8th Grade Constitution Study Guide

Constitution Study Guide

The Preamble

• Preamble means an introduction to a document

  • "pre" means before

• The Preamble of the Constitution:

  • sets out the goals of the government

  • emphasizes the importance of establishing justice, promoting the general welfare (happiness), and securing liberties (freedoms).

Multiple Choice

an introduction to a document

• preamble

• bill

• law

Multiple Choice

What emphasizes the importance of establishing justice, promoting the general welfare (happiness), and securing liberties (freedoms)

• The Preamble

• The Articles

• The Seven Principals

Liberty

• social, intellectual, and political freedom

Multiple Choice

• social, intellectual, and political freedom

• The Constitution

• preamble

• liberty

Articles of Confederation

• A confederation is a group of individuals united together for a purpose

• Basic Rules:

  • Each state was independent and had its own government.

  • Each state would send representatives to the “Congress of the Confederation,” a lawmaking body.

  • Congress was the only branch of government. (No president or courts.)

  • In Congress, each state got one vote.

• They failed because they didn't give the government the right to trade or collect taxes.

Dropdown

The Articles of Confederation failed because:​ the government​

Select answer

to trade or collect taxes.

Federal Government

• level of government in charge of regulating the whole country

Multiple Choice

• level of government in charge of regulating the whole country

• Federal Government

• Limited Government

• Democratic Government

The Preamble

• The Preamble outlines the purpose of the Constitution:

  • 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

The Preamble

• the introduction to the Constitution that explains the goals of the new government

Multiple Choice

What outlines the purpose of the Constitution?

• The preamble

• The Chamber

• The bills

The Articles

• There are seven parts to the Constitution that come AFTER the Preamble. These parts are called “Articles”.

Multiple Choice

What are the 7 parts to the constitution that come AFTER the Preamble?

• Legislative

• Articles

• Chambers

Founding Framers (Fathers)

• framers (fathers*) of the Constitution: the people who wrote the Constitution. They set up a framework (structure) for the new government.

• Included James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin.

Multiple Choice

Who wrote The Constitution?

• The framers (fathers) of the Constitution

• The president

• The vice president

Seven Principals

• Popular Sovereignty- Government where people rule through voting

• Republicanism- People exercise their powers by voting for representatives

  Rule by the people

• Federalism- System of government in which power is divided between a central government and smaller political units (ex. National and state governments)

• Separation of Powers- Dividing power into separate branches

• Checks and Balances- Each branch of government can exercise controls and limit the power of the other branches

• Limited Government- Citizens and leaders must obey the laws; power of the government has limits

• Individual Rights- Personal liberties (freedoms) and privileges that all people have

The Great Compromise

• The Founding Fathers created a congress that is bicameral (two branches, chambers, or houses)

  • The Senate: each state gets two votes no matter what size it is. This favors small states.

  • The House of Representatives: the more people a state has, the more votes it gets. This favors the large states.

Multiple Choice

Bicameral

• 1 chamber

• three chambers

• two chambers

Dropdown

Select answer

created a congress that is bicameral, meaning ​

Select answer

​ chambers.

Multiple Choice

• each state gets two votes no matter what size it is. This favors small states.

• The Senate

• The House of Representatives

Multiple Choice

• the more people a state has, the more votes it gets. This favors the large states.

• The Senate

• The House of Representatives

The Legislative Branch

• The lawmaking branch

• Made up of the Senate and The House of Representatives

  • Together, they make Congress

Multiple Choice

The lawmaking branch

• Legislative

• Executive

• Judicial

Multiple Choice

The Senate and the House of Representatives are in this branch:

• Legislative

• Executive

• Judicial

Drag and Drop

Placeholder

and the ​

Placeholder

​ make up the Legislative Branch.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

The Senate

The Judges

House of Representatives

The constituents

The Senate

• Number of Representatives: 100 total (2 from every state)

• Qualifications: at least 30 years old, citizen for at least 9 years, live in the state they represent

• Term Length: 6 years

• Job: approves presidential appointments, like ambassadors, judges, and cabinet members.

The House of Representatives

• Number of Representatives: depends on the population of the state, 435 total

• Qualifications: at least 25 years old, citizen for at least 7 years, live in the state or district they represent

• Term Length: 2 years

• Job: All bills that deal with raising money (like taxes)

Categorize

Options (10)

100 total (2 from every state)

at least 30 years old, live in the state they represent

6-year term

Must be a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years

435 total (based on state population)

at least 25 years old, live in the state they represent

2-year term

Must be a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years

all bills that deal with raising money (like taxes)

approve presidential appointments like ambassadors, judges, and cabinet chambers

Organize these options into the right categories

The Senate

The House of Representatives

Bill

• a draft of a proposed law

Multiple Choice

a draft of a proposed law

• principal

• chamber

• bill

Congress Review

• the legislative, or lawmaking, branch of our federal government

• they make federal laws -- laws that apply to the entire country

• congress is bicameral, which means it is made up of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives

• congress creates laws that reflect the needs and wants of United States citizens

• Senators help by representing the needs of their entire state

  members of The House (called representatives) work for the people in a specific section of their state called a district

Making Laws Part 1

• A bill is proposed in the house or the senate

• The bill is sent to a committee for close review and to decide if it should be sent to the whole senate

• the Senate debates the bill and votes on it

Reorder

Reorder the following

• • A bill is proposed in the house or the senate

• • The bill is sent to a committee for close review and to decide if it should be sent to the whole senate

• • the Senate debates the bill and votes on it

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Making Laws Part 2

• If passed, the bill then goes to the other house to go through the same steps as in the Senate

• If passed by both Houses, the bill is sent to the president

• The president can sign the bill or veto it

• If the president vetos the bill, it goes back to congress where they can override the veto

Reorder

Reorder the following

• • If passed, the bill then goes to the other house to go through the same steps as in the Senate

• • If passed by both Houses, the bill is sent to the president

• • The president can sign the bill or veto it

• • If the president vetos the bill, it goes back to congress where they can override the veto

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Constituents

• the people a person represents in the government

Multiple Choice

the people a person represents in the government

• constituents

• public

• helper

The Census

• Definition: a count of the number of residents in a specific area

• Reapportionment: helps determine the representation in the House of Representatives

• Redistricting: redrawing district documents

• Key Requirements: contiguous and compact boundaries

• Districts should have similar population sizes to ensure fair representation

Multiple Choice

• a count of the number of residents in a specific area

• constituents

• census

• population

Multiple Choice

Why is reapportionment necessary after a census?

• • helps determine the representation in the House of Representatives

• to redistribute wealth

• to decide on tax rates

Multiple Choice

What does redistricting involve?

• drawing new state boredrs

• redrawing district boundaries

• redistributing wealth

Multiple Choice

What are the key requirements for districts within a state?

• contiguous and compact boundaries

• differential representation

• disjointed borders

Multiple Choice

Why should districts have similar population sizes?

• to favor specific political parties

• to create confusion

• to ensure fair representation

Executive Branch

• The President and Vice President

• The cabinets- a group of advisors to the president. Each advisor (an expert) leads a different department (15 total) in the executive branch

Multiple Choice

Who makes up the Executive branch?

• the president and vice president

• the house and the senate

• the judges

Multiple Choice

• a group of advisors to the president. Each advisor (an expert) leads a different department (15 total) in the executive branch

• the cabinets

• constituents

• the president

Multiple Choice

we need to invest in more solar electricity

• secretary of energy

• secretary of transportation

• secretary of treasury

Multiple Choice

we saw a decrease in highway deaths this year

• secretary of energy

• secretary of transportation

• secretary of defense

The President

• Responsibilities:

  • lead weekly meetings

  • follow the constitution, even if they disagree

  • answer difficult questions from reporters

Multiple Choice

Leading weekly meetings, following the constitution, and answering difficult questions to reporters are some responsibilities of:

• the president

• vice president

• electoral college

The Electoral College

• the system that elects the president. The winner of the popular vote in each state gets its electoral votes (# of senators plus # of representatives)

Multiple Choice

The system that elects the president

• electoral college

• congress

• executive branch

The Judicial Branch

• Judges

• Federal and State and Courts

• U.S. District Courts- deal with the facts

• U.S. Court of Appeals- trials

• U.S. Supreme Court- Does the law in question go against the Constitution

Multiple Choice

The judicial branch is made up of:

• judges

• the president

• the house and the senate

Multiple Choice

deals with the facts

• U.S. District Courts

• U.S. Court of Appeals

• U.S. Supreme Court

Multiple Choice

Trials

• U.S. District Courts

• U.S. Court of Appeals

• U.S. Supreme Court

Multiple Choice

Does this law go against the Constitution?

• U.S. District Courts

• U.S. Court of Appeals

• U.S. Supreme Court

Categorize

Options (12)

• The lawmaking branch

• Made up of the Senate and The House of Representatives

  • Together, they make Congress

• The President and Vice President

• The cabinets- a group of advisors to the president. Each advisor (an expert) leads a different d

• Judges

• Makes laws for the country

• The President's executive orders- directives issued by the President to manage the operations of the federal government

• The President's veto power- the ability to reject a bill passed by Congress

• Interprets the laws

• Reviews laws to make sure they are fair

• Decides if laws are constitutional

• Consists of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts

Organize these options into the right categories

Legislative Branch

Executive Branch

Judicial Branch