Constitution Test Review

If you have not finished watching "Sticks and Stones", do so today.  If you have finished the film, review for the test over the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Items on the test:
Separation of powers:  3 branches to keep any person or group from becoming too powerful.

legislative branch:  make laws, Congress

The House of Representatives- serve 2 year terms, must be at least 25 years old

The Senate- serve 6 year terms, must be at least 30 years old.

Executive branch:  carry out the laws, the President, the cabinet, serve 4 year terms, can be elected to 2 terms, must be at least 35 years old and a natural born citizen.

Judicial branch:  Supreme Court, appointed by president, serve for life, interpret laws, declare laws unconstitutional

Checks and balances:  system in which each branch has some control over the others.  Example- Congress can make laws, the President can veto laws, and the Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional.  This system is designed to keep any one branch from becoming more powerful than another branch.
Philadelphia Convention:  Where the Constitution was written in 1787, now referred to as the Constitutional Convention. 

Bill of Rights:  the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.  The states would not agree to ratify the Constitution unless there was a guarantee of protection for individual rights. 
1st amendment rights:  speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion
Time, place and manner restrictions:  The Supreme Court has historically placed restrictions on our first amendment rights based on time, place and manner.
2nd amendment:  Right to bear arms.  Controversial as to whether it means I can own a gun, or the state militia can own guns, or both.
4th amendment:  search and seizure- the search warrant amendment.
Rights of the Accused:  a free attorney; speedy and public trial by jury; reasonable bail; must know reason for arrest; right to defend yourself in court; right to question any witnesses against you; you do not have to take the stand to answer questions in court; protection from cruel and unusual punishment; no double jeopardy (If you have been found innocent of a crime in a court of law, you cannot be tried again for that same crime); in a civil suit you may request a jury if the amount is more than $5,000.
James Madison: Father of the Constitution.  Author of the Virginia Plan for representation.
The Great Compromise:  The agreement between the large and small states to make representation in one house of Congress based on population  (House of Representatives), and make a second house in which representation would be the same for every state (Senate).  The result is large population states have more votes in the House of Representatives, but every state is represented equally (2 votes) in the Senate.
The Preamble:  you must be able to write the Preamble to the Constitution, or at least complete the Preamble Scramble.
Articles of Confederation:  Our first constitution, was a failure in protecting the rights of citizens.  Shays's Rebellion in Massachusetts led to the Philadelphia Convention where our present day government was created.

Checks and Balances Game
3 Branches Game
I'm Just a Bill
Preamble Song
Preamble Scramble
Bill of Rights Java Games
More Bill of Rights Java Games
Constitution Java Games
Constitution Rags to Riches
Constitution Jeopardy
Constitutional Vocabulary Java