What is the supreme law of the land?
What does the Constitution do?
Sets up the Government
Defines the government
Protects basic rights of Americans
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
We the People
What is an amendment?
A change to the Constitution
An addition to the Constitution
What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
The Bill of Rights
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
What did the Declaration of Independence do?
Announced our independence from Great Britain
Declared our independence from Great Britain
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
What is freedom of religion?
You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion
What is the economic system in the United States?*
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
Name one branch or part of the government
What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
Checks and balances
Separation of powers
Who is in charge of the executive branch?
Who makes federal laws?
What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*
the Senate and House of Representatives
How many U.S. Senators are there?
One hundred (100)
We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
Who is one of your state's U.S. Senators now?
Richard Joseph "dick" Durbin
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
Four hundred thirty-five (435)
We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?
Name your U.S. Representative.
Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
All people of the state
Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
because of the state's population
because they have more people
We elect a President for how many years?
In what month do we vote for President?*
What is the name of the President of the United States now?*
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
The Vice President
If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
The Speaker of the House
Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
Who signs bills to become laws?
Who vetoes bills?
What does the President's Cabinet do?
Advices the President
What are two Cabinet-level positions?
Secretary of Education
Secretary of State
What does the judicial branch do?
Resolves disputes (disagreements)
Decides if a law goes against the Constitution
What is the highest court in the United States?
The Supreme Court
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal
To print money
To declare war
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
Provide schooling and education
Who is the Governor of your state now?
What is the capital of your state?*
What are the two major political parties in the United States?*
Democratic and Republican
What is the political party of the President now?
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
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
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?*
Serve on a jury
Name one right only for United States citizens.
Vote in a federal election
What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
Freedom of expression
Freedom of speech
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
The United States
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
How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
Eighteen (18) and older
What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
Join a political party
Help with a campaign
When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?*
When must all men register for the Selective Service?
At age eighteen (18)
between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26)
What is one reason colonists came to America?
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
Why did the colonists fight the British?
because of high taxes
because the British army stayed in their houses
because they didn't have self-government
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
July 4, 1776
There were 13 original states. Name three.
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
The Constitution was written.
The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.
When was the Constitution written?
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
Who is the "Father of Our Country"?
Who was the first President?*
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
The Louisiana Territory
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
War of 1812
Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
The Civil War
Name one problem that led to the Civil War
What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*
Freed the slaves
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
What did Susan B. Anthony do?
Fought for women's rights
Fought for civil rights
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.*
World War I
World War II
Who was President during World War I?
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
Who did the United States fight in World War II?
Japan, Germany, and Italy
Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?
World War II
During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
civil rights movement
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?*
Fought for civil rights
Worked for equality for all Americans
What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
Terrorists attacked the United States.
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
Name one U.S. territory.
Name one state that borders Canada.
Name one state that borders Mexico.
What is the capital of the United States?*
Where is the Statue of Liberty?*
New York Harbor
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
because there were 13 original colonies
because the stripes represent the original colonies
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
What is the name of the national anthem?
The Star-Spangled Banner
When do we celebrate Independence Day?
Name two national U.S. holidays.
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