Unit 2 Test Study Guide
Name _________________________
1. The first form of government in the U.S. was the _______________________________________.
It had a __________________ national government and most power resided with the individual
____________. States had difficulty trading because each state could print their own _______________
and the national government had no power to ________________.
2. Structure of the U.S. Constitution:
____________________ It states the purposes for our government.
____________________ (7) Explains the structure of Gov., powers, amending & ratification.
____________________ First 10 changes in the Constitution. Limits power of the Federal government.
____________________ (17) Changes in the Constitution from 1791 to the present.
3.
Branch
Main Responsibility
Who?
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3
4. Define amendment –
5. Why is the Constitution called a “living document?”
6. Define ratify 7. Describe the amendment process of the Constitution.
8. What happens if the states don’t approve an amendment?
9. List three reasons why the Constitution has been amended.
A.
B.
C.
10. Define federalism –
11. Powers given only to the federal (national) gov. are called _______________ or
________________.
Ex: 1.
2.
12. Powers kept by the states are called ______________________.
Ex: 1.
2.
13. Powers shared by the federal (national) and state governments are called
_______________________
Ex: 1.
2.
14. How does the amendment process show federalism?
15. Preamble
Meaning or Purpose
"We the People"
in order to form a more perfect union
Establish justice
insure domestic tranquility
provide for the common defense
promote the general welfare
secure the blessings of liberty
16. List the First Amendment freedoms and give an example of each.
R
A
P
P
S
17. Define separation of powers18. Why did the framers of the Constitution think this was necessary?
19. Separation of powers allows for a system of ______________ _______ ___________________ to
give each branch powers and controls over the other branches.
20. Examples: Write Ex., Leg. or Jud. in the appropriate blanks below.
The President vetoes a bill passed by Congress. ________  ________
The Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional. ________  ________
Congress approves the Presidents appointment of an ambassador. ________  ________
21. According to the ________________ clause (Article 6), if there is a conflict between national law
and state law, the ________________________ has the higher authority. Therefore, the
_____________________________ is the highest authority in the United States.
The ____________________ & ___________________ clause is also known as the elastic clause
because it gives congress flexible powers beyond what is written in the __________________________.
Teacher Key
The first form of government in the U.S. was the
Articles of Confederation .
It had a _weak_ national government and most power resided with the __states___. States had
difficulty trading because each state could print their own
currency and the national government had
no power to __tax__.
Structure of the U.S. Constitution:
__Preamble__ - States the purposes for our government
_Articles_- (7) Explains structure of Gov., powers, amending & ratification
__Bill of Rights__ First 10 changes in the Constitution. Limits power of the Federal government.
_Other Amendments_ (17) Changes from 1791 to the present.
Branch
Main Responsibility
Who?
Article 1
Legislative
Makes laws
Congress (House & Senate)
Article 2
Executive
Carries out - enforces laws
President & Cabinet
Article 3
Judicial
Interprets laws
Federal Court System
Define amendment – a change in the Constitution (amend means change)
Why is the Constitution called a “living document?”
Because it can be amended with changing times
Define ratify – To vote to approve
Describe the amendment process of the Constitution.
Proposed by 2/3 of both houses of Congress & Approved by the 3/4 states
What happens if the states don’t approve an amendment? It does not become an amendment.
List three reasons why the Constitution has been amended.
1. Protecting basic rights
2. Extending voting rights
3. Adapting to changing times
Define federalism – The dividing and sharing of power between the national and state governments
Powers given only to the Federal government are called _delegated_ or _enumerated_.
Ex: 1. Coin & print money
2. Declaring war
Powers kept by the states are called __reserved__.
Ex: 1. Setting up school systems
2. Establish local governments
Powers shared by the federal (national) and state governments are called __concurrent__
Ex: 1. Making laws
2. Collecting taxes
How does the amendment process show federalism?
The national and state governments both are required for ratification.
Preamble
"We the People"
in order to form a more perfect union
Meaning
we make the government for ourselves
To make our country better
Establish justice
To set up a court system to promote fair laws
insure domestic tranquility
To guarantee peace within the United States
provide for the common defense
promote the general welfare
secure the blessings of liberty
To set up a national military
To increase our general well-being, to make our lives better
To guarantee our freedom and our ancestor’s
List the First Amendment freedoms and give an example of each.
Speech – You can tell your friends you don’t like a recent law passed by Congress.
Press – Newspapers can print articles that criticize the government.
Assembly – You can attend a meeting to discuss political issues.
Religion – You can attend any church you choose.
Petition – Citizens can complain to and question the government.
Define separation of powers- dividing powers into three branches of government
Why did the framers of the Constitution think this was necessary?
So that no one branch could get too much power.
Separation of powers allows for a system of _checks_ _and_ _balances_ to give each branch powers
and controls over the other branches.
Examples: Write Ex., Leg. or Jud. in the appropriate blanks below.
The President vetoes a bill passed by Congress. __Ex___  __Leg___
The Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional. __Jud__  __Leg___
Congress approves the Presidents appointment of an ambassador. __Leg___  __Ex___
According to the _Supremacy_ _Clause_ (Article 6), if there is a conflict between national law and
state law, the national law has the higher authority. Therefore, the __Constitution_ is the highest
authority in the United States.
The _necessary_ & _proper_ clause is also known as the elastic clause because it gives congress
flexible powers beyond what is written in the _Constitution_.