An Enduring Plan of Government

How a bill becomes a law

1.) Intro sponsors/cosponsors committees, 2.)Subcommittee action 3.) Full/Standing Committee Action 4.) Floor Action 5.) President 6.) Enactment into Law

The qualifications necessary for being a member of the the House of Representatives,

25 years old. Must have lived in US for 7 years. Has to represent the state they live in

The qualifications necessary for being a member of the Senate,

30 years old, live in U.S. for 9 years, must live in state they represent

The qualifications necessary for being the President

35 years of age, born in United States, resided in America for 14 years

majority rule

A decision made by over half of the people; must be accepted by all. Ideally the majority will always respect the rights of the minority, or the smaller group. All have the right to express their views.

census

A national count of all the people in the United States taken every 10 years to determine how many representatives each state will get in the U.S. House of Representatives.

judicial review

A power given to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decides if a law passed by Congress or the President follows the U.S. Constitution. This power can be used as a check on the legislative and executive branches.

ordinance

A term for legislation that is created by a local law-making body, like the Board of Supervisors or the Town Council. EX: The Albemarle Board of Supervisors approved the Animal Noise _________ to regulate excessive dog barking.

bicameral legislature

A two chamber legislature.

constituent / constituency

A voting member of the community; a group of may be considered an electorate.

Powers of the Executive Branch

Approves or vetoes laws, conducts U.S. foreign relations and makes treaties with foreign governments, nominates cabinet members, ambassadors, and federal judges, serves as a commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces, and prepares the federal governments budget.

delegated power

Authority that the U.S. Constitution gives directly to the national government. i.e., Federal government controls: foreign policy, commerce and the national military (common defense).

The structure of congress

Bicameral or the senate, the house of representatives and the legislature.

executive branch

Branch of government that carries out/ enforces the laws. Headed by the U.S. President, and supported by the Vice President and Cabinet Members. Defined in Article II of the U.S. Constitution.

judicial branch

Branch of government that interprets laws and punishes lawbreakers; interprets the meaning of the Constitution. A federal court system, with the Supreme Court having the 'final say' in interpreting laws. Defined by Article III of the U.S. Constitution.

legislative branch

Branch of government that makes laws. Bicameral system - two houses that work together. Defined in Article I of U.S. Constitution.

Congressional powers

Congress can coin and regulate money, collect taxes, maintain an army and navy, declare war, pay government debts, and regulate foreign trade.

reserved power

Constitutional authority saved specifically for the state governments. i.e., States control: public health, safety and well-being. (States cannot declare war, coin money, or XX.)

What were the challenges the United States faced as a new nation?

Creating a strong but balanced

Powers of the National Government

Delegated Powers: borrow and coin money raise an army/navy declare war make treaties establish post offices protect patents and copyrights

How congress does its job

Making laws is the main function of Congress.

expressed powers

Powers that Congress has that are specifically listed in the U.S. Constitution. (Same as delegated powers for the federal government.)

Powers of the States

Reserved powers: providing police and fire protection establishing schools regulating businesses within the state issuing marriage and driver's licenses conducting elections establishing local governments

separation of powers

Term for how the U.S. Constitution creates three branches of government. Each branch has its own powers and duties and is independent of and equal to the other branches. *Keeps government power limited*

How does the Constitution protect the individual freedoms of citizens against the abuse of power by the government? How do these protections reflect the concerns of the American Independence movement?

The Constitution protects the individual freedoms of the citizens against the abuse of power by the government by listing the 10 Amendments, each of these amendments states the individual rights against the government. These protections reflect the concerns of the American Independence movement because most of these amendments are speaking out to what Great Britain did to them, Britain had a strong central government, but the Americans remembered what that was like and created amendments to try to avoid having a strong central government.

diplomacy

The act of managing people, relationships and issues respectfully and effectively. Passing a bill in Congress requires _________.

10th Amendment

The amendment in the Bill of Rights that specifically delegates powers to the federal government and reserves some powers for state governments. The whole point of this amendment is to legally protect the individual rights of citizens so that there is a clear boundary between citizen, state and federal rights.

concurrent power

The authority that the national government shares with the state government. i.e. both national and state governments can pass laws, collect taxes, operate courts and provide for public health and safety.

supremacy clause

The constitutional provision that makes the Constitution and federal laws superior to all conflicting state and local laws.

How does the Constitution that the founders created affect our lives as citizens of the United States today?

The creation of the constitution affects us because it gives us the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and to petition. We have these ammendments because of the constitution. It also splits the power of the government into three branches. It also gives us the power saying that that the government can't act on us or search our homes, etc. for no specific reason. These are examples of the first 10 Amendments and some other powers. But overall, the Constitution affects our lives everyday, whether its at work or any place.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution

Supreme Court

The highest court in the United States, which is an appeals court that reviews cases that have been tried in lower courts. Reviews cases involving constitutional issues - between the federal government and the states, disputes between states, or involving foreign diplomats. Decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

U.S. House of Representatives

The larger house of Congress. Its members represent the people of their state, and the total number of representatives is based on the state's population. Has 435 members total; or roughly 1 representative for every 500,000 people. Members serve 2-year terms.

public policy

The laws and rules that are created by Congress (or legislative bodies) to benefit the general public.

checks and balances

The limits that one branch of government can place on the other two at any given time. Ensures that no part of the government becomes too powerful; kind of like paper-scissors-rock game.

legislation

The making or giving of laws; a term for a system of laws. As the law-making body, it is the job of Congress to create a system of laws to protect people's rights.

U.S. Congress

The name for the bicameral legislature in the United States, which includes the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The name for the legislative branch of U.S. government.

federalism

The name for the division of power between the national government and the state governments that is outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Some powers overlap, but the national government takes precedence over the states. *Keeps government power limited*

U.S. Senate

The smaller house of Congress. Its members represent each state; there are two representatives per state. Has 100 members total; members serve 6-year terms.

implied powers

Things that Congress can do to carry out the expressed powers. Known as the "elastic clause" in the Constitution, because the powers can be stretched to help Congress create laws that benefit the public good.

impeach

To accuse a public official of misconduct. An action that can be used as a check on public officials to keep them from abusing power.

lobby

To attempt to influence public policy or public officials on specific issues. Usually involves an interest group that works on a specific purpose. EX: The NRA lobby's to protect 2nd amendment, which includes the right to own guns.

regulate

To control, supervise or set. EX: Congress regulates the

derive

To get something from another place; where something comes from. EX: The rights of citizens are _______ from the U.S. Constitution.

levy

To put in place a tax, fee or fine. EX: The state of Virginia may ______ taxes in order to pay for public education.

veto

To reject, or to turn down, as when the President rejects a law passed by Congress. Considered a check on legislative power. (Works in reverse too, as Congress can override a Presidential veto.)

How does the Constitution organize the United States government (separation of powers, checks and balances, the creation of new laws, elections)?

When the government's powers is split into three branches it is organized. Each branch could specifically focus on their own task. Each of these branches has some authority to act on his own. Also, they have some authority to check on and regulate the other two branches. To create a law, the law must pass through each branch before it can be passed. There also is a separation of power between the government (three branches) and the state. The people fear of too strong of a central government so they divided up the power.

preamble

the introductory statement of the U.S. Constitution, setting forth the general principles of American government and beginning with the words, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union. ..."

federal judiciary

the judiciary of the United States which is responsible for interpreting and enforcing federal laws

elastic clause

the part of the Constitution that permits Congress to make any laws "necessary and proper" to carrying out its powers

judicial review

the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of local, state, or national governments unconstitutional