government exam
what year did the declaration of independence become active
1776
senate members must be
30 years old
requirements for president
35 yrs. old. Natural born citizen. Resident for 14 yrs.
a party convention usually last how long
4 days
how many members are there in the house of representatives
435
explain one of the amendments in great detail. walk through the historical context lasting repercussions, and materials that would prove to change the country in which we live.
The second amendment is the right to bear arms. you only need 5 of 10 of the short answers i didn't feel like doing this one
how many members are there in the senate
100
what year was the constitution ratified?
1776
what are qualifications to vote
18, US Citizen, resident of state for 30 days, resident of county for 30 days, current felon (no), mentally competent
house members run for reelection every
2 years
which amendment limits the time that the president can spend in office
22nd
what is the minimum age specified in the constitution for members of the house of representattives
25
how many amendments are there
27
what is the magic number that we are looking for to win the electoral college
270
senate members run for reelection every
6 years
why is the united states a two party system? how do these two parties dominate our national voting system? What do these two parties stand for and how do they function on a greater level?
Because the two structural features in American politics: single-member districts and winner take all elections. both features encourage the existence of 2 major parties as smaller parties face great difficulty in winning elective office. These parties simplify issues and elections by making it easier for citizens to form political judgements, easing the way for people to become politically active by transmitting political information and values to the masses. The democratic party believes that the federal government should take responsibility for many social programs, such as aid to the poor. The republican party generally supports reducing the power of federal government and tend to believe that state and local governments should abolish social programs and support strong military.
explain how the executive branch has a cabinet. how does the cabinet run the bureacracy? What does the bureaucracy do?
The cabinet is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, the members of the Cabinet are often the President's closest confidants. In addition to running major federal agencies they play an important role in the line of succession. They oversee large executive departments and report to the president. The bureaucracy implements government policy, to take the laws and decisions made by elected officials and put them into practice.
the civil rights movement is not just one major event but has lasted for over 200 years. explain how our country still sees the civil rights movement's shadows and how this action is reflective of our constitution
The lasting legacy on the civil rights movement was the struggles of the citizens and government-supported segregation of public facilities, and segregation lasted in the northern as well as southern public school systems and other areas of american society. black candidates could be elected into political office and they could now be recruited into universities. the 14th amendment was added to the constitution. this granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and enslaved people who had been emancipated after the american civil war.
what is an iron triangle? how do iron triangles work? explain the necessity and importance of the iron triangle.
The relationship between congress, government agencies, and interest groups. The iron triangle creates bonds of mutual interest which can resist a change of party control in the White House or Congress. This helps create policy in the United States and all 3 parts want to protect their own self interests.
delegates to the republican and democratic national convention are primarliy chosen
by local party leaders
which of these countries runs on a multiparty system
canada
a gathering of people to choose a candidate in an election through physical movement voting rather than paper ballow is called
caucus
what is a punishment for a congressperson who misbehaves
censure, expulsion, written letters, scolded
the redistricting in the states of seats for the US house of representatives is determines by
census figures on state populations
It is equally evident, that the members of each department should be as little dependent as possible on those of the others, for the emoluments annexed to their offices. - Publius, Federalist 51 (James Madison) what aspect of the government in federalist one is madison arguing?
checks and balances
people feel responsible for voting even though they aren't particularly invested or interested in politics shows that they feel
civic duty
presidents that were at risk of being impeached
clinton, nixon, A. Johnson
the main fiscal (financial) duties of congress are
collecting taxes and important duties, borrowing money, and paying the nation's debts
the articles of confederation struggled with what
collecting taxes, maintaining an army, and having central leadership
gerrymandering refers to the
creation of a congressional district to ensure the election of a person from a certain political party or ethnic racial group
the 2016 election, an election in which there was a major realignment in the political parties, is an example of
critical election
powers of congress
declare war, coin money, create post offices
powers claimed by the president but not expressly called for in the constitution are called
delegated powers
how do we define our type of government
democratic republic
the constitution specifically empowers congress to coin money, declare war, and admit new states to the union these powers are referred to as
enumberated powers
which of the following is generally the most significant influence on an individuals identification with a particular political party
family
what are illustrations of the founders' fear of rule by the mob
federal judges keep their jobs for life, judges are chosen by the president or their state legislatures, indirect election of senators
senators have the power to talk a bill to death what is the formal term for this procedure
filibuster
who was the king of england at the time of the revolution
george III
"In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." - James Madison, Federalist 51 in this passage, madican is arguing for the issue of how government needs to patrol itself, which can lead to a lack of decisions being made, often called
gridlock
which branch proposes tax bills
house of represntatives
which body can impeach a president
house or representatives
what are political issues called that are directly voted on in some states by the people themselves and not by the legislative body
initiatives and referenda
if a president neither signs nor vetoes a piece of legislation within 10 days and congress remains in session what becomes of the bill
it is pocket vetoed
why was shay's rebellion an important aspect of the revolution
it showed that there was a need for a stronger central government
who as not a federalist? john jay, alexander hamilton, james madison, john adams
john adams
the supreme courts power to determine what is and what is not constitutional is referred to as
judicial review
what clause is used to explain how the legislative branch can make laws that are not directly related to their abilities
necessary and proper clause
where in the constitution does congress locate its authority to oversee governmental bodies not mentioned in the constitution, such as the department of educaition
necessary and proper clause
which plan was based on equal representation for each state
new jersey
the constitution tried to deal with the issue of slavery how?
noting that the importation of slaves would end in 1808
a congressperson's franking privileges pertain to
official mail
who was really in charge at the time of the revolution
parliament
the constitution prohibits the house of representatives from doing what
passing ex post facto laws, imposing taxes on goods from southern states imported into northern states, spending money from the treasury that is not expressly accounted for in legislation, assigning to anyone a formal title of nobility
what is an example of majoritarianism?
people voting on the candidate they want to win and the person who gains the most votes gains the office
what is a group of people with a like mind who wish to donate funds to candidates running for political office
political action committee
It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it was worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency. - Publius, Federalist 10 (James Madison) what modern day issue is james madison arguing against in federalist 10
political parties
The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived. - James Madison what term can be used to describe president madisons feelings towards government
popular sovereignty
what is correct about federal elections
presidents are elected every four years, representatives every two years, and senators every six years
gives incumbents an advantage over challengers for political office
press releases, name recognition, taxpayer-funded travel budgets, franking privileges
which party stood for legalizing anti-alcohol laws
prohibition party
voting based on how a candidate says they will do something in the future is
prospective voting
what fake name did the federalists use as the author of their work
publius
insofar as the constitution is concerned, the purpose of the census is to
reapportion the number of a state's US representatives
congress has the power to do waht
regulate an army and navy, declare war, finance military operation
the grand old party is a lesser used name for what political party
republican
what is a political system without a monarch
republich
voting based on how a candidate has performed in office in the past is called
retrospective voting
if a president is impeached, which body removes the president from office
senate
what is part of mandatory spending in the united states
social security
what is the annual speech given by the president to address what he or she hopes to accomplish in the upcoming year
state of the union
what is the legal right to vote
suffrage
the federal governments legislation supersedes state governments legislation this is found in what part of the constitution
supremacy clause
what ways were the British able to stifle the colonist
taxations, blockades, and the intolerable acts
what did the three fifths compromise illustrate
that slave counted for three fifths of a person in terms of representation and taxation
the problems with the british restrictions affected which demographic of population in the colonies?
the educated elites
explain the electoral college and how the establishment of it began. What importance does the electoral college have? What role does it play in our government and elections?
the electoral college is a group selected by the states to elect the president and the vice-president, in which each state's number of electors is equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress. It was created by the framers of the US constitution as an alternative to electing the president by popular vote or congress. To win an election, a candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes. The reason it was kept was because of the fear of uneducated people. Many people don't even take the time to understand what a person is running for and what they are going to do when in office. Many don't even understand politics or are too young to even care. So with the electoral college, there are educated people who are voting for politicians
the weakening of political parties is most often traced to
the growth of political action committees
according to the constitution, federal tax legislation must be formally initiated in
the house of representatives
the constitution gives the power of formally initiating tax legislation to who
the house of representatives
the policymaking relationship between lobbyists, congress, and the federal bureaucracy in which everyone involved wins is called
the iron triangle
an election is a realigning or critical election if
there is a lasting change in party coalititions
in the case of a tie in the senate, to whom does the constitution give the deciding vote
vice president
which plan stated that there should be legislature determined by the population of a state
virginia
for a case to be heard in the supreme court, the court must issue a call for a lower court to sent to the supreme court the records related to the case. this call is referred to as a
writ of certiorari
what is not a type of voting system in the united states
internet ballots
How does the legislative branch create laws? What is the likelihood that law comes about from its early days? Why does this seem to be such a struggle? How does the executive branch overcome these struggles?
Congress creates and passes bills. The president then may sign those bills into law. Federal courts may review the laws to see if they agree with the constitution. If a court finds a law is unconstitutional, it can strike it down. There is a small likelihood of it becoming a law around 30%. The passing of a law is designed to make passing laws difficult due to checks and balances where the bill is checked by house, senate, and goes through a committee system and president before it can become legislation.
why do people choose not to vote? explain voter turnout and voter apathy. How would you suggest that the voting structure occur in the United States?
People choose not to vote because they could be ill and are unable to go, are travelers that are out of the country, resident aliens, mentally incompetent, convicts of a crime, religious beliefs, don't think it makes a real difference, are satisfied with the political world as it, distrust politics, or have no sense of political efficacy. Voter turnout is the percentage of citizens taking part in the election process, the number of eligible voters who actually "turn out" on election day to cast their ballots Voter apathy is the citizens who have filled out the proper forms and are qualified to vote in an election. People would be more motivated to vote if they were given a reward after they vote. Or maybe even be punished if they don't vote. I think it's important for people to vote but that's because I understand why it is good to vote and I understand everything surrounding it. Therefore, I think it is necessary to educate people on voting and things such as the electoral college and I guarantee that the voting statistics would go up.
what are the reasons two major parties dominate american politicas
american voters tend to be centrist in their political outlook, victory in electoral college votes pushes the political systems toward two parties, congressional seats are winner take all
explain the connecticut compromise and how it created the legislative branch that we have today. what two plans did it combine? how does this continue to impact us today?
The Connecticut Compromise was an agreement that large and small states reached during the Constitutional Convention. The compromise provides a bicameral federal legislature that used a dual system of representations: the upper house- would have equal representation from each state, and the lower house- would have proportional representation based on a state's population. It combines the Virginia plan and the New Jersey plan. Today it influences everything from "pork barrel" legislation to the way votes are counted in the electoral college during presidential elections.
which party was founded by eugene debs in the earl 20th century and continues to fight for more equal wealth distribution in america
american socialist party
a piece of legislation proposed to congress is called
a bill
what did the great compromise propose
a house of representatives based on population and senate in which each state would be equal
relieving of a crime or a decrease in time served y the president for another person is called
a pardon
requirement of citizenships
a period of continuous residence in the United States, a knowledge of english and us history and government, commitment to the principles of the us government
when a bill has passed through a subcommittee, and both congressional houses, the president can still kill the bill via veto. what must happen for a presidential veto to be overturned
a two thirds vote must occur in both congressional chambers
each of the following is a kind of third party except an exonomic protest party an ideological party an issue party a verification party
a verification party
within the supreme courth, the rule of four describes the number of justices need to do waht
accept a case for judicial review
in the electoral history of the united states, third parties have been effective vehicles for protest when they
aligned themselves with one of the major parties
