Study Guide:
Government / Constitution
History of the U.S. Constitution:
- The Articles of Confederation established weak and
inefficient government during the American Revolution.
Many leaders, including George Washington, were
unhappy with the Articles of Confederation.
- The U.S. Constitution completed during May 1787.
- James Madison was the principal author of the U.S.
Constitution.
- The Constitution can be changed. These changes are
called amendments.
- The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments to the
U.S. Constitution. They protect individual rights and
liberties.
The Bill of Rights:
- First ten amendments of U.S. Constitution.
- Protects an individual’s rights and liberties.
- Helped persuade some delegates to ratify Constitution.
- Key Amendments in Bill of Rights
o First Amendment: freedom of speech, religion,
press, assembly.
o Second Amendment: right to keep and bear arms.
o Fifth Amendment – people accused of a crime
have the right to be represented by an attorney,
the right to a fair trial, and the right not to
testify against oneself.
Our Government as established by the Constitution:
- The U.S.A. is a representative democracy. In a
representative democracy the citizens vote for people
to represent them in government.
- A candidate must receive more votes than other
candidates running for the same office in order to be
elected.
- The Legislative Branch is responsible for making laws.
o The Legislative Branch is called Congress.
 The Senate:
 100 senators (two per state)
 6 year terms
 Must be 30 years old.
o Only Senate can approve
Presidential appointments and
ratify treaties.
 The House of Representatives
 435 Representatives (based on a
state’s population)
 2 year terms
 Must be 25 years old
o Only the House can initiate
legislation dealing with spending.
- The Executive Branch is responsible for carrying out laws
/ making sure laws are obeyed.
o The President is the head of the Executive
Branch.
o The Cabinet helps advise the President.
- The Judicial Branch is responsible for interpreting laws /
making sure all laws are fair or constitutional.
o There are 9 justices (judges) on the Supreme
Court.
o John Roberts is the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court.
Short Answer: be able to write 2 – 3 sentences explaining one
difference between the Senate and the House of
Representatives.
Review: all citizens have responsibilities they must carry out.
Some of these responsibilities include:
Voting
Obeying Laws
Paying Taxes
Respecting Rights of Others
Extension Question: (optional) for determining “E”
Explain the system of checks and balances, as outlined in the
Constitution, in respect to Supreme Court Justices.
The Constitution established a system of checks and
balances to make sure no one branch of government becomes
too powerful.
The Supreme Court makes sure all laws passed by Congress
and actions administered by the President are constitutional.
Supreme Court Justices serve for life. They do not have
to worry about “being popular” and being re-elected. They do
not have to “please” the President. They only concern
themselves with evaluating the constitutionality of laws.
The President appoints or selects a person to serve on
the Supreme Court when a vacancy exists.
The Senate must approve of the nomination of a Supreme
Court Justice.
People you should know: (2014)
President of U.S. – Barack Obama
Speaker of House – John Boehner
Chief Justice of Supreme Court – John Roberts
U.S. Senator (Ohio) – Sherrod Brown
U.S. Senator (Ohio) – Rob Portman
U.S. Representative
Ohio District 9 (Lakewood) – Marcy Kaptur