Constitution Questions

1) What is the structure of the Constitution.  Briefly describe each section:

a. The preamble/intro – says why the Constitution was written & listed six goals for the gov.

            b. Seven articles – describes general topics/rules

            c. Amendments – some were written at time, but many have been added

2) What are the six major principles of government?  Describe each.

            - Popular Sovereignty – this means rule by popular vote ie the people

            -Federalism – power of government is divided between the state and federal government

-Separation of Powers – each branch of the gov. is responsible for different powers/responsibilities

- Checks & Balances – allows all three branches of government to control each other, making sure one branch doesn’t gain too much power

-Judicial Review – the court system can make a law/action unconstitutional, which means void

-Limited Government – the Constitution is theoretically supposed to limit the powers of government, anything not in the constitution is essentially illegal

3) How does the Constitution divide the powers of the federal government?

-The Executive Branch contains the president, can veto laws and appoint Supreme Court Judges

            -The Legislative Branch holds the Congress and can make laws and declare war

-The Judicial Branch has the power to declare laws invalid and can suggest impeaching a president

4) What role do the federal courts play in checking the power of the legislative branch?

-The Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional, which makes it void because the constitution is the ultimate law of the land.

5) Why do you think the Founders provided that the President and Congress be elected but the federal judges to be appointed?

-The founders attempted to ensure that the court system was fair and unbiased. There is only one president to get into trouble, but there are (now) 100 Senators. The probability alone describes the likelihood of trouble arising in each position.