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American Government Part A:

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Name one important idea found in the Declaration of Independence.
A: People are born with natural rights
A: The power of government comes from the people
A: The people can change their government if it hurts their natural rights
A: All people are created equal
What is the supreme law of the land?
The Constitution.
What does the Constitution do?
It sets up the government.
It protects the basic rights of Americans.
What does "We The People" mean in the constitution?
The power of government comes from the people.
What do we call changes to the constitution?
Amendments.
What is an amendment?
A change to the constitution.
What do we call the first 10 amendments to the constitution?
The Bill of Rights.
Name one right of freedom from the First Amendment.
A: Speech
A: Religion
A: Assembly
A: Press
A: Petition the government
How many amendments does the constitution have?
27 (Twenty-Seven)
What does the Declaration of Independence do?
A: Announce the independence of the United States from Great Britain
A: Say that the U.S. is free from Great Britain
What does freedom or religion mean?
You can practice any religion you want, or not practice at all.
What type of economic system does the U.S. have?
A: Capitalist economy
A: Free market
A: Market economy
What are the three branches or parts of the government?
A: Executive, legislative, and judicial
A: Congress, the president, the courts
Name on branch or part of the government.
A: Congress
A: Legislative
A: President
A: Executive
A: The courts
A: Judicial
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
The president.
Who makes federal laws?
A: Congress
A: The Senate and House (of Representatives)
A: The (U.S. or national) legislature
What are the two parts of the United States Congress?
The Senate and the House (of Representatives)
How many United States Senators are there?
100
We elect a U.S. senator for how many years?
6 (Six)
Name your states two Senators.
Richard Durbin & Barack Obama
How many U.S. Senators does each state have?
Two (2)
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
435
We elect a U.S. representative for how many years?
2 (Two)
Name your U.S. Representative.
Bobby Rush
Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
All citizens in that senator's state.
Who does a U.S. representative represent?
All citizens in that representatives district. (All states are divided into districts)
What decides each state's number of representatives?
The population of that state
How is each state's number of representatives decided?
By that state's population
Why do we have three branches of government?
So no branch is too powerful.
Name one example of checks and balances.
A: The president vetoes a bill
A: Congress can confirm or not confirm a president's nomination
A: Congress approves the president's budget
A: The Supreme Court strikes down a law
We elect a president for how many years?
4
How old must a president be?
Thirty-five years or older.
The president must be born in what country?
The United States of America
Who is the president now?
George W. Bush
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States?
Dick Cheney
If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president?
The Vice President.
Who becomes president if the Vice President and the President can no longer serve?
The Speaker of the House.
Who is the Commander-In-Chief of the military?
The president.
How many full terms can a president serve?
2 Full terms.
Who signs bills to become laws?
The president.
Who vetoes bills?
The president.
What is a veto?
A: The president refuses to sign a bill passed by Congress
A: The president says no to a bill
A: The president rejects a bill
What does the president's cabinet do?
Advise the president.
Name Two Cabinet level positions.
A: Secretary of Agriculture
A: Secretary of Commerce
A: Secretary of Defense
A: Secretary of Education
A: Secretary of Energy
A: Secretary of Health and Human Services
A: Secretary of Homeland Security
A: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
A: Secretary of Interior
A: Secretary of State
A: Secretary of Transportation
A: Secretary of Treasury
A: Secretary of Veterans' Affairs
A: Attorney General
What Cabinet-level agency advises the president on foreign policy?
The State Department.
What does the judicial branch do?
A: Reviews and explains laws
A: Resolves disputes between parties
A: Decides if a law goes against the Constitution
Who confirms the Supreme Court Justices?
The Senate
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States?
John Roberts
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
Nine (9)
Who nominates justices to the Supreme court?
The President.
Name One Thing only the Federal government can do.
A: Print money
A: Declare war
A: Create an army
A: Make treaties
What is one thing only a state government can do?
A: Provide schooling and education
A: Provide protection (police)
A: Provide safety (fire departments)
A: Give a driver's license
A: Approve zoning and land use
What does it mean that the U.S. Constitution is a constitution of limited powers?
A: The federal government has only the powers that the Constitution states that it has
A: The states have all powers that the federal government does not
Who is the governor of your state?
Ron Blagojevich
What is the capital of your state?
Springfield
What are the two major political parties in the U.S.?
Democrats and Republicans
What is the highest court in the U.S.?
The Supreme court
What is the majority political party in the House of Representatives now?
Democrats or Democratic Party
What is the political party of the majority in the Senate now?
Democrats or Democratic Party
What is the political party of the President now?
Republican or Republican Party
Who is the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
Nancy Pelosi
Who is the Senate Majority Leader now?
Harry Reid
In what month are elections held in the United States?
November
What is the current minimum wage in the U.S.?
$5.15
When must all males register for the Selective Service?
At age 18
Who is the attorney general now?
Alberto Gonzales
Who is the secretary of state now?
Condoleezza Rice
Is the current president in his first or second term?
second
What is self-government?
Powers come from the people, Government responds to the people
Who governs the people in a self-governed country?
The people govern themselves or the government elected by the people.
What is the "rule of the law"?
Everyone must obey the law.
What are inalienable rights?
Individual rights that people are born with.
There are four Amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
A. Any Citizen over 18 can vote.
A. Any citzen of any race can vote.
A. Any female or female citizen can vote.
A. You don't have to pay to vote.
Name one responsibility that is only for United States citizens.
A. Vote
A. Serve on a jury.
Name two rights that are only for United States citizens.
A. The right to apply for a federal job
A. The right to vote
A. The right to run for office
Name two rights of everyone living in the U.S.
A. Freedom of Expression
A. Freedom of Speech
A: Freedom of Assembly
A: Freedom to petition the government
A: Freedom to worship
A: The Right to Bear Arms
What is the Pledge of Allegiance
The promise of loyalty to the flag and the nation.
Name one promise you make when you say the Oath of Allegiance.
A: To give up loyalty to other countries
A: To defend the constituion and laws of the United States
A: To obey the laws of the United States
A: To serve in the military if needed
A: To serve the nation if needed
A: To be loyal to the United States
Who can vote in the U.S.?
All registered citzens over 18.
Name two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy.
A: Vote
A: Join a Political Party
A: Help out with a campaign
A: Join a Civic Group
A: Join a Community Group
A: Tell an elected official your opinion on an issue.
A: Call your senators and representatives
A: Publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
A: Run for Office
A: Write to a newspaper
When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
By April 15th of Every year
Name two of the natural, or inalienable, rights in the Declaration of Independence.
A: Life
A: Liberty
A: The Pursuit of Hapiness
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4th, 1776
Name one reason why colonists came to Amerca?
A: Freedom
B: Political Liberty
A: Religious Freedom
A: Economic Opportunity
A: To escape Persecution
What happened at the Constitutional Convention
A: The Constitution was writted
A: The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution
Why did the colonists fight the British?
A: They had to pay high taxes but did not have any say about it (Taxation without Representation)
A: The British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
A: The British denied the colonists self-government
When was the Constitution drafted?
1787
There are 13 original states. Name Three.
Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
A. Africans or People from Africa
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
The Native Americans or American Indians
Where did most of America's colonists come from before the Revolution?
Europe
Why were the colonists upset with the British government?
A: Stamp Act
A: They had to pay high taxes but did not have anything to say about it (Taxation without representation)
A: The British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering)
A: Intolerable Acts
Name one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for.
A: U.S. diplomat
A: Oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
A: First Postmaster General of the United States
A: Writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac"
Name one famous battle from the Revolutionary War.
A: Lexington and Concord
A: Trenton
A: Princeton
A: Saratoga
A: Cowpens
A: Yorktown
A: Bunker Hill
Who is called the "Father of Our Country"?
George Washington
Who was the 1st President
George Washington
Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers?
A: James Madison
A: Alexander Hamilton
A: John Jay
What group of essays supported passage of the U.S. Constitution?
The Federalist papers
Name one of the Major American Indian Tribes in the United States
Cherokee, Seminoles, Creek, Choctaw, Arawak, Iroquois, Shawnee, Mohegan, Chippewa, Huron, Oneida, Sioux, Cheyenne, Lakotas, Crows, Blackfeet, Teton, Navajo, Apaches, Pueblo, Hopi, Inuit
Name one War Fought by the United States in the 1800s.
A War of 1812, Mexican American War, Civil War, or Spanish-American War
What territory dit the United States buy from France in 1803?
The Louisiana Territory or Louisiana
What country sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States?
France
In 1803, the United States bought a large amount of land from France. Where was that land?
West of the Mississippi, The Western U.S., or the Louisiana Territory
Name one of the things that Abraham Lincoln did.
A: Saved or preserved the Union
A: Freed the Slaves
A: Led the U.S. during the Civil War
Name the U.S. War between the North and the South.
The Civil War
Name one problem that led to the Civil War
A: Slavery
A: Economic rights
A: States' rights
What did the Emancipation procolmation do?
A: Freed slaves in the Confederacy
A: Freed slaves in the Confederate states
A: Freed slaves in most Southern states
What did the abolitionists try to end before the Civil War
Slavery
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
Fought for women's rights
Name one War fought in the United states in the 1900s.
World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, or Gulf War
Who was President during World War I?
Woodrow Wilson
The United States fought Japan, Germany, and Italy during which war?
World War II
What was the main concern of the United States during the Cold War?
The spread of communism and the Soviet Union (USSR and Russia)
What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States
Terrorists attacked the United States
What international organization was established after World War II to keep the world at peace?
The United Nations
What alliance of North American and European countries was created during the Cold War??
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Who was the President of the Great Depression and World War II?
Franklin Roosevelt
Which U.S. World War II general later became president?
Dwight Eisenhower
What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?
He fought for civil rights
He strove for equality for all Americans
Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream for America. What was his dream?
A: Equality for all Americans
A: Civil rights for all
What movement tried to end racial discrimination
The Civil Rights Movement
What is the longest river in the United States?
The Mississippi River
What ocean is on the west coast of the United States?
The Pacific Ocean
What country is on the northern border of the United States?
Canada
Where is the Grand Canyon
Arizona, The Southwest, Along/on the Colorado river
Where is the statue of liberty?
New York Harbor, Liberty Island
What country is on the Southern border of the United States
Mexico
Name one large mountain range in the United States.
The Rocky Mountains, the Appalachins, the Sierra Nevada, The Cascades
What is the tallest mountain in the United States
Mt. McKinley, Denali
Name one U.S. territory.
American Samoa, The Commonwelath of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
Name the state that is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Hawaii
Name one state that borders Canada
Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, or Washington
Name one State that borders on Mexico.
Arizona, California, New Mexico, or Texas
What is the capital of the U.S.
Washington, D.C.
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Because there were 13 original colonies.
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
One for each state-50 states.
What is the name of the National Anthem?
The Star Spangled Banner
On the Fourth of July, we celebrate independence from what country?
Great Britian
When do we celebrate Indepence Day?
July 4th
Name two National U.S. Holidays
A: New Years Day
A: Martin Luther King Day
A: Presidents' Day
A: Memorial Day
A: Independence Day
A: Labor Day
A: Columbus Day
A: Veterans Day
A: Thanksgiving
A: Christmas

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