| A | B |
|---|
| What did the colonies produce for the economic trade known as mercantilism? | natural resources/raw materials (ex. tobacco, lumber, grain, etc) |
| Why were the colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland and Pennsylvania established? | for religious groups |
| Why did the Pilrims, Puritan, Quakers and Catholics establish new English colonies? | religious freedom |
| Which economic system helped Britain keep a favorable balance of trade | mercantilism |
| What was the first colonial legislature to be established in the British colonies? | House of Burgesses |
| What document established self-government for the Pilgrims? | Mayflower Compact |
| Which English philosopher said the citizens make a "social contract" to create governments for the protection of their rights? | John Locke |
| Prior to the French and Indian war, what was the British policy of allowing colonies to govern their own day-to-day affairs? | salutary neglect |
| After the French and Indian War, which act levied the first-ever direct tax on the colonies? | Stamp Act |
| Protests against the Quartering Act resulted in British troops firing on protestors in which historical event? | Boston Massacre |
| Which historical event involved a protest by the Sons of Liberty against the taxes levied by the Tea Act? | Boston Tea party |
| Which acts were passed by Parliament to try to regain control over the colonists in Boston, Massachusetts? | Coercive or "Intolerable" Acts |
| What was the primary cause of the American Revolution? | taxation without representation |
| What did Thomas Paine’s Common Sense urge colonists to do? | declare independence from Britain |
| Which document described American political beliefs and listed the reasons for breaking away from Great Britain? | Declaration of Independence (1776) |
| Which document established the national government of the United States after the Revolutionary War? | Articles of Confederation |
| Which event showed that a constitutional convention was needed to strengthen the national government? | Shays Rebellion |
| Which plan resulted in the creation of a bicameral Congress for our legislative branch? | Great Compromise |
| Which political party supported the ratification of the Constitution? | Federalists |
| Which political party opposed the Constitution because it didn’t have a Bill of Rights? | Anti-Federalists |
| What was the name of the essays that were written to gain support for ratification of the Constituton? | Federalist papers |
| What form of government allows the people to choose representatives who will make and enforce the laws? | republic or representative democracy |
| What features of the U.S. Constitution limit the power of government? | separation of powers; checks & balances |
| At the Constitutional Convention, which plan favored a new government with representation based on population? | Virginia plan |
| At the Constitutional Convention, which plan favored a government with equal representation for each state? | New Jersey plan |
| Which part of the U.S. constitution protects personal freedoms such as expression, right to bear arms, and rights of the accused? | Bill of Rights |
| Which act established a method of organizing and preparing U.S. territories for statehood? | Northwest Ordinance of 1787 |
| Which constitutional principle is reflected in the Preamble when it says "We the people...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America"? | popular sovereignty |
| Which constitutional principle divides powers between the different branches of government? | separation of powers |
| Which branch of government makes laws? | legislative (U.S. Congress) |
| What constitutional principle enables one branch to counteract the powers of another branch? | checks & balances |
| Which branch of government enforces or carries out the law? | executive (President and executive agencies) |
| Which branch of government interprets the law? | judicial (Supreme Court and lower federal courts) |
| What constitutional principle enables the Supreme Court to strike down a law or government action that it has determined to be unconstitutional? | judicial review |
| How can the president's power to select federal judges and executive officials be limited or blocked? | majority vote in the Senate |
| What enumerated powers are specifically delegated to Congress in Article I, Sec. 8 of the Constitution? | tax, declare war, borrow, coin money, regulate interstate commerce |
| What powers are delegated to Congress by the “necessary and proper” or "elastic" clause? | implied powers |
| According to the 10th Amendment, who do the reserved powers belong to? | the states |
| Which clause in the U.S. Constitution makes the national government and all laws made under it the "supreme law of the land"? | the supremacy clause |
| Which clause in the U.S. Constitution requires each state to honor any public acts, records, or legal contracts that are made in another state? | "full faith and credit" |
| Which power enables the House of Representatives to bring charges against the president for "high crimes or misdemeanors"? | impeachment |
| Which constitutional protection limits government by preventing people from being jailed without charge? | writ of habeus corpus |
| Which power of the president can be used to forbid a bill passed by Congress? | veto |
| Which two legislative bodies make up the U.S. Congress? | the House of Representatives and the Senate |
| What is the most basic function of the U.S. Congress? | to make laws |
| How can the Constitution be changed? | amendment process |
| How are amendments to the U.S. Constituion normally proposed? | passage by a 2/3 majority in each house of Congress |
| How are amendments to the U.S. Constitution normally ratified? | by a majority vote in 3/4 of the state legislatures |
| Which constitutional principle divides powers between the national government and the states? | federalism |
| What freedoms are guaranteed by the 1st Amendment? | expression (speech), the press, assembly, religion, petition |
| Which freedom is protected by the principle of “separation of church and state”? | religious freedom |
| What right is protected by the 2nd Amendment? | right to bear arms |
| What freedom is protected by the 4th Amendment? | no unreasonable searches and seizures |
| What rights for the accused are guaranteed by due process in the 5th Amendment? | no double jeopardy, right to remain silent, indictment by grand jury |
| What features of the 6th Amendment protect the rights of the accused? | right to an attorney and trial by jury |
| Which Amendment guarantees “equal protection” under the law? | Fourteenth Amendment |
| Which court case guaranteed the right to have an abortion? | Roe v. Wade |
| Which court case segregation in public schools? | Brown v. Board of Education |
| According to the exclusionary rule established in the case of Mapp v. Ohio, illegally obtained evidence must be thrown out in court because of which constitutional protection? | 4th Amendment: no unreasonable searches or seizures |
| Which court case expanded the rights of criminal suspects by requiring law enforcement officers to inform them of their rights? | Miranda v. Arizona |
| In which form of government features one-person or one-party rule? | dictatorship |
| Which form of government features a king or a queen? | monarchy |
| Which characteristic of American government divides powers between the national government and the state governments? | federalism |
| Which civic duty is necessary to maintain our judicial system? | jury duty |
| What is required for a citizen to be able to vote? | at least 18 years old, registered with the County Board of Elections |
| What is the most basic civic responsibility that a person can take to influence their government? | voting |
| What are some of the legal responsibilities (duties) that citizens have? | obeying the law, paying taxes, jury duty, defending the nation |
| What are some of the civic responsibilities that citizens have? | voting, volunteering, getting informed |
| What characteristic of American government divides the powers and duties between different branches? | separation of powers |
| What qualifies as person as a "natural born" citizen? | American birth or parents who are citizens |
| What is the process called by which aliens can become U.S. citizens? | naturalization |
| What form of government does the United States have? | republic or representative democracy |
| Which branch of government has the power to make laws? | legislative |
| Which form of representative democracy has a prime minister as the executive that runs the government who is chosen by the majority party in the legislative branch? | parliamentary |
| Which word means "more than half of the voters"? | majority |
| Which form of government uses elections to allow citizens to choose public officials who will make and enforce laws? | republic or representative democracy |
| Which branch of government has the power to carry out/enforce the law? | executive (president) |
| Which branch of government has the power to apply the law like a "referee"? | judicial (courts) |
| political party | a political organization that tries to put its political ideas into law by nominating candidates and winning elections |
| liberal | political philosophy that supports the use of increased government power to provide for the common good |
| conservative | political philosophy that supports limited government |
| majority | having at least 50% of the vote in an election |
| nominate | the process of selecting candidates to run for office |
| platform | a written statement of the beliefs that a political party officially stands for |
| straight-ticket voting | voting only for the candidates of one political party |
| split-ticket voting | voting for candidates of more than one political party |
| popular vote | the vote of the people |
| electoral vote | the vote cast by states for the purpose of electing a president |
| initiative | petition process by which voters can put a proposed constitutional amendment or statute on the ballot |
| referendum | an election that allows voters to approve or reject a bill or amendment that has been passed by their state legislature |
| interest group | a group of people that try to influence politicians and public policy |
| special interests | common name given to interest groups that are only interested in a particular issue |
| PAC | political action committee formed by an interest group for the purpose of raising money to influence politicians and the political process |
| lobbyist | individual who works for an interest group by attempting to influence politicians |
| County Board of Elections | who is responsible for registering voters and conducting elections? |
| primary election | an election used to nominate a party's candidates to run for political office |
| absentee ballot | ballot that enables citizens to vote by mail when they cannot be present for an election |
| precinct | What is a voting district called? |
| must be an 18 year old resident who is registered to vote | What qualifications does a citizens need to have before they can vote? |
| polls | What do researchers use to survey public opinion? |
| mass media | What are news organizations that report on public issues and events called? |
| third party | an independent or minor political party |
| Republicans and Democrats | What are the two main political parties in the United States? |
| What powers are specifically delegated to Congress in Article I, Sec. 8 of the Constitution? | enumerated powers |
| What powers are delegated to Congress by the “necessary and proper” or "elastic" clause? | implied powers |
| Which non-legislative power enables the House of Representatives to bring charges against the president for "high crimes or misdemeanors"? | impeachment |
| Who is the presiding officer that leads the House of Representatives? | Speaker of the House |
| Who is the presiding officer in the U.S. Senate? | Vice-president |
| Which two legislative bodies make up the U.S. Congress? | the House of Representatives and the Senate |
| What is the most basic function of the U.S. Congress? | to make laws |
| What is the name of the process used to distribute legislative seats in Congress amongst the states? | apportionment |
| How long is the term for a member of the House of Representatives? | two years |
| How long is the term for a member of the Senate? | six years |
| How many U.S. Senators does each state have in Congress? | two |
| On what basis are seats in the U.S. House of Representatives distributed among the states? | population |
| What is it called when two sides give in to each other to reach an agreement? | compromise |
| Where is most of the debate, compromise, and changes to bills made during the legislative process? | committees |
| What is it called when committees in Congress hold hearings to monitor the activities of the offices in the Executive Branch? | oversight |
| Where does a bill go if the House and Senate pass two different versions of the same bill? | Conference committee |
| What procedure can be used in the Senate to block a bill by "debating it to death"? | filibuster |
| In the U.S. Senate, what is needed to end a filibuster? | 60-vote majority |
| What is needed to over-ride a president's veto of a bill? | a 2/3 majority vote in each house of Congress |
| Where are appropriations bills supposed to begin? | the House of Representatives |
| Who has the power to confirm the president's appointees to government agencies and federal courts? | the Senate |
| Who has the power to begin impeachment proceedings? | the House of Representatives |
| What is required for the approval of treaties? | a 2/3 majority vote in the Senate |
| What is required for the removal of an official who has been impeached? | a 2/3 majority vote in the Senate |
| What is it called when the majority party in the state legislature re-draws the legislative district lines to benefit their party in future elections? | gerrymandering |
| Who has the power to re-draw the congressional district lines after each census? | the state legislatures |
| What is the #1 source of revenue for the federal government? | income taxes |
| Who pays the highest income tax rates? | high income earners |
| What pays for Social Security and Medicare? | payroll taxes |
| What is the #1 expense in the federal budget | entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid) |
| What is it called when the government spends more money in the budget than it collects from taxes? | deficit |
