| A | B |
|---|
| Preamble | Introduction gives the purpose |
| articles | Therre are seven articles to the Constiution or parts |
| There are six basic priciples to the constitution | 1. popular sovereignty, 2. limited government, 3. separation of powers, 4. checks and balances 5. judicial review 6. federalism |
| Popular sovereignty | found in the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble of the Constiution We the people- it means the people tell the government exactly what powers they have |
| Limited Government | no government is all powerful it can only do the things the people say it can, Government must obey the law this is called constitutionalism, another concept within this section is rule of law the officials who have been elected must follow the law they are not above the law |
| Separation of Powers | The presidential government consists of three branches of government No one branch of government has too much power Powers are distributed among the branches of government. Legislative powers are vested in Congress (Article I) Executive powers are vested in the president Article II and the judicial power of the US is vested in the Supreme Court |
| Checks and Balances | the branches of government are not completely separate nor completely independent upon each other But they are tied together. They all have powers to restrain or check the other two branches |
| Judicial Review | The Supreme Court can determine whether or not a law is Constitutional or unconstiutional |
| Federalism | structure of our government where there is a large central unit of government which holds power and its power is divided several regional governments ie. Washington, DA and the 50 states |
| veto | I forbid |
| How many ways can the constiution be changed formally? | There are four ways formally the constiution can be changedan |
| 1st formal amendment process | amendment proposed by 2/3rds vote in each house of Congress ratified by 3/4ths state legislatures |
| How many amendments have been passed by the 1st process | 26 of the 27 amendments have been passed this way |
| 2nd formal amendment process | 2/3rds congress proposes amendment 3/4ths of state conventions ratifiy it |
| How many amendments have been ratified using the 2nd formal amendment process | one amendment the 21st was passed this way |
| 3rd formal amendment process | Proposed at a national convention that Congress called at the request of 2/3rds of the state legislatures then it must be ratified by 3/4ths of the state legislatures' |
| How many amendments have been passed using the 3rd formal process | none as it is too complicated |
| The 4th formal amendment process | An amendment may be proposed by national convention an ratified at conventions in 3/4ths of the states |
| How many amendments have been passed using the 4th process | none Instead the 4th amendment process would most likely be used to change the entire system of government. No amendments have been passed this way but our Constitution was passed this way |
| List the methods of informal methods or methods used to change the interpretation of the constiution | 1. Basic legislation 2. Executive action 3. court decisions 4. party practices 5. custom |
| Basic legislation | Congress adds to the constitution by passing laws |
| executive action | president can make infomal treaties with a foreign executive These do not have to be approved by the Senate |
| party practices | no where in the constiution does it say that party's can or should exist but they do Conventions are held, and most of the members of Congress vote the way their party wants them to. |
| custom | the constitution does not have written that the president should have a cabinet but they do Also the president does not elect positions such as federal judgeship or marshalls without consulting the Senator of that state- this is called senatorial courtesy |
| How many years can a president serve? | ten |
| Which amendment limits the number of years a president may serve? | The 22nd amendment |
| Which president served more than two terms? | FDR he served three full terms and then one year of a fourth. |
| Which is the only office where the constiution has imposed term limits? | the office of the presidency |
