Term
| Preamble to the Constitution |
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Definition
| “We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.” |
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Term
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Definition
| A United States Congress makes the laws. |
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| The United States House of Representatives is composed of members of each state; each state has at least 1; the number of representatives in the House is based on the population of each state. |
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Definition
| The number of representatives in the House is based on the population of each state. |
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Definition
| Members of the House of Representatives are elected to 2 year terms. |
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Qualifications of members of the House:
---must be at least 25 years old
---must live in the state elected to represent
---must have been a citizen for at least 7 years |
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| Members of the House select a Speaker of the house, who presides over them. |
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| The House of Representatives, alone, has the power to impeach federal officials. |
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| The United States Senate is composed of members of each state; each state has 2. |
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| Senators are elected by qualified votes in their state. |
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Definition
| Members of the Senate are elected to 6 year terms. |
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Definition
Qualifications for Senators:
---must be at least 30 years old
---must live in the state elected to represent
---must have been a citizen for at least 9 years |
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Definition
| The Vice President is president of the Senate, but votes only to break a tie; the Senate elects a President Pro Tempore to preside in the Vice President's absence |
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Definition
| The Senate tries all impeachment cases, and the Vice President presides over these trials; however, the Chief Justice of the United States presides over impeachment trials of the President. |
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Definition
| A person who is impeached and convicted is removed from office, may never fill another federal office, and can be prosecuted. |
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Definition
| State legislatures decide when and where to hold Congressional elections. |
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| The U.S. Congress must meet at least once a year. |
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| A majority of the members of each house must be present for a vote. |
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| Each house makes its own rules, punishes its members for poor behavior, and has the power to expel a member. |
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| Each house must keep a journal on its proceedings. |
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| When Congress is in session, neither house can adjourn for more than 3 days. |
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| Members of Congress receive a salary. |
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| Members of Congress cannot be arrested in House or Senate chambers. |
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Definition
| Members of Congress cannot be prosecuted for spoken or written words relating to their duties. |
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Definition
| Members of Congress cannot hold a federal office while serving in Congress. |
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Definition
| All tax bills must originate in the House, but the Senate may amend these bills. |
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Term
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Definition
Bills passed by both houses are presented to the U.S. President; if the President signs a bill, it becomes law; if the President does not sign a bill, he vetoes it.
---If 2/3 of both houses still approve the bill, it passes despite the President's veto. |
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Definition
| If the President fails to return a bill to Congress within 10 days, excluding Sundays, it automatically becomes a law. |
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Definition
| If Congress adjourns before 10 days pass, preventing the President from returning it, the bill does not become a law; this is known as a pocket veto. |
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Definition
| All orders, resolutions, or votes that require the agreement of the House and the Senate must be presented to the President; if the President disapproves, a 2/3 vote of both the House and the Senate overrides the President. |
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Definition
Congress has the power to perform the following duties:
---determine and collect taxes
---borrow money
---regulate national and international trade
---establish rules for naturalization (rights to citizenship)
---print money, make coins, set the value, and punish counterfeiters
---establish post offices and post roads
---encourage science and the arts by granting patents and copyrights
---set up federal courts
---punish piracy and crimes committed at sea
---declare war
---raise and support military forces
---raise and support a navy
---establish rules for military forces
---call on the National Guard to enforce laws and to suppress rebellions
---support, organize, arm, and discipline the National Guard
---make all laws necessary and proper for carrying out its Constitutional powers |
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Definition
Congress does not have the power to perform the following acts:
---migrate or import "such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit" until 1808
---suspend habeas corpus, unless required for public safety
---pass a law that singles out a particular group for punishment (Bill of Attainder)
---pass a law that punishes people for actions before a law was passed (Ex post facto)
---pass a head tax, unless it is in proportion to the census
---pass a tax on items exported from any state
---pass trade laws that favor one state over another
---pass laws requiring ships to pay taxes as they pass from state to state
---spend government money without the consent of Congress
---grant titles of nobility or permit federal officials to accept gifts or titles without Congress's consent |
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Definition
The states are unable to perform the following acts:
---enter into any treaty or alliance
---approve private military action
---coin money
---give out bills of credit
---pass any bill of attainder or ex post facto law
---grant titles of nobility
---tax imports or exports, except for small inspection fees, without the approval of Congress
---keep troops or ships of war in peacetime without the approval of Congress
---make treaties without the approval of Congress
---make war without the approval of Congress, unless invaded |
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Term
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Definition
| All federal and executive power is given to the President of the United States |
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Definition
| The U.S. President and Vice President are elected to 4 year terms |
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Definition
| Each state appoints electors equal in number to the state's senators and representatives; electors from each state vote for President and Vice President in a process known as the Electoral College |
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Definition
| A presidential election resulting in a tie is decided by the House of Representatives. |
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Definition
Qualifications for Presidency:
---must be at least 35 years old
---must be a 14-year resident of the U.S.
---must be a natural-born citizen |
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Term
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Definition
| If the President leaves office for any reason, the Vice President will assume his duties. |
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Term
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Definition
| The President receives a salary, and this salary will not change during his term of office. |
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Term
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Definition
| The President must take the Oath of Office. [hand on the Bible] |
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Term
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Definition
| The President is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the National Guard when called into service by the federal government. |
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| The President can grant reprieves and pardons. |
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| The President can make treaties with 2/3 Senate approval. |
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| The President appoints ambassadors, Supreme Court justices, and other federal officers with the Senate's consent. |
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| The President can make temporary appointments to offices requiring Senate confirmation when the Senate is not in session. |
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| The President provides Congress with information on the state of the Union. |
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Definition
| The President ensures that laws are "faithfully executed." |
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| The President, the Vice President, and other federal officials can be impeached for and convicted of treason, bribery, and other high crimes. |
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| Judicial power rests with the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts established by Congress. |
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Term
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| Supreme Court and Federal Court Judges serve for life on good behavior and receive a salary. |
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Term
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Definition
| The judiciary decides cases of U.S. Constitutional law and cases involving federal laws. |
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Term
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Definition
| Cases involving ambassadors and states go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. |
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| All criminal trials are by jury, and criminal cases are heard in the state where the crime was committed. |
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Term
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Definition
| Acts of treason include declaring war on the U.S. and aiding its enemies. |
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| One can be convicted of treason if there is a court confession or if there are two witnesses to the act of treason. |
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| Congress determines the punishment for treason. |
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| Each state honors the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of all other states. |
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| Citizens visiting other states are entitled to the rights and privileges of citizens in the state they are visiting. |
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Definition
| If an individual charged with a crime flees to another state, the criminal's state can demand his return. |
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Definition
| Congress can admit new states to the Union. |
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Definition
| A new state cannot be formed by joining or dividing any existing states without the consent of Congress and the legislatures of the concerned States. |
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Definition
| Congress disposes of and regulates all U.S. property. |
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Definition
| The U.S. guarantees every state a representative government. [voting box] |
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Definition
| The U.S. will protect all states from invasion. |
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Definition
| Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed when 2/3 of both the House and the Senate deem it necessary. |
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Definition
| Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed when 2/3 of all state legislatures ask Congress to call a convention to do so. |
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Definition
| Amendments to the Constitution must be ratified by legislatures in 3/4 of the states or by conventions in 3/4 of the states. |
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Definition
| The U.S. honors all debts incurred prior to the U.S. Constitution's ratification. |
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Definition
| The Constitution, federal laws, and federal treaties are the law of the land; the judges in every state are bound to these laws. |
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Definition
| Federal and State officials must loyally support the Constitution. |
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Definition
| No religious test shall ever be required to hold a public office. |
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Definition
Nine of the thirteen states had to ratify the U.S. Constitution before it was establish.
---Delaware, December 7, 1787
---Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787
---New Jersey, December 18, 1787
---Connecticut, January 9, 1788
---Georgia, February 2, 1788
---Massachusetts, February 6, 1788
---Maryland, April 28, 1788
---South Carolina, May 23, 1788
---New Hampshire, June 21, 1788
---Virginia, June 25, 1788
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---New York, July 26, 1788
---North Carolina, November 29, 1789
---Rhode Island, May 29, 1970 |
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