UNIT EXAM ONE- American Government
Which amendment abolished (ended) slavery as a result of the Civil War?
13th
In order to compromise, both the Federalist and Anti-Federalists agreed to delay the issue of slavery for
20 years
In order to ratify the new Constitution, how many states needed to agree?
9
Popular Sovereignty
A government in which the people rule by their own consent.
Which of these is a disadvantage of living under an authoritarian government?
A lack of individual freedoms
Civil Disobedience
A nonviolent, public refusal to obey allegedly unjust laws.
What was stated in the English Bill of Rights?
A person charged with a crime could have a jury trial.
Ben Franklin's _____________________ was to create an annual congress of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies, who could do things like create a military, trade and interact with Native Americans, and issue taxes.
Albany Plan of Union
Article 5
Amending the Constitution
Which amendment in the Bill of Rights allows citizens "to petition the government for redress of grievances."
Amendment 1
Amendment _____ protects citizens from unreasonable search and seizure and guarantees that a warrant must be obtained before a search can be conducted.
Amendment 4
Where in the Bill of Rights is Eminent Domain found?
Amendment 5
What amendment protects citizens from cruel and unusual punishment?
Amendment 8
The formal amendment process is outlined in
Article V
Which explains the connections of democracy and free enterprise in the United States?
Both are based on individual choice
Which is a method by which an amendment to the Constitution can be ratified?
By three fourths of the state legislatures
__________________ is a constitutional grant of power that enables each of the three branches of government to check some acts of the other and therefore ensure that no branch can dominate.
Checks and Balances
Representative Democracy
Choose people to make decisions for them they represent our interests and our decision. Representative to represent us.(indirect)
Parliamentary Democracy
Citizens vote for parliament (legislative) who chose the president (Indirectly)
MOSTTTT LIKELLYY Dictatorship economic system
Command
Which of these is a characteristic of a market economy?
Competition between businesses
Which compromise combined parts of the Virginia and New Jersey plans?
Connecticut compromise
The authority of a government should depend on the permission of the people, as expressed by votes in elections
Consent of the Governed
Delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. What did this meeting become?
Constitutional Convention
Which 2 types of government are considered to be most efficient in their decision-making process?
Dictatorship, Oligarchy
The creation of a Federal Reserve system to combat inflation and monitor the value of the US dollar is the best example of which purpose of government?
Economic decision-making
Market Economy
Economic decisions are made by individuals or the open market.
Command Economy
Economic systems in which the government largely decides what goods and services will be produced, who will get them, and how the economy will grow
The 14th Amendment guarantees that state and local governments cannot make unreasonable distinctions between groups. This concept is known as _______________________________.
Equal Protection
Which of the following describes equality in a democracy?
Equal opportunity
Which phrase in the Preamble of the Constitution means that laws should be reasonable, fair and impartial?
Establish justice
Article 2
Executive Branch
A pact made by the President directly with the head of a foreign state and without the approval of the Senate is called
Executive agreement
(T or F) Early English settlers brought the idea of separation of power with them to the colonies.
False
(T or F) In response to harsh British taxation, the First Continental Congress was formed.
False
(T or F) The very first time for most of the Thirteen Colonies to unite against the British government was when they wrote the Magna Carta.
False
A system of government in which entities such as states or provinces share power with a national government
Federalism
At the Second Continental Congress ___________________ was named commander of the continental army.
George Washington
According to the divine right theory, what gave kings the right to rule?
God
The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies is
Government
Which is true about the Second Continental Congress?
It governed the colonies during the Revolutionary War.
The power of the Supreme Court to declare laws/actions of the local, state, or national government unconstitutional is known as __________________.
Judicial Review
Article III of the Constitution deals with the...
Judicial branch
Article 1
Legislative Branch
One of the main purposes of the Bill of Rights is to....
Limit the power of the government
Governing powers by limitations prescribed in laws in a constitution
Limited Government
The principle that restricts the absolute power of government and guarantees individual rights is
Limited Government
Which of the following shows the INCORRECT order in which the landmark English documents were signed?
Magna Carta—English Bill of Rights—Petition of Right
Which of the following shows the correct order in which the landmark English documents were signed?
Magna Carta—Petition of Right—English Bill of Rights
MOSTTTT LIKELLYY Representative Democracy economic system
Market
Article 6
National Supremacy
Most resolutions calling for amendments that are proposed in Congress....
Never make it to the states
In 1643, the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New Haven, and Connecticut settlements formed the ___________________.
New England Confederation
In January of 1776, ________________ adopted the the first state constitution.
New Hampshire
Which type of government provides the best protection of individual rights?
Parliamentary Democracy
Presidential Democracy
People (directly) vote for the president
Which has been a major agent of government change though not mentioned in the Constitution?
Political parties
Which of these acts is least likely to take place in a totalitarian system?
Political parties complete for control of the government
The doctrine that power is vested in the people and that those chosen to govern, must exercise it in conformity of the general will
Popular Sovereignty
Democratic Government
Power come from the people
Authoritarian Government
Power in hands of an individual or group, where power ins unlimited.
What did most of the first state constitutions have in common?
Power was divided among three branches of government.
In the American economic system,
Private enterprise and governmental participation coexist.
Services, such as public schools, that are provided by the U.S. government are mostly intended to
Promote the general welfare.
Why would a state government pass a law to increase police presence in the city?
Promoting social order
In what way is the formal amendment process an example of federalism at work?
Proposal is at the national level; ratification is State-by-State.
"The population of a city has greatly increased since 1900. Current proposals for development include expansion of the train station and stops throughout the city and the creation of a new high school. The city planning commission will meet later this month to discuss these costly expansion issues." Which purpose of government goes best with this scenario?
Providing public services
Article 7
Ratification of the Constitution
Article 4
Relations among states
Which of the following was NOT a reason for the colonists to be angry with the British in the mid-1700s?
Religious persecution
Which of the following is NOT a right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?
Right to an Education
The Magna Carta contained all of the following protections to its citizens except
Right to bear arms
The principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforces; the principle of government by law.
Rule of law
In the development of American government, which of the following has been most significant?
Social Contract theory
Which of the following is NOT correct regarding checks and balances?
The President can declare war with approval of the Supreme Court
Which of the following statements about sovereignty is true?
The States within the United States are not sovereign.
Which statement about the Bill of Rights is NOT true?
The amendments were ratified at the same time as the Constitution
The Bill of Rights guarantees all of the following EXCEPT
The right of women to vote
Which of these statements is usually true about the people who pass laws in a representative democracy?
They are elected by citizens
How did the British react to the Second Continental Congress?
They condemned the Congress as unlawful traitors.
Which of the following statements is true of the Federalists?
They focused on the weaknesses on the Articles of Confederation
Why did the Framers leave some sections of the Constitution vague and broad?
They wanted to keep the Constitution flexible.
What was the Framers' overall reaction to the Constitution?
They were dissatisfied with some of the details, but pleased with the broad principles
Starting on June 1, 2009, the federal government required American citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and 17 nations in the Caribbean to present a passport for re-entry back into the United States. What was the most likely purpose of this law?
To improve national security through better control of US borders
Why were governments originally created?
To protect people from conflicts
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury . . . nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; not shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself . . ." -Fifth Amendment, United States Constitution Which of these does the Fifth Amendment specifically prohibit?
Trying someone for the same crime a second time
Absolute Monarchy
When a single person holds all the power, get power passed down through family (heredity) rule by tradition
Dictatorship
When a single person or small group hold all the powers a government would usually have
Oligarchy
When power is held by a small elite group. May ascend to power because of military or economic power
What was an important argument against the proposed Constitution?
it did not guarantee basic rights
The concept that the largest group will be right more than it is wrong is known as
majority rule
How were the states represented in Congress under the Articles of Confederation?
one delegate per state
The term due process most closely means:
protection against the arbitrary taking of life, liberty, or property
The colonists were inspired by the British to carry over __________ to the Americas.
representative democracy
A tradition in which Senators from the President's party approve of Federal Judges is known as.....
senatorial courtesy
The First Continental Congress....
sent a Declaration of Rights to George III.
The Virginia and New Jersey plans disagreed about....
state representation in Congress
The first state constitutions, drafted between 1776 and 1780, put most decision-making power to:
the legislatures
Why did Congress need money after the Revolutionary War?
to pay its war debts
The Stamp Act Congress......
was the first time a significant number of colonies had joined to oppose the British government.
