Civics Flashcards

(100 cards)

1
Q

What is the supreme law of the land?

A

• the Constitution

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2
Q

What does the Constitution do?

A
  • sets up the government
  • defines the government
  • protects basic rights of Americans
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3
Q

The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?

A

• We the People

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4
Q

What is an amendment?

A
  • a change (to the Constitution)

* an addition (to the Constitution)

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5
Q

What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

A

• the Bill of Rights

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6
Q

What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

A
  • speech
  • religion
  • assembly
  • press
  • petition the government
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7
Q

How many amendments does the Constitution have?

A

• twenty-seven (27)

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8
Q

What did the Declaration of Independence do?

A
  • announced our independence (from Great Britain)
  • declared our independence (from Great Britain)
  • said that the United States is free (from Great Britain)
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9
Q

What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

A
  • life
  • liberty
  • pursuit of happiness
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10
Q

What is freedom of religion?

A

• You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

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11
Q

What is the economic system in the United States?

A
  • capitalist economy

* market economy

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12
Q

What is the “rule of law”?

A
  • Everyone must follow the law.
  • Leaders must obey the law.
  • Government must obey the law.
  • No one is above the law.
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13
Q

Name one branch or part of the government.

A
  • Congress
  • legislative
  • President
  • executive
  • the courts
  • judicial
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14
Q

What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

A
  • checks and balances

* separation of powers

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15
Q

Who is in charge of the executive branch?

A

• the President

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16
Q

Who makes federal laws?

A
  • Congress
  • Senate and House (of Representatives)
  • (U.S. or national) legislature
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17
Q

What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

A

• the Senate and House (of Representatives)

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18
Q

How many U.S. Senators are there?

A

• one hundred (100)

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19
Q

We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

A

• six (6)

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20
Q

Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?

A
  • Sen. Robert Casey (D)

* Sen. Patrick Toomey (R)

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21
Q

The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

A

• four hundred thirty-five (435)

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22
Q

We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

A

• two (2)

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23
Q

Name your U.S. Representative.

A

• Rep. Michael Doyle (D)

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24
Q

Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

A

• all people of the state

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25
Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
* (because of) the state’s population * (because) they have more people * (because) some states have more people
26
We elect a President for how many years?
• four (4)
27
In what month do we vote for President?
• November
28
What is the name of the President of the United States now?
* Donald J. Trump * Donald Trump * Trump
29
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
* Michael R. Pence * Mike Pence * Pence
30
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
• the Vice President
31
If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
• the Speaker of the House
32
Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
• the President
33
Who signs bills to become laws?
• the President
34
Who vetoes bills?
• the President
35
What does the President’s Cabinet do?
• advises the President
36
What are two Cabinet-level positions?
* Secretary of Agriculture * Secretary of Commerce * Secretary of Defense * Secretary of Education * Secretary of Energy * Secretary of Health and Human Services * Secretary of Homeland Security * Secretary of Housing and Urban Development * Secretary of the Interior * Secretary of Labor * Secretary of State * Secretary of Transportation * Secretary of the Treasury * Secretary of Veterans Affairs * Attorney General * Vice President
37
What does the judicial branch do?
* reviews laws * explains laws * resolves disputes (disagreements) * decides if a law goes against the Constitution
38
What is the highest court in the United States?
• the Supreme Court
39
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
• nine (9)
40
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
• John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.)
41
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
* to print money * to declare war * to create an army * to make treaties
42
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
* provide schooling and education * provide protection (police) * provide safety (fire departments) * give a driver’s license * approve zoning and land use
43
Who is the Governor of your state now?
• Tom Wolf (Thomas W. Wolf)
44
What is the capital of your state?
• Harrisburg
45
What are the two major political parties in the United States?
• Democratic and Republican
46
What is the political party of the President now?
• Republican (Party)
47
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
* Paul D. Ryan | * (Paul) Ryan
48
There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
* Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote). * You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote. * Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.) * A male citizen of any race (can vote).
49
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
* serve on a jury | * vote in a federal election
50
Name one right only for United States citizens.
* vote in a federal election | * run for federal office
51
What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
* freedom of expression * freedom of speech * freedom of assembly * freedom to petition the government * freedom of religion * the right to bear arms
52
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
* the United States | * the flag
53
What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
* give up loyalty to other countries * defend the Constitution and laws of the United States * obey the laws of the United States * serve in the U.S.military (if needed) * serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed) * be loyal to the United States
54
How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
• eighteen (18) and older
55
What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
* vote * join a political party * help with a campaign * join a civic group * join a community group * give an elected official your opinion on an issue * call Senators and Representatives * publicly support or oppose an issue or policy * run for office * write to a newspaper
56
When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
• April 15
57
When must all men register for the Selective Service?
* at age eighteen (18) | * between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
58
What is one reason colonists came to America?
* freedom * political liberty * religious freedom * economic opportunity * practice their religion * escape persecution
59
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
* American Indians | * Native Americans
60
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
* Africans | * people from Africa
61
Why did the colonists fight the British?
* because of high taxes (taxation without representation) * because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering) * because they didn’t have self-government
62
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
• (Thomas) Jefferson
63
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
• July 4, 1776
64
There were 13 original states. Name three.
* New Hampshire * Massachusetts * Rhode Island * Connecticut * New York * New Jersey * Pennsylvania * Delaware * Maryland * Virginia * North Carolina * South Carolina * Georgia
65
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
* The Constitution was written. | * The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
66
When was the Constitution written?
• 1787
67
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
* (James) Madison * (Alexander) Hamilton * (John) Jay * Publius
68
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
* U.S. diplomat * oldest member of the Constitutional Convention * first Postmaster General of the United States * writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac” * started the first free libraries
69
Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
• (George) Washington
70
Who was the first President?
• (George) Washington
71
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
* the Louisiana Territory | * Louisiana
72
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
* War of 1812 * Mexican-American War * Civil War * Spanish-American War
73
Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
* the Civil War | * the War between the States
74
Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
* slavery * economic reasons * states’ rights
75
What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?
* freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation) * saved (or preserved) the Union * led the United States during the Civil War
76
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
* freed the slaves * freed slaves in the Confederacy * freed slaves in the Confederate states * freed slaves in most Southern states
77
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
* fought for women’s rights | * fought for civil rights
78
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
* World War I * World War II * Korean War * Vietnam War * (Persian) Gulf War
79
Who was President during World War I?
• (Woodrow) Wilson
80
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
• (Franklin) Roosevelt
81
Who did the United States fight in World War II?
• Japan, Germany, and Italy
82
Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
• World War II
83
During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
• Communism
84
What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
• civil rights (movement)
85
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
* fought for civil rights | * worked for equality for all Americans
86
What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
• Terrorists attacked the United States.
87
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
* Cherokee * Navajo * Sioux * Chippewa * Choctaw * Pueblo * Apache * Iroquois * Creek * Blackfeet * Seminole * Cheyenne * Arawak * Shawnee * Mohegan * Huron * Oneida * Lakota * Crow * Teton * Hopi * Inuit
88
Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
* Missouri (River) | * Mississippi (River)
89
What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
• Pacific (Ocean)
90
What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
• Atlantic (Ocean)
91
Name one U.S. territory.
* Puerto Rico * U.S. Virgin Islands * American Samoa * Northern Mariana Islands * Guam
92
Name one state that borders Canada.
* Maine * New Hampshire * Vermont * New York * Pennsylvania * Ohio * Michigan * Minnesota * North Dakota * Montana * Idaho * Washington * Alaska
93
Name one state that borders Mexico.
* California * Arizona * New Mexico * Texas
94
What is the capital of the United States?
• Washington, D.C.
95
Where is the Statue of Liberty?
• New York (Harbor) • Liberty Island [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]
96
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
* because there were 13 original colonies | * because the stripes represent the original colonies
97
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
* because there is one star for each state * because each star represents a state * because there are 50 states
98
What is the name of the national anthem?
• The Star-Spangled Banner
99
When do we celebrate Independence Day?
• July 4
100
Name two national U.S. holidays.
* New Year’s Day * Martin Luther King, Jr. Day * Presidents’ Day * Memorial Day * Independence Day * Labor Day * Columbus Day * Veterans Day * Thanksgiving * Christmas