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17 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Limited government
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A basic principle of our constitutional system. It limits government to powers provided to it by the people.
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Separation of powers
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The division of power among the branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial.
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Statutes
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Written laws enacted by legislatures.
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Checks and balances
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Counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups.
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Veto
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Prohibit; in government, the veto is the power of a chief executive to prevent enactment of a bill (i.e., to prevent the bill from becoming a law).
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Judicial review
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The process by which courts decide whether the laws passed by Congress or state legislatures are constitutional.
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Unconstitutional
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Conflicting with some provision of the Constitution.
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Federalism
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The division of powers between the states and the federal government.
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Bill of Rights
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The first ten amendments to the Constitution, which guarantee basic individual rights to all persons in the U.S.
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What is a constitution (government)?
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Constitutionalism, doctrine that a government's authority is determined by a body of laws or constitution. More generally constitutionalism refers to efforts to prevent arbitrary government.
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How do checks and balances limit the power of government?
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Each of the three branches of government can limit the powers of the others. This way, no one branch becomes too powerful. Each branch “checks” the power of the other branches to make sure that the power is balanced between them.
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Why is it important for courts to have the power to review laws?
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Judicial review enables a court to declare unenforceable any law passed by Congress or a state legislature that conflicts with the nation’s highest law, the Constitution.
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Explain how the principle of limited government is reflected in the Bill of Rights?
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The Bill of Rights defines and guarantees the fundamental rights and liberties of all Americans, including the freedoms of religion, speech, and press; the freedom from unreasonable search and seizure; and other individual rights.
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Describe how and why constitutions may be amended.
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“The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments.
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What is a “preamble”?
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A preliminary or preparatory statement; an introduction.
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Why was the “Preamble” of the US Constitution important?
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The Preamble can be broken down into many important phrases. All of these phrases are very important for understanding the purpose of the United States Constitution. We the people: This phrase means all the citizens of the United States of America.
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Each “Article” or section of the Constitution is designed to guide a particular area of government. What are the “Articles” and what part of government does it guide?
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(1)The Legislative Branch
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