US Constitution Flashcards
(35 cards)
Which article of the constitution mentions the word “federalism”?
None - it’s not mentioned at all.
What does Article One deal with?
Congress.
What does Article Two deal with?
The Executive.
What does Article Three deal with?
The Supreme Court.
What are the four key principles of the Constitution?
federalism; limited government; separation of powers and checks and balances; bipartisanship.
Why were the Founding Fathers so keen to ensure limited government?
Because they had only just thrown off British rule.
What did the Connecticut Compromise agree?
To a bicameral chamber: a Senate and a House of Representatives.
How many members of the Senate are there, and how many per state?
100; 2.
How many members of the House are there, and how are they allocated?
435; by population.
How many members of the electoral college are there, and why is that the number?
- One for every House and Senate member (535) and three for District of Columbia which has no representation.
Article 1 s8 lists what, and embodies which of the principles of Constitution?
The enumerated powers; limited government.
What and where in the Constitution is the “elastic” clause, and what is its more proper name?
Article 1 s8 clause 18; it allows Congress to “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper” for executing the enumerated powers. Its more proper name is the necessary and proper clause.
What is the collective name for the powers conferred by the 10th Amendment, and to whom are they conferred?
Reserved powers; they are given to the states.
Which part of the Constitution makes the President Commmander-in-Chief?
Article 2 section 2.
“There is nothing more likely than that the enumeration of powers is defective.” So said:
Thomas Jefferson.
According to Motesquieu, “When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person…”
“…there can be no liberty.”
According to Professor Richard Neustadt, the Constitutional Convention of 1787 created not a government of separated powers, but instead:
separated institutions sharing powers.
According to Professor Stephen Finer, the legislative and executive are like:
two halves of a bank note: each useless without the other.
How did James Madison describe checks and balances?
Ambition counter-checking ambition.
What is the name given to the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which were all proposed together and accepted in 1791?
The Bill of Rights.
Where are constitutional rights outlined?
In the Bill of Rights and other amendments.
Which amendment protects free speech?
The First.
Which amendment protects the right to bear arms?
The Second.
Which amendment ensures the right to silence?
The Fifth.
