The Preamble of the US Constitution identifies the goals and purposes of the government. According to the Preamble, what are the goals and purposes of government?

1. form a more perfect union
2. establish justice
3. insure domestic tranquility
4. provide for the common defence
5. promote the general welfare
6. secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

The statement below was made by President Lyndon B. Johnson during an address to the nation on March 31, 1968.               

• "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President."

 Source:  Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library

Which intention of the Preamble is reflected in the statement?

A.  Government holds frequent elections.

B.  Government exists to serve the people.

C.  Government promotes the general welfare.

D.  Government provides for the common defense.

B.  Government exists to serve the people.

The statement below is from a historical document.

•  "We the People of the United States... do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

How is this statement reflected in the modern American political system? 

A.  Voters elect Congress members. 

B.  The Electoral College elects Congress.

C.  Congress enforces policies.

D.  The president enacts policies

A.  Voters elect Congress members. 

The following is an excerpt of Article VI of the US Constitution:

"This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding."

What does this excerpt mean?

Also known as the "Supremacy Clause," this means that all laws made furthering the Constitution and all treaties made under the authority of the United States are the “supreme law of the land.”  Essentially, ALL laws created by states, counties, etc MUST follow the Constitution.

The image below depicts what purpose of government included in the Preamble? 

Provide for the common defense. 

What was the Anti-Federalists’ greatest concern about ratifying the U.S. Constitution?

The central government would be too powerful if the Constitution lacked a Bill of Rights. 

According to the chart above whose views are described in each column? 

Group A = Federalist

Group B = Anti-Federalist

The statement below appeared in a 1787 essay by James Winthrop. 

• "It is impossible for one code of laws to suit Georgia and Massachusetts."

Source:  Letters of Agrippa, No. 4

Whose views are reflected in the statement above?  

The views of the Anti-Federalist  

According to the chart below, describe a similarity between the state and the federal governments under the U.S. Constitution.

Answers will vary:

Sample: Both levels of government allow for the collection of taxes. Correct – Article I of the U.S. Constitution enumerates the power to tax which is delegated to Congress. The 10th Amendment also reserves the power to collect taxes to the states. Therefore, the power to collect taxes is a concurrent power.

Two part question:

Define/explain federalism.

Describe and provide examples of enumerated, concurrent, and reserved powers.

• federalism - a system of government in which power is divided and shared between national, state, and local government
• concurrent powers - powers shared by the national, state, and/or local government
• enumerated or delegated powers - the powers specifically named and assigned to the federal government or prohibited to be exercised by the states under the U.S.
• reserved powers - powers that are not granted to the federal government that belong to (are reserved to) the states and the people; see Tenth Amendment

The first 10 Amendments to The U.S. Constitution are called the ...

The Bill of Rights (easy, I know...but very important to remember)

The 1st Amendment guarantees us 5 freedoms, what are they and what do they mean?

The First Amendment includes five individual freedoms. Those freedoms are the right to freedom of speech, press, religious exercise, peaceable assembly, and petitioning the government.

• Freedom of speech allows individuals to express their opinions. This includes speech that may criticize the government or government officials.
• Freedom of the press allows individuals to publish or print information and news.
• Freedom of religious exercise allows individuals to practice their religion freely or to choose not to practice a religion at all.
• Freedom to peaceably assemble means that people have the right to gather in groups. These groups may include people who wish to hold a public protest about their ideas or beliefs.
• Freedom to petition allows individuals to express their concerns to the government. A petition may formally ask the government for changes in the law. It also may include the signatures of those who support the changes

Another category of rights guaranteed in the bill of rights includes items such as protection from double jeopardy, Pleading the fifth (protection from self-incrimination), right to a trial by jury and protection from cruel and unusual punishment. These types of rights are rights of the _____________.

Rights of the Accused - (Be sure you know what each of the bolded words in the question mean)

What are the 13, 14, 15, 19, 24, & 26 amendments?  How have they impacted political participation in the United States?

• 13th Amendment: This amendment made slavery illegal in the United States.
• 14th Amendment: This amendment stated that anyone born in the United States was a citizen of the United States and that they had the same rights as any other citizen of the United States.
• 15th Amendment:This amendment stated that race could not be used as a reason for taking away someone’s right to vote.
• 19th Amendment: This amendment gave women the right to vote and made it illegal to discriminate against women voting.
• 24th Amendment: This amendment said that poll taxes were illegal, and that failure to pay a poll tax could not be a reason to take away someone’s right to vote.
• 26th Amendment: This amendment said that any United States citizen age 18 or older could vote. (Before 1971, the federal government and some states allowed only people who were 21 or older to vote.)

The following are key terms from the Bill of Rights.  Explain/define them.

-cruel & unusual punishment

-double jeopardy

-due process

-jury

-habeas corpos

-pleading the fifth

-rights of the accused

-self-incrimination

-suffrage

• cruel & unusual punishment - punishment prohibited by the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; includes torture or other forms of punishment too severe for the crime committed
• double jeopardy - the prosecution of a defendant for a criminal offense for which he has already been tried; prohibited in the Fifth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution
• due process - the right of people accused of crimes to have laws that treat them fairly, so that they cannot lose their life or freedom without having their legal rights protected
• eminent domain - the right of the government to take private property for public use; the Fifth Amendment requires that people be paid fairly (compensated) for their property if it is taken by the government freedom of
• jury - a group of citizens sworn to give a true verdict according to the evidence presented in a court of law
• habeas corpus - Latin: "may you have the body") is a writ (legal action) that requires a person under arrest to be brought to a judge or into court.
• pleading the fifth - the right of a person to refuse to testify under oath in a court of law on the grounds that the answers could be used as evidence against him to convict him of a criminal offense
• rights of the accused - the rights included in the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments: protection from unreasonable search and seizure, double jeopardy, and self-incrimination, the right to due process, right to a speedy and public trial, trial by jury, the right to be informed of criminal charges, right to confront witnesses in court, right to an attorney, protection from self-incrimination
• self-incrimination - the right in the Fifth Amendment that protects a person from being forced to tell the police, prosecutor, judge, or jury any information that might subject him or her to criminal prosecution
• suffrage - the right to vote

Which type of law is used to help solve disputes between people or organizations?

A. civil

B. constitutional

C. criminal

D. military

A. civil

The Code of Hammurabi (1772 BC) includes laws focusing on contracts. What type of U.S. law is based on the Code of Hammurabi?

A. civil

B. constitutional

C. criminal

D. military

A. civil

Note: Civil law deals with issues among private parties that do not involve criminal concerns. A contract is an agreement between two or more private parties. Contracts are part of the civil law system.

Which list represents Military law? Criminal law? Civil Law? Constitutional law?

Category A: Criminal law

Category B: Civil Law

Category C: Military law

Category D: Constitutional law

Which situation would most likely lead to a civil case?

A.  A person robs another person at gunpoint.

B.  A person is caught breaking into a house.

C.  A person breaks a leg at a friend’s house.

D.  A person fails to stop at a red light.

C.  A person breaks a leg at a friend’s house.

What type of trial will the newspaper story atop the Hartford Courant lead too?

A Criminal Trial: A Murder = Criminal Law

This is what we call a court decision in an earlier case with facts and legal issues similar to those in a case currently before a court.

Precedent

Which was an outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?

A. Administrators may limit the content of students publications.

B. Public school districts that segregate deny equal protection.

C. Students have a reduced expectation of privacy in school.

D. Criminal defendants have the right to an attorney.

B. Public school districts that segregate deny equal protection.

Under the 14th Amendment, it is found that public schools that sgregrate are unconstitutional.

What lessons did future U.S. leaders learn from the 1974 U.S. Supreme Court case United States v. Nixon?

A. The president is accountable for obeying the law.

B. The president is responsible for enforcing the law.

C. The president is not allowed to hold secret talks with foreign governments.

D. The president is not allowed to have private meetings with Cabinet members.

A. The president is accountable for obeying the law.

Rule of Law = NO ONE is above the law.

What is judicial review and which landmark Supreme Court established it?

Judicial Review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with judicial review power may invalidate laws and decisions that are incompatible with a higher authority, such as the constitution.; Marbury v. Madison established this concept/ precedent. 

What constitutional principles and/or rights are related to the following U.S. Supreme Court decisions:

• Marbury v. Madison (1803)
• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
• Brown v. Board (1954)
• In re Gault (1966)

• Marbury v. Madison (1803): This landmark case helped define the checks and balances system and established the U.S. Supreme Court’s power of judicial review (the Supreme Court has the final say on what the Constitution means).
• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): This decision upheld the concept of separate but equal, meaning that separate facilities for blacks and whites were legal under the Fourteenth (14th) Amendment as long as they were “equal”. The 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause says that states must apply the law equally and cannot discriminate against citizens or groups of citizens.
• Brown v. Board (1954): This U.S. Supreme Court reversed Plessy v. Ferguson. The Court decided that racial segregation (separation based on race) in public education was unconstitutional, according to the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
• In re Gault (1966): This judicial opinion on this case said that the decision in Mr. Gault’s case in juvenile court was unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court decided that criminal cases for juveniles must follow the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Juveniles have the same rights as adults accused of crimes.