What philosophe argued in favor
of a three branch government?
Montesquieu
Who was the first to introduce
the idea of natural rights that
should be protected?
John Locke
What document defined the first
gov’t of the U.S.?
Articles of Confederation
What were three key
weaknesses of this document?
no executive, no power to tax,
coin money, regulate trade,
pay for a military
Identify three of the men who stood
out as early leaders of the
Constitutional Convention.
George Washington, Benjamin
Franklin, James Wilson, James
Madison
Which section of the Constitution
establishes its purpose? Who did it
say the Constitution would serve?
The Preamble, the people
How many articles does the
Constitution have? What do the
first three cover?
7, the 3 major branches
What is the “supremacy clause”?
Makers it clear that the
Constitution is the supreme
law of the land
In what kinds of circumstances is
a presidential veto likely to be
overridden by Congress?
The opposition party has strong
majority’s in both houses, the
bill in question has strong
bipartisan support, these are
amplified if the President is a
What is the last section of the
Constitution made up of? Why is
this so important?
Amendments, which allow the
Constitution to be changed –
makes it a flexible “living”
document
The Constitution is based on rule
of the people, also known as
______.
Popular sovereignty
What is the name for federal
spending on local projects members
of Congress want in order to win
favor from their constituents?
pork barrel spending
How does the Constitution
handle the question of political
parties?
It doesn’t, parties have emerged
and reshaped their coalitions
(who supports them) over time
What is divided government?
What are some consequences?
When the White House is in one
party’s hands and the opposition
controls one or both houses of
Congress; delayed nomination
approval, trouble getting
legislation/budgets passed, etc.
Who can exert more influence
over the legislative process, an
individual member of the House,
or an individual Senator? Why?
Senator, more informal
proceeding in Senate & rules
allowing for filibusters, cloture,
etc.
What is the name for the process by
which Congress holds the Executive
branch, and all bureaucratic
agencies, accountable?
Congressional (or legislative)
oversight
What is cooperative federalism?
When national and state
governments both work on
common policy areas (law
enforcement, immigration,
etc.)
When do senators use a motion
for cloture? What kind of
majority do you need for a
cloture motion?
to end a filibuster; 3/5 or 60%
(60 senators makes you
“filibuster proof”)
When the federal government
cedes more specific policy
making powers to the state
governments it is called _____.
devolution (power being passed
down)
What is a block grant? A
categorical grant?
Block grant is money given to state
by fed with a general purpose,
categorical is money given with a
specifically designed purpose and
guidelines
In general, all bills pertaining to
revenue and other monies must
originate where?
House of Reps
What is an entitlement program?
What are the two biggest
examples?
Government program that
provides benefits to a specific
group of people; Social
Security and Medicare
What is the name for a system in
which power is divided between
national and state governments?
federalism
Why did the founders choose a
federalist approach?
Even though the weak union of the
A of C failed, they still feared
putting too much power in the
hands of the central gov’t
What is the primary purpose of
separation of powers?
Limit overall power of central
gov’t by dividing powers
between branches
What is judicial review? What
case established it?
The power of the courts to
declare laws invalid if they
violate the Constitution,
Marbury v. Madison
When federal and state gov’ts
work together on a project, it is
known as _________ federalism.
Cooperative
Define the concept of limited
gov’t.
The Constitution limits gov’t by
specifically listing the powers it
does and does not have
Which branch did the founders
believe would be the most
powerful? Why did they fear its
power?
Congress, bad experiences with
Parliament
In what list are most of the specific
powers of Congress found? What
two areas do most of these relate
to?
The enumerated powers,
finance and defense
What gives Congress the power
to make all laws “necessary and
proper”?
Elastic clause
What was the key outcome of
McCulloch v. Maryland?
Broad interpretation of the
elastic clause
What gov’t role was a part time job for
much of the first 100 years of our
history? When did Congress first start
meeting in continuous session?
Working in congress, mid 20th
century
The federal gov’t providing
funding to state governments is
an example of ________
federalism.
Fiscal
What is the primary point
Madison makes about factions in
Federalist #10?
They happen naturally, but can
be controlled by institutions
How many bills are introduced in
Congress each year?
About 10,000
Which branch was expected to
execute acts of Congress and
protect against mass movements to
redistribute wealth?
The Executive branch
What are three specific powers
given to the President?
Commander in Chief, appoints
cabinet members, grant pardons,
make treaties appoints judges
and ambassadors, etc.
Why was Washington so careful
about the discharge of his
duties?
Fearful of setting precedents,
which is how most presidential
powers have been established
In what way do we have a “dual
court” system in the U.S.?
We have both Federal and State
courts, each of whom has
different jurisdictions
What is the only way to overrule
the Supreme Court on a
constitutional issue?
Amend the Constitution
Whys is the process of amending
the Cons such a great example
of Federalism?
All amendments must meet
stringent approval
requirements at federal and
state levels, balancing
interests
Which branch most often takes
exception to the growing power
of the President?
Legislative
Who has the power to create
new courts? Do they use this
power often?
Congress, no
Who must the Supreme Court count
on to make sure that its decisions
are adequately enforced?
Executive Branch
Which early plan became the
basis for the new constitution?
Who was its primary author?
The Virginia Plan, James
Madison
Which plan was devised to
represent the needs of the small
states?
The New Jersey Plan
Why did the New Jersey Plan
want to keep the unicameral
legislature?
Because it made representation
equal for all states, regardless
of size
A legislature made up of reps
from single member districts
usually leads to a ____ party
system.
Two
After the New Jersey Plan was
rejected, what question
deadlocked the Convention?
Whether representation should be
equal for all states or determined
by population
What was the name of the
compromise that resolved this
issue? What did it do?
Connecticut Compromise,
provided for 2 houses - the
House (by population) & the
Senate (equal for all states)
What issue was resolved by the
3/5 Compromise? How did it
resolve the issue?
How to count slaves in a state’s
population, 1 slave = 3/5 of a
free man (for both
representation and taxes)
What 2 groups quickly formed
during the debate over
ratification
Federalists (for the Cons.) and
Anti Federalists (against the
Cons.)
Identify two reasons the AntiFederalists opposed the new
Constitutions.
Drafted in secret, the
convention had overstepped
it’s bounds, main reason: had
no Bill of Rights
What famous Patriot was
opposed to the Constitution
because it lacked a bill of rights?
What was his argument?
Patrick Henry, if people are not
explicitly given rights the
government will take them
away
Why did the federalists argue
that a Bill of Rights was
unnecessary?
because most of the states
already had them in their
constitutions
The right of members of Congress to
send mail to their constituents at the
gov’ts expense is called____. Why is
this an advantage for incumbents?
Franking, constant PR at no
expense to themselves
What did the federalists promise
in order to move the Constitution
toward ratification?
that a Bill of Rights would be
the first order of business for
the new gov’t
Which Constitutional clause has
been used most often to expand
the power of the national gov’t?
How?
Commerce clause; so many
things fall under the purview
of regulating commerce
What did John Jay and Alexander
Hamilton do to try and assure
ratification in New York?
They wrote The Federalist
Papers
Who served as the first President
and Vice President of the United
States?
George Washington and John
Adams
Which branch did the framers
intend to have the most power?
The legislative branch
(Congress)
How many sessions is each term
of congress divided into? How
long does a modern session last?
2, January to November
What is the age requirement for
serving in the House? The
citizenship requirement?
25 years of age, 7 years a
citizen
How many representatives
currently serve in the House?
How are these reps divided
between the states?
435, by population
Who has the power to cast the
tie-breaking vote in the Senate?
The Vice President
How long is the term of office in
the house?
2 years
What organization determines
the population of each state?
How often is this done?
The Census Bureau, every ten
years
Who is in charge of redistricting
a state after the census?
The legislature of each state
Identify the two main ways that
state legislatures have
traditionally abused this power.
creating districts of unequal
population and
gerrymandering
What is gerrymandering?
it’s when districts are drawn to
benefit a specific political party
What did the “one person-one
vote” decision require?
that all districts contain
approximately 600,000 people,
assuring equal power for each
vote
What is the age requirement to
be a senator? The citizenship
requirement?
30 years of age, 9 years a
citizen
How long is the term of office for
a senator? What portion of the
senate is up for reelection every
two years?
6 years, 1/3 is up for reelection
What is censure?
a formal vote that disapproves
of a member’s behavior
Describe the average member of
congress in terms of age,
ethnicity, profession and gender.
over 50, white, lawyer and male
What percentage of incumbents
won reelection between 19451990?
90%
Identify two reasons why
incumbents are generally more
successful in winning reelection.
money from PACs,
gerrymandering, voter
recognition, franking privileges
When did the tide begin to turn
against incumbents?
the “Voter Revolution” of 1994
Identify the three House leaders
chosen by the majority party.
Speaker, majority leader,
majority whip
What are two of the main
powers of the Speaker?
assigning bills to committees,
presiding over House debates,
playing a key role in the
calendaring of bills
What do the party leader and
whip do, respectively?
leader sets the agenda and
priorities, whip maintains party
discipline
What is the primary role of
congressional committees?
to closely evaluate proposed
bills, hold hearings on them,
and decide whether they go on
to the full house or senate
Which committee controls the
proceedings of the house and gives
final consent to the calendar?
the Rules Committee
Who appoints Justices &
Ambassadors? Who approves
them?
President, Senate
Who has the power to negotiate
treaties and enforce the laws?
President
Who has the power to declares
laws/acts unconstitutional?
Judicial Branch/Supreme Court
Who has the power to tax,
regulate trade and coin money?
Congress
Who is commander in Chief of the
armed forces and also in charge of
federal departments (Defense,
Treasury, State, etc.)
the President
Who has the power to declare
war, raise an army, and approve
treaties?
Congress
What branch has used many
precedents over time to add to
its powers?
executive branch
What are two ways the President
can try to influence Congress?
veto, call special session, make
State of the Union Address
What are two powers Congress
has over the President?
approve treaties, cabinet
officials, & judges, veto
override, control the budget
What percentage of bills actually
become laws?
roughly 5%
Which amendment states that powers
not granted to the federal government
nor prohibited to the states are
reserved to the states or the people?
Tenth
What is the basic procedure for
amending the Constitution?
Amendments originate in
Congress (2/3 support) and
then must be passed by ¾ of
the state legislatures
What type of representative
system often leads to domination
by two major political parties?
Single representative system –
in which each geographical
district has only one
representative
How has the Supreme Court
ruled on the use of the
legislative veto?
Unconstitutional, violates
separation of powers
Who is responsible for drawing
the boundaries for Congressional
districts? When is this done?
State legislatures (or their
designees), every 10 years
after census
What type of congressional
committee helps reconcile
differences in bills passed by the
House and Senate?
Conference committee
The power of Congress most
frequently contested in the
courts relates to what activity?
The power to regulate interstate
commerce
What is a plurality election?
An election involving more than
two candidates in which the
person who receives the most
votes is the winner
What primary weakness of the
Articles of Confederation that
was effectively dealt with by the
new Constitution in 1787?
Providing the nation with a
strong national government