constitution study notes/review. “government” according to the declaration government’s...
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Constitution
Study Notes/Review
“Government” according to the Declaration
Government’s Purpose: To secure rights Government’s Power: Obtained by the
people Government’s Actions: If government acts
like a tyrant, people have right to abolish and create a new one
Self-evident Truths
We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War was fought against Great Britain
Father of the Declaration
The father of the Declaration of Independence is Thomas Jefferson
Declaration’s Purpose is to declare war & independence
Father of the Constitution
The father of the Constitution is James Madison
Original Colonies
There were 13 original colonies
First U.S. President
The first President of the United States was George Washington
1789- George Washington becomes President
Articles of Confederation
The Continental Congress wrote the first Constitution called the Articles of Confederation
Preamble
A preamble is an introductory and explanatory statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy.
The Preamble of the U.S. Constitution lists reasons for writing the Constitution.
It has 6 goals.
Preamble Goals
Form a more perfect Union Establish Justice Insure domestic Tranquility Provide for the common defense Promote the general Welfare Secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity
Congress
The HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES can be found in Article I, Section II
The SENATE can be found in Article I, Section III
A 2/3 vote is required for Congress to override a law the President has vetoed.
Legislative Branch
Major Duty = Makes Laws 2 Houses = Congress Congress = House + Senate
House Senate + = Congress (Major Body)
Senate
The Senate has 100 members (There are 2 Senators from every state & 50 states!)
A Senator serves a 6 year term A Senator must be 30 years of age, a resident
of the state, a citizen for 9 years A Senator may serve as many as elected terms 1/3 of the Senators are elected every two years
(2+2+2=6) 1/3+1/3+1/3=100 Senators The presiding officer of the Senate is the Vice-
President
Senators per State
Each state has 2 Senators
Are Senators from the House or Senate?
Who are Illinois Senators?
How many Senators does California have?
House of Representatives
The House has 435 members (Add #’s from the Electoral College)
A Representative serves a 2 year term Must be 25 years of age, a resident of the
district, a citizen for 7 years A Representative may serve as many as
elected terms Each state must have at least 1 Rep. The House starts impeachment proceedings
and the official is tried by the Senate
Representatives per State
Each state has a certain number of Representatives per state based on that state’s population
Are Representatives from the House or Senate?
If Illinois has 21 electoral votes, how many representatives does IL have?
How many representatives does California (55) have?
Legislative Branch
House favors more populated states Senate favors less populated states
***In the Articles of Confederation large and small states had equal power, so when the
Constitution was created they wanted small and large states to be represented
individually by both houses***
Legislative Branch
Every 2 years we have a new Congress
The present number of Congress is __113_____
The Elastic Clause has been used by Congress in writing laws about things not directly mentioned in the Constitution
Legislative Branch
In which house of Congress do Revenue bills start???
Revenue Bills start in the HOUSE!
Legislative Branch
Congress’ power can be roughly divided into three groups.
MONEY DEFENSE MISCELLANEOUS
Government Powers
Elastic ClauseThis means Congress has the power to make all laws necessary to carry out the spirit of the ConstitutionThese powers are called “implied,” they are not written in the constitutionExample: The power to regulate TV stations or aviation (didn’t exist when the constitution was written!)
Speaker of the House
The House has Speaker for chief officer
John Boehner
Executive Branch
The Executive Branch includes The President, Vice President
and The Cabinet.
Ok, so now your President…
You are now working for the Executive Branch of gov’t.
The major duty of the Executive Branch is to enforce laws. (I always knew you were bossy)
Article II (L1E2J3)
5 Duties of President
Legislation Appointment Judicial Functions Domestic and Military Administration Foreign Affairs Fuzzy Dogs Like Apple Juice
President/Vice President Criteria
35 Years Old Resident for 14 yrs, in U.S. Natural born citizen President limited to 2 terms Each term is 4 years
President/Vice President Criteria
The President is limited to 2 terms, but it “Does Not Say” in the Constitution how many terms for the Vice President.
Each term is 4 years
This information can be found in Article II (L1E2J3)
Cabinet Members/Departments
The Cabinet members are your “peeps” to help you accomplish all of your goals…
You have 15 Cabinet members to help you run the 15 departments in the Executive Branch.
This is like how the school departments (Sci, SS, Math, LA, etc.) help the Principal & Asst. Principals run the school!
President of the United States
Barack Obama
Vice-President of the United States
Joe Biden
Ok, it was fun being President…
But now you die, who will take your place? And in what order?
1. Vice-President2. Speaker of the House3. President Pro-Tempore of the Senate4. Secretary of State
What is the Electoral College?
The Electoral College consists elected representatives (electors) who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States.
Rather than directly voting for the President and Vice President, United States citizens vote for electors.
Electoral College by State
Each State has a certain number of electoral votes
Electoral votes for each state are determined by the number of Representatives + the number of senators
Total Electoral Votes
435+100+3=_____ There are 538 Electoral Votes Why? 435= Representatives (population) 100= Senators (2 per state) 3=? Which Amendment allows 3 votes?
Running for President?
Overall, a state’s population determines how many electoral votes a state receives.
Whichever presidential candidate gets the most popular votes in a state, wins all of the electoral votes of that state.
If no one receives an absolute majority of electoral votes for president, the House of Representatives will cast the deciding vote.
How many votes do you need to win?
You need…
538 Electoral votes 270 to win! (If you are running
against another candidate) 538 divided by 2 is 269) 270 will win the election!
Cabinet Departments
Your “peeps” do a lot of work for you so they have many departments! Choose 5 to remember…
State, Defense, Interior, Agriculture, LaborCommerce, Treasury, Health and Human
Services, Education, Housing and Urban Development,Transportation, Energy, Veteran’s Affairs, Homeland Security, Justice
Judicial Branch
The judicial branch is found in what article of the Constitution?
ARTICLE 3 What is the major duty of the judicial
branch INTERPRET LAWS What is the age, residency, and citizenship
requirements for federal judges ? DOES NOT SAY!
Judicial Branch
The PRESIDENT appoints a Supreme Court Justice and the SENATE approves the appointment
There are 9 Supreme Court Judges Supreme Court judges may be
IMPEACHED for bad behavior The three Federal Courts are
SUPREME, APPEALS, and DISTRICT
Constitutional Amendments
Changes made to the original Constitution
1st Amendment
Guarantees freedom of assembly and petition
6th Amendment
Gives the accused the right to be represented by a lawyer
2nd Amendment
Provides for the right to bear arms
22nd Amendment
This amendment changed the number of times a President can be elected
25th Amendment
This amendment states the order of succession of the President should he die
4th Amendment
People are protected against unreasonable searches
5th Amendment
Provides for your right to “not testify against yourself”
8th Amendment
People argue about the Constitutionality of Capital Punishment because of this amendment’s clause concerning “cruel and unusual punishment”.
14th Amendment
Guarantees citizenship, due process and equal protection under the law
15th Amendment
Guarantees former slaves voting rights
16th Amendment
Gives the federal government power to collect income tax
18th Amendment
Made alcohol illegal to sell and transport
7th Amendment
Trial by jury cases
9th Amendment
This amendment states that the basic rights of the people cannot be denied, even those not named in the Constitution
10th Amendment
Power of states and people
18th Amendment
The only amendment to be repealed was the 18th amendment (Prohibition).
Bill of Rights
The part of the Constitution that gives the most protection to the individual citizens
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments of the Constitution
The Bill of Rights was added in 1791, 3 years after the Constitution was ratified
The 23rd Amendment…
Voting in the District of Columbia (1961)
Prior to the passage of the amendment, residents of Washington, D.C. were unable to vote for President or Vice President as the District is not a U.S. state.
23rd Amendment
Gave people in the District of Columbia the right to vote for President
“DC 23”
19th Amendment
Gave women the right to vote
26th Amendment
Gave 18 year olds the right to vote
12th Amendment
If no candidate receives an absolute majority of electoral votes for President the House of Rep. will cast the deciding vote.
Governor of Illinois
Bruce
Rauner
Illinois State Senator
Mark Kirk
(Republican)
Illinois State Senator
Dick
Durbin(Democrat)
Government Powers
Enumerated Powers Enumerated /expressed powers are specifically listed (expressed, written) in the Constitution.Example: The power to declare war
Government Powers
The powers given to the Federal Government are called:
Delegated
Government Powers
The powers given to the State Government are called:
Reserved powers/State powers Ex: Establish schools Provide for state militia Regulate labor, industry, and business within the state
Reserved
Federalists
Believed in a strong federal government
Anti-Federalists
Preferred to protect the rights and the powers of the individual states
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
2/3The vote that is required for
Congress to override a law that the President has
vetoed.
Additional Facts
The Constitution has a Preamble 7 Original Articles And 27 Amendments Enumerated powers are the powers
specifically listed in the Constitution.
Branches of Government
L = Legislative
Makes Laws = Article 1 E = Executive
Enforces Laws = Article 2 J = Judicial
Interprets Laws = Article 3
Constitution
Constitution- becomes the law of the land and went into effect in 1788
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights went into effect in 1791
The part of the Constitution that gives the most protection to the individual citizens
Amending the Constitution
Article 5
of the Constitution tells how to amend the Constitution
Good Luck!
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