American Government-Chapter 3 Study Guide

Lame Duck

An outgoing official serving out the remainder of a term after retiring or being defeated for reelection

Petition

Appeal to

Enumerated Powers

Powers specified by numbers, 1 through 18

Jimmy Carter

President in the 1970's

Due Process

Principle in the Fifth Amendment stating that the government must follow proper constitutional procedures in trials and in other actions it takes against individuals

Search Warrant

An order signed by a judge describing the place to be searched for specific items

Specific Powers of the Executive Branch

1.) Is Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the state militias (National Guard), 2.) With the consent of the Senate, appoint heads of Executive Departments, such as the Department of Labor, 3.) Can pardon people convicted of federal crimes, except in cases of impeachment, or reduce a person's sentence or fine, 4.) Make treaties with foreign nations, again with the Senate's advice and consent, 5.) With the Senate's consent, appoint ambassadors, federal court judges, and other top officials, 6.) Delivers an annual State of the Union message to Congress and sends Congress other messages from time to time, 7.) Calls Congress into special sessions when necessary. 8.) Meets with head of state, ambassadors, and other foreign officials, 9.) Commissions all military officers of the United States and, 10.) Ensures that the laws Congress pass are "Faithfully Executed."

Grid Lock

A political traffic jam

Probable Cause

A reasonable basis to believe a person or premises are linked to a crime

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery and authorized Congress to pass legislation implementing its abolition (Civil War Amendment)

Treaty

An agreement between nations

Executive Agreement

An agreement made between the president and and another head of state

Arrest Warrant

An order signed by a judge naming the person to be arrested for a specific crime

Ratify

Approved

5th Amendment

Assures the right not to be deprived of "life, liberty, or property, without due process of law," including protections against double jeopardy, self-incrimination, and government seizure of property without just compensation

7th Amendment

Assures the right to a jury trial in cases involving the common law (the law established by previous court decisions); The right to a jury trial in federal courts to settle all disputes about property worth more than $20

18th Amendment

Authorized Congress to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor

27th Amendment

Banned Congress from increasing its' members salaries until after the next election

Limited Government

Bill of Rights

Amendment

Changes to The Constitution

Earl Warren

Chief Justice from 1953-1969

John Marshall

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Federal Bureaucracy

Departments and agencies of the Federal Government-Mostly The Executive Branch

Fredrick A. Muhlenberg

Direction of Speaker

Separation of Powers

Each branch has duties, a system that our early leaders hoped would prevent any single branch from gaining too much power, The division of power among the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government

Checks and Balances

Each branch of government exercises some control over the others

16th Amendment

Empowered Congress to levy an income tax

Supremacy Clause/Article 6

Establishing that The Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and treaties of the United States "shall be the supreme Law of the Land."

26th Amendment

Extended the right to vote to 18 year olds

19th Amendment

Extended the right to vote to women

15th Amendment

Extended voting rights to African American males by outlawing denial of the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude (Civil War Amendment)

George Washington

First President, Aging General and "Father of his Country"

John Adams

First Vice President

William Henry Harrison

First president to die in Office, President in the 1830's

24th Amendment

Forbade requiring the payment of a poll tax to vote in a federal election

Prior Restraint

Government cannot censor information before it is published or broadcast

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States; banned states from denying any person life, liberty, or property without die process of law; and banned states from denying any person equal protection under the laws (Civil War Amendment)

23rd Amendment

Granted voters in the District of Columbia the right to vote for president and vice president

1st Amendment

Guarantees freedom of religion, speech, assembly, and press, and the right of people to petition the government

6th Amendment

Guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury

Preamble

Introduction, Why it was written and the purposes of the government; "We the People of the United States..."

Supreme Court

Judges that make the final decision

Three Branches of Government/Articles 1, 2, & 3

Legislative (Makes laws), Executive (Enforces laws/Makes them official), and Judicial (Interprets laws)

Elastic Clause

Lets Congress stretch its powers to meet situations the Founders could not anticipate; Make all laws "necessary and proper" To carry out expressed power

22nd Amendment

Limited presidents to two full terms in office

Congress

Make laws and get them into motion; Legislative branch of our National Government

The Six Major Principles of Government

Popular Sovereignty, Federalism, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Judicial Review, and Limited Government

Federalism

Power is divided between the National and State Governments

Eminent Domain

Power of government to take private property for public use

Expressed Powers

Powers directly stated in The Constitution

Poll Tax

Taxes that are paid in order to vote

4th Amendment

Protects against "unreasonable searches and seizures"

8th Amendment

Protects against excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment

2nd Amendment

Protects the rights of states to maintain a militia and of citizens to bear arms

25th Amendment

Provided for succession to the office of president in the event of death or incapacity and for filling vacancies in the office of vice president

17th Amendment

Provided for the election of U.S. senators by direct popular vote instead of by the state legislatures

9th Amendment

Provides that people's rights are not restricted to those specified in Amendments 1-8

Veto

Rejecting

11th Amendment

Removed cases in which state was sued without its consent from the jurisdiction of the federal court

21st Amendment

Repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and empowered Congress to regulate the liquor industry

12th Amendment

Required presidential electors to vote separately for president and vice president

10th Amendment

Restates the Constitution's principle of federalism by providing that powers not granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states and to the people

3rd Amendment

Restricts quartering of troops in private homes

Popular Sovereignty

Rule by the people

Article

Seven divisions of The Constitution

20th Amendment

Shortened the time between a presidential election and inauguration by designating January 20th as Inauguration Day; Set January 3rd as the date for the opening of a new Congress

Marquis de Lafayette

The French general who aided the Americans in the Revolution

Two Houses of Congress

The House of Representatives (Voice of the People) and The Senate (The broad interests of the states)

Three parts of The Constitution

The Preamble, The Articles, and The Amendments

Jurisdiction

The authority

Incorporation Doctrine

The extension of The Bill of Rights protections to state laws

Balanced Budget

The federal spending cannot exceed its income

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments; Protects individual rights by limiting government powers

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to say that laws and actions of local, state, or national governments are invalid because they conflict with the principles of the Constitution

The Amendments

There are 27 Amendments

Judicial Activism

They believe the opposite; that the Court should actively help settle the difficult social and political questions of the day; The philosophy that the Supreme Court should play an active role in shaping national policies by addressing social and political issues

Judicial Restraint

Those who support this believe that the Court should avoid taking the initiative on social and political issues; The philosophy that the Supreme Court should avoid taking the initiative on social and political actions

Impeach

To accuse a public official of high crimes and misdemeanors in office

John Tyler

Vice President who became President in place of William Henry Harrison