THE CONSTITUTION, BILL OF RIGHTS, AND AMENDMENTS GUIDE

Directions: Use the Constitution (pages A5-A21) to answer the following questions.

Preamble

  1. Who is authorizing this constitution?
  1. What are the purposes of the new government created by the Constitution?

ARTICLE I: The Legislative Branch

  1. Name the twohouses of Congress.

SECTION II: The House of Representatives

  1. How is each state’s representation determined in the House of Representatives?

SECTION III: THE SENATE

  1. How many federal senators does each state get?
  1. Name two special powers the Senate has?

SECTION VII: METHOD OF MAKING LAWS

  1. In which house must all revenue (taxation) bills originate?
  1. How can Congress override a presidential veto?

SECTION VIII: Powers Granted to Congress

  1. Name 3 specific powers delegated to Congress.
  1. Explain the meaning of the “elastic clause” (Article I, Section 8, Clause 18)

SECTION IX: POWERS DENIED TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

  1. Name three specific powers that are denied Congress.

ARTICLE II: THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

SECTION I: PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT

  1. How long is a President’s term?
  1. How is the President elected?
  1. Who breaks the tie in the event that no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes?

Sections II & III: Powers of the President

  1. What crime may the President NOT pardon?
  1. What must the President do from “time to time”?
  1. What is impeachable?
  1. Name three powers the President has.

ARTICLE III: THE JUDICIAL BRANCH

SECTION I: THE FEDERAL COURTS

  1. Which branch of government has the power to set up the federal court system?
  1. What cannot Congress do to the salary of a federal judge? Why?

SECTION II: JURISDICTION OF FEDERAL COURTS

  1. Name two types of cases that the Supreme Court may hear.
  2. Original Jurisdiction 
  1. Appellate Jurisdiction 

SECTION II: TREASON AGAINST THE UNITED STATES

  1. What is necessary in order to convict someone of treason?

ARTICLE IV: RELATIONS AMONG THE STATES

SECTION I: STATE ACTS AND RECORDS

  1. What are the areas that one state must give “full faith and credit” to in regards to the acts of another state?

SECTION II: RIGHTS OF CITIZENS

  1. Explain the “privileges and immunities” clause of Article IV.
  1. States are obligated to do what with fugitives they capture?

SECTION III: NEW STATES

  1. Describe the process/rules for creating and admitting a new state.

SECTION IV: GUARATNTEES TO THE STATES

27. What type of government is each state required to have?

ARTICLE V: THE PROCESS OF AMENDMENT

  1. Name how the Constitution can be amended (changed).

ARTICLE VII: RATIFICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

  1. How many states would have to ratify (approve) the Constitution before it would become law?

BILL OF RIGHTS (AMENDMENTS 1-10, RATIFIED 1791)

  1. List the 5 freedoms protected by the First Amendment
  2. According to the first clause of the Second Amendment, why was the right to bear arms protected?
  1. When could a homeowner be forced to quarter troops without their consent?
  1. What types of searches and seizures are banned by the Fourth Amendment?
  1. What types of things are protected by the Fifth and Sixth Amendments?
  1. According to the Seventh Amendment, how much money must be in dispute before a plaintiff may ask for a jury trial?
  1. What types of punishments are banned by the Eighth Amendment?
  1. According to the Ninth Amendment, is the Bill of Rights a comprehensive list of all rights Americans have?
  1. Who gets powers not specifically delegated to the national government nor denied to the states?
  2. How did the Twelfth Amendment modify the way the Electoral College chooses the president and vice president?
  1. Describe the purpose of the Reconstruction Era (aka “Civil War Amendments”) amendments, numbers 13-15.
  1. How did Amendment Sixteen change the way in which Congress may collect taxes? (See Article I, Section 2 and 9)
  1. How does the Seventeenth Amendment give more direct power to voters?
  1. When did women gain the right to vote in federal elections?
  1. Approximately how much shorter is the “lame-duck period” for presidents and members of Congress following ratification of the Twentieth Amendment?
  1. What unwritten precedent established by George Washington became codified by the Twenty-Second Amendment?
  1. Does the Twenty-Third Amendment adequately solve problems for the District of Columbia?
  1. What happens if a president is temporarily unable to perform his/her duties?
  1. Do you agree with the age of voting established by the Twenty-Sixth Amendment?
  1. When was the Twenty-Seventh Amendment ratified?

GENERAL QUESTIONS

  1. What is the purpose of the Constitution?
  1. For which branch of government were the writers of the Constitution the most specific?
  1. Which branch do you think the founders though would be the most powerful? (Why)
  1. Why do you think the Constitution is so short?