Civic Literacy Review.

• Electoral College


  The president is elected by a majority of electoral votes. After an election a group of electors chosen by each state officially cast the electoral votes for their state to choose the President.
• Articles of Confederation


  This document was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1781 during the Revolutionary War to create a national government. The new government was weak because states held most of the power, and Congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control the coining of money. It was later replaced with the U.S. Constitution.
• Great Compromise


  introduced by Roger Sherman; set up a bicameral Congress (Senate and the House of Representatives) satisfied both the large and small states
• 3/5 Compromise


  compromise made when writing the Constitution to sastify both free and slave states; said for every 5 slaves, 3 would count in a state's population for both representation and tax purposes
• Federalism


  is the breaking of the government into Federal and state levels, each having certain powers
• Checks and Balances


  system of each branch of government having a power to check the power of the other to make sure no one branch becomes too powerful
• Executive Branch


  headed by the President and carries out the laws; also includes the Vice President and the Cabinet members
• Engel v. Vitale (1962)


  separation between Church and State in schools. S.C. prayer in public schools is unconstitutional, violates separation of church and state and freedom of religion (First Amendment)
• Miranda vs. Arizona, 1961


  This case proves that the 5th Amendment requires that individuals arrested for a crime must be advised of their right to remain silent and to have counsel present.
• Mapp v. Ohio (1961)


  Evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects against "unreasonable searches and seizures," may not be used in criminal prosecutions in state courts, as well as federal courts.
• In Re Gault (1967)


  14th amendment Due Process Clause allows requirements for state delinquency proceedings. established the principle that young persons have constitutional rights
• Bill


  a statute in draft before it becomes law
• Chief Justice


  the judge who presides over the supreme court
• Commander-in-Chief


  The role of the president as the supreme commander of the armed forces of the United States.
• Governor


  highest ranking member of a state's executive branch
• Reserved powers


  powers reserved for the states; examples: creating and maintaining an education system, creating local governments
• Veto power


  presidential power to stop a bill from becoming a law by rejecting it
• impeachment


  a formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office
• presidential succession


  the order in which officials fill the office of president in case of a vacancy (Vice President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, President of the Senate...)
• U.S. Supreme Court


  9 justices nominated by President, confirmed by Senate; highest court in the nation; hears only appeals; interprets Constitutional law
• Intolerable Acts/Coercive Acts


  A series of acts passed by the government in response to the Boston Tea Party. They caused outrage, as the colonists viewed the acts as a violation of their rights. This led to the creation of the First Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War.
• Boston Tea Party


  demonstration (1773) by citizens of Boston who raided three British ships in Boston harbor and dumped hundreds of chests of tea into the harbor; organized as a protest against taxes on tea.
• Citizenship


  Rights & responsibilities entitled to citizens belonging to a political state or country; only citizens can run for federal office (i.e. President, Congress)
• Constitutional Convention


  meeting of state delegates in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation, which produced the new U.S. Constitution
• Two-Party System


  An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections. Our two major parties are the Republicans and the Democrats.
• Plessy v. Ferguson 1896


  Supreme Court case that ruled separate but equal public accommodations for the races was constitutional
• Civic Duty


  A belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs.
• Civic Responsibility


  the responsibilities of a citizen, examples include voting, serving on juries, holding public office
• Supremacy Clause


  clause of the Constitution that says the Constitution is the highest law of the land. Article 6, Clause 2
• concurrent powers


  powers shared by the state and federal government

  Ex: power to tax citizens
• delegated powers


  powers specifically stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution as being granted to Congress

  Ex: power to establish post offices, power to regulate commerce
• Elastic Clause (Necessary and Proper Clause)


  clause in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the right to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out powers not expressly stated but necessary; cited in the Supreme Court landmark case McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
• enumerated/expressed/delegated powers


  powers Congress has that are specifically stated in the Constitution

  Ex: power to coin money and set its value, power to declare war
• implied powers


  powers Congress has that are not specifically stated in the Constitution
• Judicial Branch


  the branch of government that interprets the law; made up the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts
• Legislative Branch (Congress)


  the branch that makes the laws; This is the branch the founders gave the most powers to because it is made up of many representatives elected directly by the people.
• popular sovereignty


  power lies with the people
• Preamble to the Constitution


  the opening section of the Constitution; brief introductory statement of the fundamental purposes and guiding principles that the Constitution is meant to serve
• President pro tempore of the Senate


  Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the Vice President who is the President of the Senate
• House of Representatives


  the lower legislative house of Congress; number of representatives from each state is based on population and each representative is elected by a district in their state; members serve 2 year terms