Studied by 27 peopleWhat is the supreme law of the land?
the constitution
what does the constitution do?
sets up federal laws and basic rights
The idea of self-government is in the first 3 words of the Constitution. What are these words?
We the people
What is an amendment?
a change or addition to the constitution
What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution?
the bill of rights
What are some of the rights or freedoms from the First Amendment?
speech; press; religion; assembly; petition
How many amendments does the constitution have?
27
what did the declaration of independence do?
declared the US independent from Great Britain
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
what is the freedom of religion?
right to practice or not practice any religion
what is the economic system of the US
capitalist's, market economy
what is the rule of law?
no one is above the law and everyone has to obey it
3 branches of govt
executive; legislative; judicial
what stops a branch of govt from becoming too powerful?
check and balances
who is in charge of the executive branch?
president
who makes federal laws?
congress
what are the 2 parts of the US congress?
house of representatives and senate
how many senators are there?
100
we elect a US senator for how many years?
6
Who is one of your states US senators
Charles Schumer
how many representatives are there in the house of representatives?
435
how long is a house representative elected for?
2 years
Name your US representative
Jerrold Nodler
who does a senator represent?
the people of that state
why do some states have more house representatives than others?
they have larger populations
how long is a president elected for?
4 years
in what month do we vote for the president?
november
who is the president now?
Joe Biden
who is the vice president now?
Kamala Harris
if the president can’t serve, who becomes president?
vice president
who is elected after president and vice president if they cant serve
speaker of the house
Who is commander of chief of the military
President
who signs bills into laws
president
who vetos bills
president
what does the presidents cabinet do?
advise the president
what are 2 cabinet level positions?
vice president; attorney general; secretary of: agriculture; interior commerce; defense; education; energy; health & human services; transportation; treasury; veteran affairs; homeland security; housing & urban development; labor; state
what does the judicial branch do?
reviews laws; explains laws; resolves disputes; declares laws unconstitutional
what is the highest court in the US
supreme court
how many supreme court justices
9
who is the Chief Justice on the supreme court?
John Roberts
One power of the federal gov
create army and declare war
one power that belongs to the state
get a drivers license
who is the governer of our state
kathy Hochul
what is the capital of your state?
albany
what are the 2 main political parties?
democrat and republican
what political party is the current president part of?
democrat
who is the speaker of the house
kevin mcCarthy
four amendments about who can vote
18+ 2. no poll tax 3. Citizen 4. Any race
what is one responsibility that is only for a US citizen
serve on a jury
what are the two rights only for US citizen
vote in federal election and run for federal office
what are two rights for everyone living in the US
speech and religion
what do we show loyalty to when we say the pledge of allegiance
US and flag
what is one promise you make when you become a us citizen
loyal to the US
how old do citizens have to be to vote for president?
18
what are two ways Americans can participate in democracy
vote and join a political party
when is the last day you can send in federal income tax reform
april 15th
when must all men register for the Selective Service
18-26
what is one reason the colonists came to America
religious freedom
who lived in the US before Europeans arrived?
native americans
what group of people were taken to the US and sold as slaves?
Africans
why did the colonist fight Britain
high taxes
who wrote the declaration of Independence
Thomas jefferson
when was the declaration of independence adopted?
july 4th 1776
name 3 original states (from the colonies)
new hampshire; maine; rhode island; connecticut; new york; new jersey; pennsylvania; delaware; maryland; virginia; north carolina; south carolina; georgia
what happened at the constitutional convention
constitution was written
when was the constitution written
1787
one of the writers of the Federalist Papers
John Jay
what is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for
US diplomat
who is the “father of our country”?
george washington
who was the first president?
george washington
what territory did the US buy from France in 1803
Louisiana territory
name a war fought by the US in the 1800’s
war of 1812; civil war; spanish-american war; mexican-american war
name the US war between the north and south
civil war
name a problem that led to the civil war
slavery
what is 1 important thing that Lincoln did
freed slaves
what did the emancipation proclamation do?
freed slaves
what did Susan B Anthony do?
fought for womens rights and civil rights
name a war fought by the US in the 1900’s
world war 1; world war 2; korean war; vietnam war
who was president during world war one
Woodrow Wilson
who was president during the great depression and world war two
Franklin D Roosevelt
who did the US fight in world war 2
Japan Germany and Italy
what war was Eisenhower a general in?
world war 2
during the cold war what was the main concern of the US
communism
what movement tried to end racial discrimination?
civil rights movement
what did Martin Luther King Jr do
fought for civil rights
what major event happened on September 11, 2001
terrorists attacked the US
name one native American tribe
Cherokee
name one of the longest rivers of the US
Missouri
what ocean is on the west cost of the US
Pacific
what ocean is one the east cost of the US
Atlantic
name one US territory
Puerto Rico
Name a state that borders Canada
NY
Name a state that borders Mexico
Texas
what is the capital of the US
Washington DC
where is the statue of liberty
NY Harbor Liberty Island
why does the US flag have 13 stripes?
one for each of the original colonies
why does the US flag have 50 stars?
one for each state
what is the national anthem called?
star spangled banner
when do we celebrate independence day?
july 4th
name two national US holidays
New Years Day and Independence day
Note
Flashcard