FHS Civics Unit 2: National Government

"All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives."

-Article I, Section 1 of the Constitution

What is the main job of Congress?

• enforce laws

• make laws

• interpret laws

• execute laws

"Congress shall have power...to borrow money on the credit of the United States;

...to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers..."

-Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution

Based on the excerpt above, which of the following was determined by the Supreme Court to be an implied power of Congress?

• prohibiting freedom of press

• taxing individual incomes

• establishing an army and navy

• creating a national bank

Which of the following is NOT an expressed power of Congress?

• regulate commerce with foreign nations

• establish post offices and post roads

• enact bills of attainder and ex post facto laws

• constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court

"The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States..."

-Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution

Which action taken by a U.S. president was justified by the above excerpt?

• George Washington called forth the militia to put down the Whiskey Rebellion

• FDR used Executive Order 9066 to intern Japanese Americans during World War 2

• Harry Truman seized control of steel mills to prevent strikes during the Korean conflict

• Andrew Jackson withdrew federal deposits from the Bank of the U.S. in order to destroy it.

How can the Constitution be amended?

• proposed by majority vote in the House of Representatives, ratified by majority vote in the Senate

• proposed by majority vote in Congress, ratified by majority of voters in the United States

• proposed by 2/3 of both houses of Congress, ratified by 3/4 of state legislatures

• proposed by the President, ratified by majority vote in the Supreme Court

"All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other bills."

-Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution

Why did the framers include the above clause in the Constitution?

• They wanted to make sure taxes were immune to Judicial Review

• They wanted to make sure tax laws originated with direct representatives of the people.

• They wanted to make sure the President approved all tax bills

• They wanted to make sure taxes were not levied on individual incomes

"If any bill shall not be returned by the President with ten days after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law."

-From Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution

If the president holds on to a bill without signing it, and Congress adjourns before 10 days expires, what happens to the bill?

• It is pocket vetoed

• It is declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court

• It becomes law

• It is sent to state governors for approval

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

-First Amendment to the Constitution

Which of the following would be in violation of the 1st Amendment?

• denying the right to a trial by jury in a felony criminal case

• enacting a law that restricts ownership of assault rifles

• Prohibiting the publication of classified military intelligence during a time of war

• Banning the publication of a book that criticizes the President

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States...are citizens of the United States...No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

-From the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (1868)

What was the intent of the 14th Amendment when it was ratified in 1868?

• to protect the right to vote for women

• to abolish slavery

• to prevent Congress from passing the Reconstruction Acts

• to grant citizenship and rights to the freedmen who were once slaves

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States...are citizens of the United States...No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

-From the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (1868)

How did the Supreme Court interpret the 14th Amendment in the Brown v. Board of Education decision?

• It declared "separate but equal" did not violate the "equal protection clause" of the 14th Amendment

• It declared "separate but equal" schools to be in violation of the "equal protection clause" of the 14th Amendment.

• It declared the 14th Amendment to be unconstitutional due to an irregularity in the ratification process.

• It declared the 14th Amendment did not apply to state governments.