American Government
In the American federal system, the scope of the national government's authority grew significantly because of the supreme Court's interpretation of the
"Commerce" clause
Which of the following situation might violate a First Amendment right?
A city council refuses to grant a controversial group's permit to march
Which of the following statements describes a constitution
A plan that sets forth the structure and powers of government.
Because many American believe that their own opportunity to succeed is related to the well-being of society, they
Act for the common good out of enlightened self-interest
Non governmental organizations (NGO's) are examples of ways Americans can
Advance the common good without relying on government
The delegates to the Philadelphia convention were authorized to
Amend the Article of Confederation
Time, place, and manner restrictions of the free expression generally are are upheld by the courts if they
Are applied in a nondiscriminatory manner toward particular groups or individuals
Many of the first state constitutions included
Bill of Rights
To say that the rights to life, liberty, and property are unalienable means that they
Cannot be given up or taken away.
Civil disobedience differs from mere law-breaking in which of the following way?
Civil disobedience seek to justify its actions by reference to higher moral laws
Nations try to maintain international order by
Collective security, in which nations agree to protect one another from attack
The Fourteenth Amendment changed the Constitution by
Defining national and state citizenship
The Enlightenment inspired American's founders by
Emphasizing what could be achieved through the exercise of human reason.
Which of the following is not a fundamental principle of the American constitutional system?
Executive supremacy
The struggle to extend voting rights to women was made especially difficult by
Fears that it would set back the cause for former slaves.
The distribution of powers between the national government and the states in the U.S. in known as
Federalism
When southern states seceded from the Union, then justified their actions by arguing that the United Sates is
Federation of Sovereign states.
The leaders of the civil rights movements are significantly aided by the Constitution's protection of
Freedom to Assembly and Petition
Political parties in the United States
Generally reflect broad coalitions of interests
The Manga Carta included the important constitutional principle that established
Government based on the Rule of Law.
Procedural due process is based on the idea that
Government officials must follow recognized procedures when making or enforcing the law.
In comparison with the executive branch by the first Congress, the executive branch today has
Grown larger and more complex
The due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment is important because it
Has been used to extent the protections of most of the provisions of the Bill of Rights
The Tenth Amendment was included in the Bill of Rights
In an effort to reserve power not specifically sated int he constitution, to the states or to the people.
Citizenship of native American was resolved by
Indian Citizenship Action of 1924
Some founders believed that majority rule could be a threat to
Individual rights.
A basic difference between the Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is that the Bill of rights
Is enforceable by an authorized governemnt
The Fourth Amendemnt protects a individual's privacy form government intrusion in which of the following ways
It prohibits general warrants because they allow indiscriminate searches.
The "exclusionary rule" enforces protections found int he Fourth Amendment in which of the following ways?
It prohibits the government from using evidence obtained in an illegal search.
The Supreme Court's power to declare the meaning of the U.S. constitution is known as
Judicial Review
A major weakness of the national government under the Article of Confederation was its
Lack of authority to regulate interstate trade.
Critics of judicial review claim that it conflicts with principles of
Legislature supremacy
Black Codes were passed in some states to
Limit the newly won freedoms of former slaves.
"The right of the people peaceably to assemble" means that government may
Make reasonable "time, place and manner" restriciaitons
Administrative agencies are important because they
Make rules to implement law passed by congress
The guarantee of equal protection of the laws in the Fourteenth Amendment meas that government
May not unfairly or unreasonably treat people differently
Individuals and groups that lobby government official are excising their constitutional rights of
Petition and association
Anti-Federalists objected to the proposed Constitution because they believed that it
Placed too much power in the national government
The idea that political power is derived from the people is called
Popular Sovereignty
The founders believed that the separation of power was important to
Prevent the misuse of power
The "establishment clause" of the First Amendemtn
Prohibits Congress form establishing a nation religion
In colonial America, the right to vote most often depended on a person's gender and
Property ownership.
In the debate over representation in Congress, the Virginia Plan advocated
Proportional representation
Congress represents both the people and the states by
Proportional representation in the House and equal state representation in the Senate
According to natural right philosophy, the main purpose of government is to
Protect individual rights
Civic Virtue is best defined as
Putting the common good above individual interests.
The Federalists defended the proposed Constitution because it would
Rely on separation of powers and checks and balances.
A fundamental difference between citizens and resident aliens is that only citizens may
Serve in juries
In the decades immediately following their ratification, the Civil War Amendments did little to protect the rights of African- American because
State government officials did little to enforce the provisions of the Amendments.
In comparison with the Greek and Roman ideals of civic virtue, the Judeo- Christian tradition
Stresses the dignity and worth of each individual
According to the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, "supreme law of the land" refers to
The Constitution, law enacted by Congress and treaties
Which of the following is an example of a "positive right" found in the United states Bill of Rights?
The Sixth Amendment, which guarantees criminal defendants in criminal cases the right to speedy and public trials.
A fundamental difference between the Articles of Confederation and the Virginia plan was that
The Virginia Plan called for a strong national government.
The Declaration of Independence asserted that
The colonies were now free and independent states
The primary method Congress used to consider proposed legislation is
The committee system
One major issue left unresolved by the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 was
The definition of national citizenship
The Framers adopted the Electoral College method of choosing the president because
They wanted to assure a wise consideration in the choice of president
In American constitutional democracy, citizens are expected to
Think critically about public issues and participate in public affairs
Which of the following is an important characteristic of an adversary legal system?
Two opposing sides present their cases to an impartial judge or jury.
The purpose of a writ of habeas corpus is to protect the individual against
Unlawful detention.
American can influence Congress all the following ways except
Voting on pending legislation
States are called "laboratories of democracy" because they
implement novel social and economic policies
The power of Congress to invetigate is an example of its
implied powers
The most persuasive objection to the Constitution to George Mason and other anti-federalist was that
it did not contain a Bill of Rights.