The Constitution of the U.S. is the nation's fundamental law- in it's own terms it is the _______________________.
Supreme law of the land
The Constitution contains approximately ______ words.
7,000
The Constitution is built on ___ basic principles.
6
List and briefly describe each of the basic principles.
1. Popular sovereignty- people are the only source of governmental power.
2. Limited government- it holds that government is not all powerful. It can only do the things people give it the power to do.
3. Separation of power- constitution distributes the powers of the National Government among the Congress, President, and the courts. Article I Section I- Legislative. Article II Section I- Executive. Article III Section I- Judiciary
4. Checks and balances- each branch is subject to a number of constitutional checks by the other branches.
5. Judicial review- the power to decide whether what government does in accord with what the constitution provides.
6. Federalism- division of power among the central government and the States government.
What is meant by the term constitutionalism?
government must be conducted according to constitutional principles.
What is meant by the term rule of law?
government and its officers are always subject to - never above - the law.
What is the law making branch of the government? Where is this found in the Constitution?
Legislative. Article I Section I, Article II Section I, Article III Section I
The executive power shall be vested in a __________ of the U.S. Where is this found?
President/ Article II Section I
Spectacular clashes - direct application of the checks and balances system - do sometimes occur. Give 2 examples.
the president does veto some acts of congress.
Congress, by a 2/3 majority, may override one of those vetoes.
Who was the last president to under go an impeachment trial?
William Jefferson Clinton
What is meant by the term "unconstitutional"?
to declare action found to violate some provision in the Constitution.
Which basic principle was established in the case of Marbury v. Madison?
Judicial review/ 1. Chief Justice Marshall established "Judicial review" as a power of the supreme court. 2. James Madison refused to deliver the commission. 3. This case declared the courts power to find acts of Congress unconstitutional.