Florida Civic Literacy Exam

What form of government does the US use? - answer-Representative Democracy What was one of the main reasons the English colonists came to the New World? - answer-Land Acquisition, religious persecution, political liberty, economic opportunity What rights are stated in the Declaration of Independence? - answer-life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness What were the reasons the colonists separated from England? - answer-Five reasons the American colonists separated from Britain are the Proclamation of 1763, the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Quartering Act. How did the French and Indian War (1763) affect the colonists? - answer-changed the relationship between England and its American colonies in that its outcome eliminated the colonies' need for the British military and led to the Proclamation of 1763, the Quartering Act, and various taxes, all of which angered the colonists and contributed to the American Revolution What was the Virginia House of Burgesses? - answer-The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. What are the three branches of the US government? - answer-Executive, Legislative, Judicial What is the system of checks and balance of the US government? - answer-stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful. This means that each branch can block, or threaten to block, the actions of the other branches What are the three levels of the US government? - answer-local, state, federal What are the powers of Congress? - answer-1. taxing 2. printing money 3. declaring war What are the powers of the president? - answer-Commander of military, nominate Federal judges, ambassadors, and other high ranking officials, negotiate treaties, Pardon citizens (forgive a crime), Represent the United States for other countries What are the powers of the Supreme Court? - answer-Declare laws unconstitutional and declare presidential acts unconstitutional, interpret the meaning of a law, to decide whether a law is relevant to a particular set of facts, or to rule on how a law should be applied What was the "Great Compromise"? - answer-Small-state delegates demanded, with comparable intensity, that all states be equally represented in both houses. Also called Connecticut Compromise of 1787 How are the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate chosen? - answer-Directly elected by the public How are the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate allocated? - answer-After extensive debate, the framers of the Constitution agreed to create the House with representation based on population and the Senate with equal representation. 2 Senators from each state and Representatives based off of population What is the process of Presidential succession? - answer-If the President of the United States is incapacitated, dies, resigns, is for any reason unable to hold his/her office, or is removed from office, he/she will be replaced in the following order: Vice President. Speaker of the House. President Pro Tempore of the Senate. What is the Electoral College? - answer-A body of electors who represent the people's vote in choosing the president. What is gerrymandering? - answer-when a political group tries to change a voting district to create a result that helps them or hurts the group who is against them. It is named after Elbridge Gerry (). Proclamation of 1763 - answer-A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east. Sugar Act of 1764 - answer-An act that raised tax revenue in the colonies for the crown. It also increased the duty on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies. Stamp Act of 1765 - answer-This act required colonists to pay for an official stamp, or seal, when they bought paper items. Townshend Acts (1767) - answer-passed by Parliament, put a tax on glass, lead, paper, and tea. The acts caused protest from the colonists, who found ways around the taxes such as buying smuggled tea. Due to its little profits, the Townshend Acts were repealed in 1770, except for the tax on tea. The tax on tea was kept to keep alive the principle of Parliamentary taxation. Quartering Act of 1765 - answer-Act forcing colonists to house and supply British forces in the colonies; created more resentment; seen as assault on liberties. separation of church and state doctrine - answer-idea that the government and religion should be separate, and not interfere in each other's affairs. In the United States, this idea is based on the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which states that the government cannot make any laws to establish a state religion or prohibit the free exercise of religion. Shay's Rebellion (1786) - answer-This MA conflict caused criticism of the Articles of Confederation; weak govt; increased calls for a Constitutional Convention to revise the Articles What are two holidays that honor the members of the armed forces? - answer-Memorial Day and Veterans Day From where does the US government get its power? - answer-from the consent of the people Where was the original capital of the US? - answer-New York City Common Law - answer-draws from institutionalized opinions and interpretations from judicial authorities and public juries. Common laws sometimes prove the inspiration for new legislation to be enacted What is the US judicial system based on? - answer-constitution, statutes, common law Which is the supreme law of the United States? - answer-U.S. Constitution How many amendments does the US Constitution have? - answer-27 What are the first ten amendments called? - answer-Bill of Rights First Amendment - answer-5 freedoms: speech, press, religion, assembly, petition Second Amendment - answer-A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Fourth Amendment - answer-Protects against unreasonable search and seizure Fifth Amendment - answer-prohibits government from forcing individuals to testify against themselves. Sixth Amendment - answer-Right to a speedy and public trial Seventh Amendment - answer-Right to a trial by jury in civil cases Eighth Amendment - answer-The constitutional amendment that forbids cruel and unusual punishment. Third Amendment - answer-The government may not house soldiers in private homes without consent of the owner Nineth Amendment - answer-peoples rights are not just limited to those listed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights Tenth Amendment - answer-The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Thirteenth Amendment - answer-The constitutional amendment ratified after the Civil War that forbade slavery and involuntary servitude. Fourteenth Amendment - answer-A constitutional amendment giving full rights of citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States, except for American Indians. Fifteenth Amendment - answer-The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Nineteenth Amendment - answer-The constitutional amendment adopted in 1920 that guarantees women the right to vote. Twenty-sixth Amendment - answer-Changed the legal voting age from 21 to 18. How can the Constitution be changed? - answer-Amendment Process Which amendment was repealed? - answer-18th Amendment (Prohibition) What is the purpose of the Preamble of the US constitution? - answer-It clearly communicates the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document. 1) to form a more perfect union; 2) establish justice; 3) insure domestic tranquility; 4) provide for the common defense; 5) promote the general welfare; and 6) secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity Full Faith and Credit Clause - answer-addresses the duties that states within the United States have to respect the "public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state." Where was the Constitution signed? - answer-September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Common Clause - answer-Works to promote the common needs of all citizens