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Unit 2 Study Guide

If you know the following information, you will get an Advanced on Friday's test!

1. What are the roles of the three branches of government?
2. What is federalism?
3. What does it mean to amend the Constitution?
4. What is an ordinance?
5. What is a Confederation?
6. What is a compromise?
7. What is a veto?
8. What is checks and balances?
9. What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
10. What is was only strength of the Articles of Confederation?
11. Compare and contrast the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan.
12. What does ratify mean?
13. Compare and contrast federalists and antifederalists.
14. What was the 3/5 Compromise?
15. What does Congress look like (how many houses, what are they called, etc.)
16. What is the Bill of Rights?
17. Why is the First Amendment so important?
18. What were the Federalist Papers? Who wrote them?
19. Who wrote the Constitution?
20. Compare and contrast powers given to the national government (enumerated powers) and the state governments (reserved powers)
21. Where is the Northwest Territory?
    

The Constitution (pg. 39)

4. The Constitution
a. set up three branches of government
i. legislative branch – Congress (makes laws)
ii. executive branch – president (enforces laws)
iii. judicial branch – courts (decides how laws are understood)
b. Congress proposes a Bill (law) that gets voted on
– if accepted it goes to the president to be signed into law or vetoed
c. checks and balances allows the branches to make sure that none of the branches gets too powerful
d. Bill of Rights – first ten amendments that protect the individual rights of citizens

Influences on the Constitution Notes (pg. 39)

3. Influences on the Constitution
a. Magna Carta – rule with agreement of the people
b. English Bill of Rights – lists rights of citizens
c. Mayflower Compact – agreement of self-rule
d. Iroquois Confederation – different tribes agree to live together under collective rules