Term
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Definition
| Positive grants of power awarded to three branches of Government: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive |
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Term
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| Article I of the Constitution |
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Definition
| established Congress, the collective legislative body made up of the Senate and the House |
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| Congress:the Senate and the House |
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Definition
write, debate and pass bills and send them on to the president for his approval or veto
With a two-thirds majority in both houses, Congress may override the presidential veto |
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| Why Two Houses of Congress? |
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Definition
| to balance the concerns of smaller but more populated states against those of larger but more sparsely populated ones |
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| has 100 members, with each state allowed two representatives, regardless of size or population. |
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| The House of Representatives |
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| currently has 435 members, with each state's representation dependent upon its population. Each member of the House represents a specific geographic district within the state, while senators represent their whole state. |
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| sort through the web of legislation and decide what is constitutional and what is not. |
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| United States Supreme Court |
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Definition
| highest court in the land and the final stop for any case that has not been settled by a lower court decision. |
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Term
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Definition
eight associates and one chief justice appointed by the president
confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Justices serve for life or until they choose to step down |
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| the president, the vice president and 15 Cabinet-level executive departments. |
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Definition
elected every four years, and chooses his vice president as a running mate
the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces
the leader of the country
delivers a State of the Union address to Congress once each year
may recommend legislation to Congress
may convene Congress
has the power to appoint ambassadors to other nations
can appoint Supreme Court justices and other federal judges
with his Cabinet and its agencies, to carry out and enforce the laws of the United States |
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Term
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Definition
serves as president in the event that the president is unable to do so for any reason or if the president steps down
presides over the Senate
can cast a deciding vote in the event of a tie |
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Term
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| Why the founders set up this system |
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Definition
| to avoid that any branch of government ruling alone or arbitrarily |
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| people should have the ultimate power to govern themselves |
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Term
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| a system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power |
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| How "Popular sovereignty" is assured? |
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Definition
| by combining separation of powers with checks and balances |
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Term
| Where the origin of separations of powers can be found |
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Definition
| in Constitution articles 1 (legislative power), art.2 (executive power), and art. 3 (judicial power) |
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| What's the purpose of checks and balances? |
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Definition
| to prevent elected officials from seizing excessive control and prevent capricious law that would oppress the minority |
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Term
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Definition
| powers that are not stated in Constitution, that allow Congress to implement the expressed powers |
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| Expressed powers of Congress |
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Definition
| Power to hold federal elections Power to tax Power to ratify treaties Power to regulate immigration and naturalization Power to impeach certain officials Power to regulate interstate commerce Power to coin money Power to spend money for general welfare Power to regulate and hold federal property Power to impose duties on imports and exportsPower to impeach certain officials |
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| Executive expressed power |
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Definition
Power to act as a Commander in Chief of Armed forces
Power to force department heads for written opinions on important matters
Power to receive ambassadors
Power to make treaties (with 2/3 of Senate's passage)
Power to conduct foreign affairs
Power to appoint members of the Executive department
Power to nominate Supreme Court Justices
Power to give the State of the Union address |
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Term
| Expressed power of Supreme Court |
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Definition
Power to life tenure
Power to hear all cases in law and equity
Power to review treaties for constitutionality |
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Term
| Congress forms National bank |
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Definition
| Example of implied power of Congress (out of expressed power to tax and to coin money) |
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