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What is the government in which power is held by the people and exercised either directly or through representation, usually determined by elections?
Democracy
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What is the term for the power of government to make decisions for itself within its own territory or jurisdiction with the freedom from foreign control?
Sovereignty
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What is the term that describes the right of an arrested person to be brought before a judge who determines whether his/her imprisonment is legal?
Corpus Act
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What was the name for the plan for the pilgrim colony, also considered America’s first written constitution?
Mayflower Compact
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Who were the first people to develop democracy?
Greeks in Athens, Greece
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At the time of the American Revolution, what elements of government fif the colonies have?
Bill of Rights
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Who was the delegate chosen to write the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
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The Intolerable Acts were imposed on the colonies after what action?
Boston Tea Party (BTP)
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What was the main problem with the Articles of Confederation?
Gave too much power to the states
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What is the system of government in which the power is shared between the central government and state governments?
Federal
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What is the change or addition to a document or plan, such as the Constitution?
Amendment
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Who were the opponents of the central government, as defined in the Constitution?
Anti-federalists
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According to the Constitution, who elects the president of the United States?
Electoral college
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The federalist papers sought to do what?
Ratify the constitution
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Some South American leader in the 1790’s agrees to ratify the constitution only if _____
The bill of rights were added
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Under the Fifth Amendment, a person accused of crime can do what?
Cannot self incriminate or double jeopardy (cannot be tried for the same again)
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What is a proposed law presented for approval to a legislative body?
A bill
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Who is the president of the senate?
The Vice president
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What is the term for the authority of a court to review the judgment of a lower court
Appeals the court
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Who had the final say about what the constitution means?
The Supreme Court
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If the president and the vice president are unable to serve because of death or sickness, the ______ takes over until the new elections are held.
Speaker of the house
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Which is the term that describes that which is composed of two legislative chambers?
Bicameral
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What is the title for a senator who presides over the U.S. senate in the absence of the vice president?
President protempore
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What is the term for the right of a president to keep information secret from congress in order to protect the nation’s security?
Executive privilege
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What is the manner in which a judge applies the law based on the belief that the court can create a new policy?
Judicial activism
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What is the name of specific punishments for specific crimes?
Mandatory sentence
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What does the elastic clause in the constitution allow congress to do?
Anything to carry out its duties
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The term of the presidency is ______.
4 years
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Making foreign policy is an example of the President’s role as _____.
Commander in Chief
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The congress is divided into two chambers that share and provide a system of _____
Checks and balances
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Who is the member of the majority party elected to lead the U.S. House of Representatives?
Speaker of the House
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When there is power to overturn laws that are in conflict with the Constitution, this is called what?
Judicial review
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Marbury vs. Madison established what?
Power of judicial review
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What do senators do?
Write and pass laws, approve presidential appointees (ie. cabinet members, justices of the Supreme Court). They vote on things with the rest of the senate and they propose amendments to bills to improve them for the better.
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What does the House of Representatives do?
The major power of the House is to pass federal legislation that affects the entire country, although its bills must also be passed by the Senate and further agreed to by the President before becoming law. They also have the power to initiate revenue bills (money-making bills), to impeach officials (remove them from office), and to elect the President in case of an Electoral College deadlock.
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The Constitution empowers ______to reach the verdict in an impeachment trial?
Senators
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A Supreme Court decision can be overturned by?
Constitutional amendment
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The founders of the nation set up a system based on ______, in which power is divided and balanced between the national and state governments.
Federalism
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What are the rules under which legislatures hold meetings?
Parliamentary procedure
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Federalism: A way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have authority over the same land and people.
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What fact about the American government reflects the above definition of federalism?
Citizens have to follow all laws, state and federal
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In the United States, what occurs when the state and national laws are in conflict?
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What is the largest division of local government within a state?
County
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Who is the head of government for a city, town or municipality?
Mayor
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