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100 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What is the supreme law of the land? |
▪ The Constitution |
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What does the Constitution do? |
▪ Sets up the government
▪ Defines the government
▪ Protects basic rights of Americans |
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The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitutution. What are these words? |
▪ We the People |
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What is an amendment? |
▪ a change (to the Constitution) ▪ an addition (to the Constitution) |
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What do we call the first ten amendments? |
▪ the Bill of Rights |
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What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment? |
▪ speech ▪ religion ▪ assembly ▪ press ▪ petition the government |
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How many amendments does the Constitution have? |
▪ twenty-seven (27) |
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What did the Declaration of Independence do? |
▪ announced our independence (from Great Britain) ▪ declared our independence (from Great Britain) ▪ said that the United States is free (from Great Britain) |
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What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence? |
▪ life ▪ liberty ▪ pursuit of happiness |
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What is freedom of religion? |
▪ You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion. |
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What is the economic system in the United States? |
▪ capitalist economy ▪ market economy |
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What is the “rule of law”? |
▪ Everyone must follow the law. ▪ Leaders must obey the law. ▪ Government must obey the law. ▪ No one is above the law. |
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Name one branch or part of the government. |
▪ Congress ▪ legislative ▪ President ▪ executive ▪ the courts ▪ judicial |
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What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful? |
▪ checks and balances ▪ separation of powers |
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Who is in charge of the executive branch? |
▪ the President |
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Who makes federal laws? |
▪ Congress ▪ Senate and House (of Representatives) ▪ (U.S. or national) legislature |
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What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? |
▪ the Senate and House (of Representatives) |
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How many U.S. Senators are there? |
▪ one hundred (100) |
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We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years? |
▪ six (6) |
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Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now? |
Dick Durban Mark Kirk |
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The House of Representatives has how many voting members? |
▪ four hundred thirty-five (435) |
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We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years? |
▪ two (2) |
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Name your U.S. Representative |
Mike Quigley |
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Who does a U.S. Senator represent? |
▪ all people of the state |
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Why do some states have more Representatives than other states? |
▪ (because of) the state’s population ▪ (because) they have more people ▪ (because) some states have more people |
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We elect a President for how many years? |
▪ four (4) |
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In what month do we vote for President?* |
▪ November |
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What is the name of the President of the United States now?* |
▪ Barack Obama ▪ Obama |
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What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? |
▪ Joseph R. Biden, Jr. ▪ Joe Biden ▪ Biden |
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If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President? |
▪ the Vice President |
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If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President? |
▪ the Speaker of the House |
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Who is the Commander in Chief of the military? |
▪ the President |
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Who signs bills to become laws? |
▪ the President |
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Who vetoes bills? |
▪ the President |
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What does the President’s Cabinet do? |
▪ advises the President |
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What are two Cabinet-level positions? |
▪ Secretary of Agriculture ▪ Secretary of Commerce ▪ Secretary of Defense ▪ Secretary of Education ▪ Secretary of Energy ▪ Secretary of Health and Human Services ▪ Secretary of Homeland Security ▪ Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ▪ Secretary of the Interior ▪ Secretary of Labor ▪ Secretary of State ▪ Secretary of Transportation ▪ Secretary of the Treasury ▪ Secretary of Veterans Affairs ▪ Attorney General ▪ Vice President |
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What does the judicial branch do? |
▪ reviews laws ▪ explains laws ▪ resolves disputes (disagreements) ▪ decides if a law goes against the Constitution |
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What is the highest court in the United States? |
▪ the Supreme Court |
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How many justices are on the Supreme Court? |
▪ nine (9) |
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Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now? |
▪ John Roberts (John G. Roberts, Jr.) |
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Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government? |
▪ to print money ▪ to declare war ▪ to create an army ▪ to make treaties |
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Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states? |
▪ provide schooling and education ▪ provide protection (police) ▪ provide safety (fire departments) ▪ give a driver’s license ▪ approve zoning and land use |
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Who is the Governor of your state now? |
Pat Quinn |
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What is the capital of your state? |
Springfield |
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What are the two major political parties in the United States? |
▪ Democratic and Republican |
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What is the political party of the President now? |
▪ Democratic (Party) |
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What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? |
▪ (John) Boehner |
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There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them. |
▪ Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote). ▪ You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote. ▪ Any citizen can vote. (Women and men can vote.) ▪ A male citizen of any race (can vote). |
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What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens? |
▪ serve on a jury ▪ vote in a federal election |
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▪ vote in a federal election ▪ run for federal office |
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What are two rights of everyone living in the United States? |
▪ freedom of expression ▪ freedom of speech ▪ freedom of assembly ▪ freedom to petition the government ▪ freedom of worship ▪ the right to bear arms |
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What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
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▪ the United States ▪ the flag |
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What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen? |
▪ give up loyalty to other countries ▪ defend the Constitution and laws of the United States ▪ obey the laws of the United States ▪ serve in the U.S. military (if needed) ▪ serve (do important work for) the nation (if needed) ▪ be loyal to the United States |
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How old do citizens have to be to vote for President? |
▪ eighteen (18) and older |
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What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy? |
▪ vote ▪ join a political party ▪ help with a campaign ▪ join a civic group ▪ join a community group ▪ give an elected official your opinion on an issue ▪ call Senators and Representatives ▪ publicly support or oppose an issue or policy ▪ run for office ▪ write to a newspaper |
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When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms? |
▪ April 15 |
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▪ at age eighteen (18) ▪ between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26) |
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What is one reason colonists came to America? |
▪ freedom ▪ political liberty ▪ religious freedom ▪ economic opportunity ▪ practice their religion ▪ escape persecution |
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Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? |
▪ American Indians ▪ Native Americans |
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What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves? |
▪ Africans ▪ people from Africa |
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Why did the colonists fight the British? |
▪ because of high taxes (taxation without representation) ▪ because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering) ▪ because they didn’t have self-government |
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Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? |
▪ (Thomas) Jefferson |
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When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? |
▪ July 4, 1776 |
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There were 13 original states. Name three. |
▪ New Hampshire ▪ Massachusetts ▪ Rhode Island ▪ Connecticut ▪ New York ▪ New Jersey ▪ Pennsylvania ▪ Delaware ▪ Maryland ▪ Virginia ▪ North Carolina ▪ South Carolina ▪ Georgia |
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What happened at the Constitutional Convention? |
▪ The Constitution was written. ▪ The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution. |
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When was the Constitution written? |
▪ 1787 |
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The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers. |
▪ (James) Madison ▪ (Alexander) Hamilton ▪ (John) Jay ▪ Publius |
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What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for? |
▪ U.S. diplomat ▪ oldest member of the Constitutional Convention ▪ first Postmaster General of the United States ▪ writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac” ▪ started the first free libraries |
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Who is the “Father of Our Country”? |
▪ (George) Washington |
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Who was the first President? |
▪ (George) Washington |
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What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? |
▪ the Louisiana Territory ▪ Louisiana |
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Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. |
▪ War of 1812 ▪ Mexican-American War ▪ Civil War ▪ Spanish-American War |
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Name the U.S. war between the North and the South. |
▪ the Civil War ▪ the War between the States |
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Name one problem that led to the Civil War. |
▪ slavery ▪ economic reasons ▪ states’ rights |
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What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did? |
▪ freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation) ▪ saved (or preserved) the Union ▪ led the United States during the Civil War |
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What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? |
▪ freed the slaves ▪ freed slaves in the Confederacy ▪ freed slaves in the Confederate states ▪ freed slaves in most Southern states |
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What did Susan B. Anthony do? |
▪ fought for women’s rights ▪ fought for civil rights |
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Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s |
▪ World War I ▪ World War II ▪ Korean War ▪ Vietnam War ▪ (Persian) Gulf War |
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Who was President during World War I? |
▪ (Woodrow) Wilson |
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Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II? |
▪ (Franklin) Roosevelt |
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Who did the United States fight in World War II? |
▪ Japan, Germany, and Italy |
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Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in? |
▪ World War II |
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During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States? |
▪ Communism |
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What movement tried to end racial discrimination? |
▪ civil rights (movement) |
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What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do? |
▪ fought for civil rights ▪ worked for equality for all Americans |
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What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States? |
▪ Terrorists attacked the United States. |
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Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. |
▪ Cherokee ▪ Navajo ▪ Sioux ▪ Chippewa ▪ Choctaw ▪ Pueblo ▪ Apache ▪ Iroquois ▪ Creek ▪ Blackfeet ▪ Seminole ▪ Cheyenne ▪ Arawak ▪ Shawnee ▪ Mohegan ▪ Huron ▪ Oneida ▪ Lakota ▪ Crow ▪ Teton ▪ Hopi ▪ Inuit |
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Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States. |
▪ Missouri (River) ▪ Mississippi (River)
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What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
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▪ Pacific (Ocean) |
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What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States? |
▪ Atlantic (Ocean) |
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Name one U.S. territory. |
▪ Puerto Rico ▪ U.S. Virgin Islands ▪ American Samoa ▪ Northern Mariana Islands ▪ Guam |
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Name one state that borders Canada |
▪ Maine ▪ New Hampshire ▪ Vermont ▪ New York ▪ Pennsylvania ▪ Ohio ▪ Michigan ▪ Minnesota ▪ North Dakota ▪ Montana ▪ Idaho ▪ Washington ▪ Alaska |
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Name one state that borders Mexico. |
▪ California ▪ Arizona ▪ New Mexico ▪ Texas |
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What is the capital of the United States? |
▪ Washington, D.C. |
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Where is the Statue of Liberty? |
▪ New York (Harbor) ▪ Liberty Island |
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Why does the flag have 13 stripes? |
▪ because there were 13 original colonies ▪ because the stripes represent the original colonies |
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Why does the flag have 50 stars? |
▪ because there is one star for each state ▪ because each star represents a state ▪ because there are 50 states |
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What is the name of the national anthem? |
▪ The Star-Spangled Banner |
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When do we celebrate Independence Day? |
▪ July 4 |
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Name two national U.S. holidays. |
▪ New Year’s Day ▪ Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ▪ Presidents’ Day ▪ Memorial Day ▪ Independence Day ▪ Labor Day ▪ Columbus Day ▪ Veterans Day ▪ Thanksgiving ▪ Christmas |