Chapter 3 Review PDF

Popular Sovereignty- the principle that the leaders of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people Checks and Balances- The power each branch holds over the other, keeping the power in balance Federalism- a system of government in which the same territory is co...

Popular Sovereignty- the principle that the leaders of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people Checks and Balances- The power each branch holds over the other, keeping the power in balance Federalism- a system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of government Rule of Law- a political ideal that all people and institutions within a country, state, or community are accountable to the same laws Limited Government- a political system where government bodies are prohibited from certain activities Judicial Review- power of the courts of a country to examine the actions of the legislative, executive, and administrative arms of the government Informal Amendment - Changes to the Constitution that do not lead to changes in the written document Bill of Rights- The United States Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution Constitutionalism - government must be conducted according to constitutional principles Unconstitutional - not in accordance with a political constitution, especially the US Constitution, or with procedural rules. Executive agreement - a pact made by the President directly with the head of a foreign government Separation of Powers - the division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another Amendment - a minor change or addition designed to improve a text, piece of legislation, etc. Formal Amendment - a change to a document, specifically the U.S. Constitution Distinguish between the words in each pair: 1.) Limited Government - Popular Sovereignty: a.) Popular sovereignty is the idea that a community should govern itself with little federal government input, limited government is the more official version of this concept 2.) Checks and balances - Separation of Powers  a.) Separation of Powers refers to the separation of government power (legislative, executive, and judicial), while checks and balances is the process by which the branches check each other 3.) Judicial review - Unconstitutional a.) Unconstitutional refers to the power to declare a government action illegal, null, and void. Judicial review is the power of the courts to determine whether what government does is in accord with the the Consitution 4.) Rule of law - Bill of rights a.) The rule of law is a concept, encompassing all aspects of the justicial and legislative systems. The Bill of Rights is the specific name given to a collection of the amendments to the US Constitution. 1. How does the Constitution's length and its absence of detail help explain its strengths? It keeps the document short and to the point. It provides a framework that covers the six basic principles of our government 2. a) Who holds the ultimate power in the United States system of government? - The people/voters are the ones who hold the ultimate power in the United States system of government. b) What two guiding principles of the Constitution serve as the basis for that fact? - Checks and balances and popular sovereignty are the two guiding principles that serve as a basic for that fact. 3. a) What are the remaining basic principles upon which the Constitution is built? popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, republicanism, and judicial review b) How do those principles operate in American Government? Limited government: government must be conducted according to Constitutional principles Separation of powers: powers are distributed among three branches of government Republicanism: representatives make decisions for the people Judicial review: Power of the courts to determine whether what government does is in accord with what the Constitution provides 4. a) In what ways has the United States changed in its more that 200-year history? It has been amended 27 times. b) How has this change affected the Constitution? It has made it more evolved in modern times. 5. a) For what reasons is there a need for the formal amendment of the Constitution? The formal amendment makes it possible to achieve peaceful constitutional change without incurring the costs of its unappealing alternatives b) How many times has the process taken place? 27 times 6. For what reason was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution? It was to have the anti-federalists sign the Constitution. 7. a) How does an informal amendment differ from a formal amendment? A formal amendment would not be able to undergo judicial review, and the formal amendment is harder to pass than a informal amendment. b) Which is more common? An informal amendment 8. For what reason is the process of informal amendment necessary? It is easier to pass, so it could act as an amendment without the commitment of one. 9. By what major means has the Constitution been informally amended? Two ways in which Congress may informally amend the Constitution is by enacting laws that expand the brief provisions of the Constitution and enacting laws that further define expressed powers. 10. What is the difference between an Executive agreement and a Treaty? Executive agreement is a pact made by the President directly with the head of a Foreign government. A treaty is an agreement with a foreign country approved by Congress.