Civics Unit 4: Government

Which of the following are powers of the Executive Branch (President)?

• makes a state of the union address every year

• declares laws unconstitutional

• appoints judges, ambassadors and cabinet members

• makes treaties

• enforces the laws

Which of the following are powers of the Judicial Branch (Supreme Court)?

• collects taxes

• declares laws unconstitutional

• appoints judges, ambassadors and cabinet members

• decides what a law means

• enforces the laws

Which of the following are powers of the Legislative Branch (Congress)?

• collects taxes

• approves presidential appointments

• appoints judges, ambassadors and cabinet members

• declares war

• prints money

What were some weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? Choose all that apply

• The central government had no power, which meant that they couldn’t tax to raise an army

• When the nation went into debt, there was no central government to print money, so states just printed money, creating inflation

• There was no national militia/army to deal with conflicts.

• The national militia/army tried to control the states leading to fighting.

• States argued over borders and treaties with foreign countries.

How did the Constitution organize power differently than the Articles of Confederation?

• Power was in the hands of the state governments.

• Power was shared with the states but in the hands of the people.

• Power was controlled only by a strong central government.

• Who got the power?

  I got, I got the power.

Where did power lie with the Articles of Confederation (AOC), where did it lie with the Constitution?

• • Power in the AOC was in a central government that had the ability to tax, write national treaties and raise an army, BUT

    the Constitution put power in the hands of the States with a very weak central government that could not tax.

• Power was in the hands of the monarchy. People had no say in the government under the AOC, but under the Constitution there was a theocracy.

• 'Cause you've got a higher power
  Got me singing every second, dancing every hour
  Oh yeah, you've got a higher power
  And you're really someone I wanna know

• • Power in the AOC was in the hands of the States with a very weak central government that could not tax, BUT

    the Constitution put power in a central government that had the ability to tax, write national treaties and raise an army.

  
  

What were the main points of the Virginia plan?

• a weak central government, with three branches and one house of congress based on equal representation (1 representative per state)

• In an emergency, a president can respond quickly to a crisis like a natural disaster, threat, or health crisis by using powers not mentioned in the constitution but given to them by congress

• a strong central government, three branches, with two houses of congress, both based on proportional representation (bigger population meant more representation)

• "Sic Semper Tyrannis" (Thus Always to Tyrants)

What were the main points of the New Jersey plan?

• a weak central government, with three branches and one house of congress based on equal representation (1 representative per state)

• In an emergency, a president can respond quickly to a crisis like a natural disaster, threat, or health crisis by using powers not mentioned in the constitution but given to them by congress

• a strong central government, three branches, with two houses of congress, both based on proportional representation (bigger population meant more representation)

• "Sic Semper Tyrannis" (Thus Always to Tyrants)

How does the US Constitution separate, check, and balance power?

Choose all that apply.

• The government separates power into three branches, executive, legislative and judicial

• The government checks and balances by giving specific responsibilities to each branch such as congress selecting supreme court judges and the executive branch being able to impeach a president

• The government checks and balances by giving specific responsibilities to each branch such as the president selecting supreme court judges and the legislative branch being able to impeach a president

• The government separates power into three branches, elective, presidential and tyrannical

• The government doesn't separate, check, and balance power.

What is a precedent?

• A precedent is an example set for the past.

• A precedent is an example set for the present.

• A precedent is another word for a gift.

• A precedent is an example set for the future.