The Preamble Tells the Goals of the Government



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Government Cornell Notes

The Preamble Tells the Goals of the Government

The ______________________ was crafted carefully to explain the reason for creating a new government.

The Constitution begins with the words, “We the People,” which announced that the Constitution based its authority on the __________________________ themselves—ordinary Americans.

This concept is known as __________________ _________________________.

Popular sovereignty = __________________ to the People!

The Preamble

“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

“Form a more perfect union”

1 Building a country that could take advantage of the _________________ the states gained from working together.

“establish Justice”

1 Americans wanted to be ruled by ____________________, not by the might of soldiers or the decisions of kings.

“insure domestic Tranquility”

1 Peace and ________________ would be kept because the people would not fight each other or the government.

“provide for the common defense”

1 The national government would be responsible for protecting Americans from _____________________ invaders.

“promote the general Welfare”

1 The government could support an economy and society in which people could _________________________.

“secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”

1 “Posterity” means the generations that would come later. They wanted Americans to enjoy freedom then and in the _____________________.

Legislative Branch

Article I of the Constitution gives the power to _______________ laws to the _______________________ branch of government.

The Constitution creates a ______________________(_______ parts) national legislature, called Congress.

The ______ parts, or “houses,” of Congress are the ________________ of Representatives and the ___________________________.

Design of Congress

Members of the Senate serve ____________year terms.

Members of the House of Representatives serve ____________year terms.

Congress is designed to ________________ the rights of large and small states.

Each state gets _______ senators, and representation in the House is based on ______________________________.

States with more people have ______________ House representatives.

To determine the number of representatives in the House, the Constitution calls for a census every ____________ years.

The Senate is considered to be the “____________________ house.”

Senators must be at least _______years old & citizens of the US for ____ years. (“Wiser & More Experienced)

The House of Representatives is considered to be the “_____________house.”

Representatives must be at least ____ years old & citizens of the US for _ years.

How Congress Passes Laws

The primary job of Congress is to make laws.

Any member of the House or Senate can submit a proposal for a new law, called a bill.

Only the House can propose new taxes.

If a majority in one house votes in favor of the bill, it is sent to other house for debate. If both houses approve the bill, it goes to the president.

The bill becomes a law if the president signs it.

How Congress Passes Laws

Article I spells out other powers of ___________________________.

Powers of Congress include:

1 Deciding how to spend the money raised through _____________

2 Raising an ___________ and ____________

3 Declaring _____________

4 Paying government ________________

5 Granting _____________________________

Congress may “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper” to carry out its powers. (____________________ clause)

The Executive Branch

Article II of the Constitution gives the power to ________________, or carry out, the laws to the ______________________________ branch.

The head of the executive branch is the __________________. “Chief Executive”

The president is elected by winning the majority of votes in the “____________________ college.” Each state has the same number of “electors” as it has representatives and senators.

The president serves a _________-year term, and may only be reelected _________________ under the _________ Amendment.

The President

The president must be a natural-born American citizen & at least ___years old.

The president’s power includes:

1 Carrying out laws passed by ______________________

2 _________________________ in chief of the nation’s military forces

3 Make _________________ with other nations

4 Nominates ambassadors and Supreme Court ___________________

5 Grant ___________________ to people convicted of violating national laws

Executive Branch: Departments

The Executive branch is organized into ___________________ to carry out its duties.

The State department handles relations with other ______________________.

The Justice department is involved in law enforcement as well as in court actions.

The heads of executive departments are members of the president’s _______________________, a formal group of ________________________.

Removing the President

The Constitution gives Congress the power to ______________ a president or other officials from office if they commit certain crimes related to their duties.

The House of Representatives can vote to ______________________ (to formally accuse an official of a crime) the president if he/she is suspected of committing a crime specified in the Constitution.

If the House votes to impeach, the Senate puts the president on _________________ with the Senators as the jury.

If the president is found guilty, he/she is removed from office.

The Judicial Branch

Article III of the Constitution gives the framework of the ____________________ branch, which consists of the system of federal courts and judges.

The Judicial Branch:

1 ___________________ the Constitution (“the supreme Law of the Land”)

2 Contains the highest court, the ___________________ Court

3 Gives Congress the ________________ to create lower courts to meet the nation’s needs.

4 Has the power to resolve __________________ that involve national laws, the national government, or the states.

Powers of the Supreme Court

The decisions made by the Supreme Court are _____________________l.

Congress has set the size of the Supreme Court to include 9 members, called ___________________________.

These justices usually serve on the Court for _________________________.

A dispute goes directly to the Supreme Court if it involves a _______________ or an ambassador from another country.

Other cases come to the Supreme Court after a ______________ and an ________________________in lower courts.

Early in its history, the Supreme Court defined the power of “_______________ __________________,” as the power to decide whether laws and actions by the legislative and executive branches conflict with the Constitution.

Lower courts rely on the Supreme Court for guidance about what is _______________________________.

Judicial review gives the Supreme Court great power in its role of _________________________ the “supreme Law of the Land.”

Checks and Balances

The framers of the Constitution were concerned about achieving a _________________ between a strong national government and protection for American ___________________________.

Each branch of the national government has the ability to “check”, or ____________________ the actions of another branch.

Congress can pass laws, but the president can ______________ the bill before it becomes a law.

Congress can ___________________________ the president’s veto by a two-thirds vote in both houses.

The Supreme Court can declare a law, treaty, or executive action “unconstitutional” through the power of ____________________ ____________.

Changing the Constitution

Article V of the Constitution describes how changes, called ______________________, can be made.

Proposing an amendment requires two-thirds of _________ houses of Congress.

It must then be approved by the legislatures in three-fourths of the ___________.

Once an amendment is approved, it becomes part of the supreme law of the land.

Only ________ amendments to the Constitution have ever been approved.

The first 10 amendments were added almost immediately after the Constitution was ______________________ (approved).

These are known as the Bill of Rights, which ____________________ specific rights to citizens.

The other_________ amendments became part of the Constitution one at a time.

19th Amendment: Gave __________________ the right to vote.

26th Amendment: Gave the right to vote to all citizens over the age of ______.

Summary: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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