.
What form of government did our founders first create to rule America? What document did they create net to our governing document?
First, they created the Articles of Confederation. Then, next to the Articles of Confederation, they created The Constitution.
When will the Supreme Court handle a case?
If a law violates the Constitution or if someone/state complains about the law violating the Constitution. In the Constitution, it says the the Constitution is the supreme law of the land.
What does it mean to be the Secretary of State?
If you are the Secretary of State, then you are in chagre of foreign issues or affairs.
How did the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan differ?
In the Virginia Plan, the legislative branch consists of two houses while the New Jersey Plan, the legislative branch is made up of only one house. Also in the Virginia Plan, the number of representatives sent from each state to Congress, depends on the state's population while in the New Jersey Plan, the same number of representatives from each state are sent to Congress.
Why is it important to change the Constitution?
It is important to change the Constitution because of the way that people's thoughts change. For example, when the colonies started out, they believed that it was okay to have slavery. But once they started making the Constitution, they doubted whether slavery was actually good. Then later, after a long time, they had make an amendment that made slavery illegal.
Why was it written?
It was written to explain the reasons for the new government.
Why were many Americans concerned by the action of Shays and his supporters?
Many Americans were concerned because they thought that Shay's rebellion was a sign that their nation was falling apart.
What are two pieces of evidence that prove amending the Constitution difficult?
One piece of evidence that proves that amending the Constitution is difficult is the fact that over the years, while 10,000 amendments have been proposed, only 27 have been approved. Also, because the process is so long and it needs to be approved by majority of the people, it makes it even harder to add an amendment.
What are proposals for new laws called?
Proposals for new laws are called bills.
What are the advantages to having all the states work together rather than separately?
Some advantages of all the states working together is that goods and resources could flow more easily across the country, common market, etc.
What is Suffrage?
Suffrage is the right to vote.
What is the main job performed by the Executive Branch?
The Executive Branch executes or carries out laws.
What different types of courts make up the Judicial branch? Explain a bit about each one.
The Federal court and the Supreme Court make up the Judicial Branch. The Federal Court consists of district and appellate courts. Cases that have to do with the Federal law are first heard in the district court. Citizens can "appeal" decision given in district courts which means they review cases when they think that the decision made by the lower courts are in conflict with the constitution.
Which law making house can make a tax law?
The House of Reps
What is the Preamble?
The Preamble is the first part of the Constitution that explains the reasons for the new government.
List other powers that belong to the Executive Branch.
The President is commander in chief of the military, and he can make treaties with other nation, with permission from the Senate, and he/she can grant pardons to people who are criminals or have violated the federal law.
What compromise did the delegates create to resolve this issue?
The compromise that the delegates created was that each slave would be counted as 3/5 of a person. In return the norther states gave Congress power to control trade between the states. The other compromise was that congress would have power to control the slave trade, and Congress could not interfere with the slave trade for 20 years.
What compromise did the delegates create to resolve the issue of state representation?
The compromise was that in the first house of the law making house, the House of Representatives, would represent the people and how many representatives they send would be based on the state's population. The second lawmaking house, The Senate, would represent the states, and there would be exactly 2 senators per state, that are selected by the legislators.
Why didn't the delegates agree on how the national executive should be chosen?
The delegates couldn't agree on how the chief executive should be chosen because they all had different ideas. Some people wanted congress to choose while others thought that the people should vote for the president. However, there were flaws with their ideas so in the end, the decided to have a compromise.
What compromise did the delegates create to resolve this issue?
The delegates decided The Electoral College would elect the president. The Electoral College was made up of people who cast votes to elect the President and the Vice President. The people would still vote, but The Electoral College took the majority of the votes and whichever candidate had more the would elect him.
Why did the delegates of the Constitutional Convention pick the Electoral College system to elect the Chief Executive(President)?
The delegates of the Constitutional convention picked the Electoral College System to elect the Executive(president), because it was a compromise of the initial ideas. The Electoral College took the people's vote into account, but ultimately, the majority of the votes is what the elector puts on the ballot.
What power does the executive branch have on the Legislative branch?
The executive branch can veto a bill that the legislative branch sends them.
Why did the framers feel the need to include checks and balances in the Constitution?
The framers felt the need to include checks and balances in the Constitution so each branch couldn't dominate the other. This system prevented each branch from having too much power. They put checks and balances because if one branch makes a mistake, another branch can balance it out.
Why did the framers make it possible to change the constitution?
The framers made it possible to change the Constitution because they knew it was going to be changed by the people to fit the people's needs.
What is the main job performed by the Judicial branch?
The main job of the Judicial branch is to judge or interpret the law.
What is the oath of office? What does he/ she promise to defend?
The oath of office is a promise that the president has to make and he/ she has to defend the constitution.
Why did the writers create a system of state governments and federal governments?
The writers of the constitution wanted to have a system of state government because every state is different. Since the constitution doesn't say anything about schools, marriage, establishing local governments, owning property, etc, the states would have to take over.
What beliefs did the delegates share? What divided them?
They all feared that a strong central government would endanger the rights of the states. They all believed in secrecy in their convention. The delegates agreed that to protect the rights of the people, was through some form of republic. What divided them was their different views on how powerful the government should be.
Why did the writers of the constitution include this idea of Federalism?
They included the power of Federalism because they wanted the whole country to be united so that other countries couldn't take over. They also wanted the states to have some power to take care of their own state since every state is different.
What is the main job performed by the Legislative Branch?
They make laws for all the states.
What are the requirements to be a senator?
To be a senator, you have to be at least 30 years old, and you have to be a citizen for at least 9 years. You have to serve as senator for 6 years. A senator can be reelected as many times as the people want. They split The Senate in to 3 groups. The first third can get reelected. Then the second third and the last third. We split them in to 2 year cycles.
What are the requirements to be in the House of Reps?
To be in the House of Reps, you have to be at least 25 years old, and you have to have been a citizen for at least 7 years. You have to serve in the House of Reps for 2 years.
What are the requirements to be the president?
To be the president, you have to have more electoral votes than your opponent, and you have to "defend the constitution" and if you're not reelected, then you have to take the oath of office, and if you are president, you can only be reelected once. Also, you have to be at least 35 years old and you have to be a natural born citizen.
Why do the states get power and why does the federal government get power?
We give power to the federal government because then they could hold our nation together and make sure that we don't fall apart. We give the states, power because every state is different. While the federal government passes major laws for all the states, the states make laws for their own state and each state might have different opinions on different things.
