| A | B |
|---|
| Three sections of the Constitution | Preamble, Articles, Amendments |
| Preamble | States the goals |
| Articles | 7 of these numbered sections in the Constitution that describes the plan for government |
| Amendment | A way to change the Constitution |
| Bill of Rights | The 1st 10 Amendments |
| Checks & Balances | The system that helps keep one branch of government from dominating the actions of others |
| Constitutionalism | Government must be conducted according to the constitutional principles (i.e., Government must obey the law) |
| Rule of Law | Government & its officers, in all that they do, are always subject to, never above the law; is one way of describing the concept of limited government |
| Separation of Powers | The idea stated in the Constitution in which three distinct branches of government are created |
| Executive agreement | A pact between the President & other foreign leaders (Treaty) |
| Judicial Review | Power of teh Courts to determine the constitutionality of a governmental action |
| Changes to the written provisions of teh Constitution may be made only through the process of ___________ | Formal Amendment |
| Federalism | A form of gov't based on a constitutional division of powers on a geographic basis |
| A governmental action that denies someone fair and equal treatment under the law maybe be declared _____________ | Unconstitutional |
| Legislative Branch | Responsible for making laws; adding flesh to the bones |
| Executive Branch | Responsible for enforcing the laws |
| Judicial Branch | Responsible for interpreting the laws |
| Examples of Checks & Balances | Senate approves the president's nominee for Supreme Court justice; Supreme Court declares law passed by Congress to be unconstitutional; President vetoes bill; Congress can remove judges through impeachment |
| True/False: The Constitution has not been changed in 50 years | False |
| Methods of a formal amendment | 1) Proposal by 2/3s of Congress & ratification by 3/4s of state legislatures 2) Proposed by 2/3s congress & then ratified by conventions in 3/4s of states 3) 2/3 of state legislatures vote for congress to call national convention. at convention delegates from the states propose and amednment. 3/4s of state legislatures ratify the amendment. 4) Proposed by national convention & ratified by conventions in 3/4s of states |
| 18th Amednment | prohibition of alcohol |
| 13, 14, 15 Amendments | Civil War Amendments |
| 21st Amendment | Repealed the 18th |
| What principle does the four methods of formal amendment represent? | Federalism |
| How can Congress effect changes to the Constitution? | Adding meaning to skeletal portions of the COnstitution; passing basic legislation; simply exercising many of its powers |
| What is a constitutional change that was a result of party practices? | The use of the electoral college as stamp for the popular vote |
| What has allowed the Constitution to endure for more than 200 years? | Built-in provisions for accommodating change and the flexibility of the Constitution |
| Under Article V, what can no amendment do? | Deprive a State of its equal representation in the Senate |
| Limited Government | Governmetn must operate within certain bounds set by the people |
| What has happened in most cases involving judicial review? | the courts have found the governmental actions in question to be constitutional |
| An example of constitutional change by unwritten custom | President's Cabinent |
| Uses of executive agreement | extends President's power; carries same legal force as a treaty; can be used to avoid the lengthy treaty-making process |
| We the People represent what principle | Popular Sovereignty |
| Changes to the Constitution by means other than formal amendment | result from daily experiences of gov't (informal amendment) |
| Legislative branch | plays the largest role in the formal amendment process |
| Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution | to meet the demands of the Anti-federalists |
| Evidence that supports the fact that it's difficult to add formal amendments to teh Constitution | 10,000 joint resolutions; 33 sent to states; 27 ratified |
| Supreme Law of the land | Constitution |
| Article V | explains the formal amendment process |
