MIE 305 Exam 2 Study Questions and Answers with Complete Solutions Graded A 2024

What are the Articles of Confederation? - the original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781 (replaced by the US Constitution in 1789) What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? - 1) Confederate congress was the only national branch of government and it served a limited function as coordinator between the states 2) States were the all powerful sovereigns within their own borders 3) No federal executive 4) No federal judiciary What are the differences between the federal and the confederal governmental system? - Confederal system: -two separate units -lower units were supreme -national government was the advisory Federal system: -stronger national government -grants power in certain ways to control national policies and states follow What were the factors impacting movement toward development of the US Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention? - 1) Alexander Hamilton wanted to build a truly national economy 2) States engaged in economic war between each other at times 3) Lack of enforceable coordination of policy 4) Great recession "Panic of 1785": --- states were too individually weak, --- business' wanted to have free trade What is the basic structure of the Constitution? - 1) preamble 2) articles 3) amendments What is the subject matter of the 7 articles in the constitution? - Article I: Legislative Article II: Executive Article III: Judicial Article IV: Federalism and interstate relations Article V: Amendments Article VI: Religious tests What is the difference between Articles and Amendments? - Articles = original Amendments = "alterations" What are checks and balances? - The process by which each branch of government restrains the power of another branch What are the 3 principle functions of the Constitution? - 1. Create the federal government 2. Allocates regulatory powers between fed and states 3. limits the role of government What is federalism? - Form of gov divided between federal gov and state gov --- national government responsible for broader --- governance of larger areas, states govern the local issues. What is separation of powers? - Each branch of gov charged with performing certain functions What is the legislative branch? (Article #? Responsibilities?) - Senate - Approves treaties House of Representatives - Bills that impact taxation arise Article 1 What is the executive branch? (Article #? Responsibilities?) - Powers associated with presidency to enforce the laws Approves acts of congress, appoints federal judges, commander-in-chief of the military, primary architect of foreign affairs policy Article 2 What is the judicial branch? (Article #? Responsibilities?) - Power to adjudicate disputes to the Supreme Court Federal judiciary- federal courts can hear controversies that arise under the constitution, federal laws, treaties of the US Article 3 What is judicial review? - Doctrine that allows the federal courts to determine whether acts by the federal government or the state governments conform to the Constitution What are police powers? - Government powers including the areas of -public safety -health -welfare -morals, *traditionally regulated by the state government What is the commerce clause? - Grants congress the power to regulate interstate commerce "Congress should have the power to regulate commerce with Foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes" What is the supremacy clause? (Article #?) - Constitutional provision mandating that federal law is superior to state law Article VI What is the privileges and immunities clause? (Article #?) - Guarantees that a citizen of one state who engages in important activities in another state is entitled to the same treatment as he/she would receive in his/her home state Article IV, Section 2 What is the full faith and credit clause? (Article #?) - Rights associated with property deeds, contracts, and other legal documents in one state will be honored by all other states State court determination in one state will be honored and enforced in other states Article IV, Section I What are enumerated powers? (Article #?) - Powers written down