Creation of the Constitution: Virginia Plan: Proposal for how the American government should look. Requested 3 branches of government (executive, judicial, legislative) and wanted the legislative branch to be bicameral. Both houses in the legislature would be determined proportionally. This plan was known as the Large-State Plan. New Jersey Plan: Another proposal for how the American government should look. Requested 3 branches of government but wanted a unicameral house. This house was to be established with equal representation from states, disregarding population. This plan was also known as the Small State Plan. Connecticut Compromise: A solution between the two plans above (new Jersey and Virginia Plans) that ultimately became our system of government. There would be three branches of government, the legislative branch would be bicameral with one house represented equally by states and the other proportionally based on state population. The Constitution: Preamble to the Constitution What is the purpose of the Constitution? - Sets up our government structure - Defines the role of government - Protects the rights of American citizens What branch of government is described in Article I of the United States Constitution? Article 1: Legislative Branch Why did the framers of the Constitution put the Legislative Branch first? The Legislative Branch creates the laws and were seen as being the most important role of government. What do Articles 2 and 3 describe? Article 2: The Executive Branch Article 3: The Judicial Branch What is the main purpose of the Constitution? This document is the highest law of America. It shows how the government works, creates the Presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court. Amendments What is an amendment? A change or modification to the constitution.
Bill of Rights What are the Bill of Rights? The first 10 Amendments. Who wrote the Bill of Rights? James Madison Why was the Bill of Rights created? In order to get the states to agree to the Constitution, the states asked that the rights that many had fought and died to protect be included in the Constitution. What are the first 10 Amendments? 1: Freedom of press, religion, speech and the right to peacefully assemble. 2: The right to bear arms 3: The right to not house soldiers in your home. 4: Protected from search and seizure with out reasonable cause and proper search warrants. 5: The rights to protection from self-incrimination and not being tried for the same crime twice (Double Jeopardy) 6: The right to an attorney and a fair and speedy trial. 7: Right to a jury in civil cases. 8: The right to reasonable bail and no cruel or unusual punishment. 9: Rights not written down still exist 10: Powers not given to the United States government are left to the individual states. How many Amendments are currently in the Constitution? 27 Amendments Governmental Structure: How many branches of government are there? 3 - Legislative, Executive and Judicial What is the purpose of having three branches of government and why was this important to the founding fathers? The 3 branches help to keep the government balanced and makes sure that no one branch or person has to much power. Legislative Branch consists of who and what do they do? The legislative branch is bicameral, has two houses of Congress. These two houses are the House of Representatives and the Senate. The
main responsibilities of the two houses are to create and establish laws to govern our country. How many Senators represent each state in the national government? 2 per state, equal representation for each state in the Senate. How many Congressmen represent each state in the national government? States are represented proportionately. The number of representatives that the states send depends on the states population. Executive Branch consists of who and what do they do? The executive branch consists of the President, Vice President and the Presidents Cabinet. The main function of this branch is to implement and enforce laws. The President acts as the head of state, head of government, and Commander-in Chief of the army. Who takes over if the President can no longer full fill his role? The Vice President. If the Vice President cannot either, the Speaker of the House takes over. What is the purpose of the cabinet and name at least three of the cabinets? The cabinets acts as the Presidents closest advisors. There are a total of 15 cabinet departments and they are Department of State Department of the Treasury Department of Defense Department of Justice Department of the Interior Department of Agriculture Department of Commerce Department of Labor Department of Health and Human Services Department of Housing and Urban Development Department of Transportation Department of Energy Department of Education Department of Veterans Affairs Department of Homeland Security Judicial Branch consists of who and what do they do? The Judicial Branch consists of the Supreme Court, which has 9 Judges that serve for life. The 9 Judges are nominated by the President and approved by the Senate. The Supreme Court oversees about 150 cases a year and interpret laws of Congress to be constitutional or unconstitutional.
What are checks and balances and why are they an important part of American democracy? Each branch of government is limited by the other. This system is in place in order to ensure that no one branch of government becomes too powerful. What is an example of checks and balances in our government? 1. A bill is created by the legislative branch, the president in the executive branch signs the bill into a law and the judicial branch checks the laws is constitutional. 2. The President in the executive branch nominates judges to the judicial branch and the legislative branch approves the nominations. Bill to a Law: What is a bill? A bill is a proposed law. What is the process that a bill must takes in order to become a law? Step 1: A bill is created by either house (Senate or House of Representatives) Step 2: Committee Hearings Step 3: Floor Vote Step 4: If passes the first house, goes to the other house. Step 5: Committee Hearings Step 6: Floor Vote Step 7: Conference Committee with both houses to create one bill with the same wording. Step 8: Bill goes to the President to be signed into a law Who makes the decisions on laws in America? Representatives 435 (based on the population of state) Senators 100 (2 from each state) President 1 Vice President 1 Total 537 Decision Makers What is a veto and who can use it? The President uses it to reject or say no to a bill or act of Congress. If the President vetoes a bill, does it automatically die? A bill can go through a vote one more time in both houses. If it passes again with 2/3 vote, the bill will become a law. If it does not override the Presidents veto with a 2/3 vote, the bill dies.
Key Vocabulary: Double Jeopardy Preamble Bicameral Checks and Balances Veto Proportional Bill Amendment Test Dates Tuesday 1/13 A1 & A2 Wednesday 1/14 B1 & B2