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Quick Civics Lessons
Learn About The United States
Question | Answer |
---|---|
What is the supreme law of the land? | the Constitution |
What does the Constitution do? | sets up the government; defines the government; protects basic rights of Americans |
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words? | We The People |
What is an amendment? | a change to the Constitution; an addition to the Constitution |
What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution? | the Bill of Rights |
What is one right or freedom from the first Amendment? | speech; religion; assembly; press; petition the government |
How many amendments does the Constitution have? | twenty-seven (27) |
What did the Declaration of Independence do? | announced our independence from Great Britain; declared our independence from Great Britain; said that the United States is free from Great Britain |
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence? | life; liberty; pursuit of happiness |
What is freedom of religion? | You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion. |
What is the economic system in the United States? | capitalist economy; market economy |
What is the "rule of law"? | Everyone must follow the law; Leaders must obey the law; Government must obey the law; No one is above the law |
Name one branch or part of the government. | Congress; legislative; President; executive; the courts; judicial |
What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful? | checks and balances; separation of powers |
Who is in charge of the executive branch? | the President |
Who makes federal laws? | Congress; Senate and House of Representatives; US or national legislature |
What are the two parts of the US congress? | the Senate and House of Representatives |
How many US senators are there? | one hundred (100) |
We elect a US senator for how many years? | six (6) |
Who is one of your state's US senators now? | Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell = Washington state |
The House of Representatives has how many voting members? | four hundred thirty five (435) |
We elect a US representative for how many years? | two (2) |
Name your US representative. | Suzan K. DelBene = 1st Congressional district of Washington state |
What does a US senator represent? | all people of the state |
Why do some states have more Representatives than other states? | because of the state's population; because they have more people; because some states have more people |
We elect a President for how many years? | four (4) |
In what month do we vote for President? | November |
What is the name of the President of the United States now? | Barack Obama |
What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? | Joseph R. Biden, Jr. |
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President? | the Vice President |
If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President? | the Speaker of the House |
Who is the Commander in Chief of the military? | the President |
Who signs bills to become laws? | the President |
Who vetoes bills? | the President |
What does the President's Cabinet do? | advises the President |
What are two Cabinet-level positions? | Attorney General; Vice President (plus 14 more) |
What does the judicial branch do? | reviews laws; explains laws; resolves disputes; decides if a law goes against the Constitution |
What is the highest court in the United States? | the Supreme Court |
How many justices are on the Supreme Court? | nine (9) |
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now? | John G. Roberts, Jr. |
Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government? | to print money; to declare war; to create an army; to make treaties |
Under the Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states? | provide schooling and education; provide protection (police); provide safety (fire departments); give a driver's license; approve zoning and land use |
Who is the Governor of your state now? | Jay Inslee = Washington state |
What is the capital of your state? | Washington = Olympia |
What are the two major political parties in the United States? | Democratic and Republican |
What is the political party of the President now? | Democratic Party |
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? | John Boehner |
There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them. | Citizens 18 and older can vote. You don't have to pay a poll tax to vote. Any citizen can vote. A male citizen of any race can vote. |
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens? | serve a jury; vote in a federal election |
Name one right only for United States citizens. | vote in a federal election; run for federal office |
What are two rights of everyone living in the United States? | freedom of expression; freedom of speech; freedom of assembly; freedom of petition the government; freedom of worship; the right to bear arms |
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? | the United States; the flag |
What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen? | give up loyalty to other countries; defend the Constitution and laws of the United States; obey the laws of the United States; serve in the US military if needed; serve the nation if needed; be loyal to the United States |
How old do citizens have to be to vote for President? | 18 and older |
What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy? | vote; join a political party; help with a campaign; join a civic group; join a community group; give an elected official your opinion on an issue; publicly support or oppose an issue or policy; run for office; write to a newspaper |
When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms? | April 15 |
When must all men register for the Selective Service? | at age 18; between age 18-26 |
What is one reason colonists came to America? | freedom; political liberty; religious freedom; economic opportunity; practice their religion; escape persecution |
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? | American Indians; Native Americans |
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves? | Africans; people from Africa |
Why did the colonists fight the British? | because of high taxes; because the British army stayed in their houses; because they did not have self-government |
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? | Thomas Jefferson |
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? | July 4, 1776 |
There were 13 original states. Name three. | New Hampshire; Massachusetts; Rhode Island; Connecticut; New York; New Jersey; Pennsylvania; Delaware; Maryland; Virginia; North Carolina; South Carolina; Georgia |
What happened at the Constitutional Convention? | The Constitution was written; The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution. |
When was the Constitution written? | 1787 |
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the US Constitution. Name one of the writers. | James Madison; Alexander Hamilton; John Jay; Publius |
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for? | US diplomat; oldest member of the Constitutional Convention; first Postmaster General of the United States; writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac"; started the first free libraries |
Who is the "Father of Our Country"? | George Washington |
Who is the first President? | George Washington |
What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? | the Louisiana Territory; Louisiana |
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. | War of 1812; Mexican-American War; Civil War; Spanish-American War |
Name the US war between North and the South. | the Civil War; the War between the States |
Name one problem that led to the Civil War. | slavery; economic reasons; states' rights |
What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did? | freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation); saved or preserved the Union; led the United States during the Civil War |
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? | freed the slaves; freed the slaves in the Confederacy; freed slaves in the Confederate states; freed slaves in most Southern states |
What Susan B. Anthony do? | fought for women's rights; fought for civil rights |
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s. | World War I; World War II; Korean War; Vietnam War; (Persian) Gulf War |
Who was President during World War I? | Woodrow Wilson |
Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II? | Franklin Roosevelt |
Who did the United States fight in World War II? | Japan, Germany and Italy |
Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in? | World War II |
During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States? | Communism |
What movement tried to end racial discrimination? | civil rights (movement) |
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do? | fought for civil rights; worked for equality for all Americans |
What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States? | Terrorists attacked the United States. |
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. | Cherokee; Navajo; Sioux; Chippewa; Choctaw; Pueblo; Apache; Iroquois; Creek; Blackfeet; Seminole; Cheyenne; Arawak; Shawnee; Mohegan; Huron; Oneida; Lakota; Crow; Teton; Hopi; Inuit |
Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States. | Missouri River; Mississippi River |
What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States? | Pacific Ocean |
What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States? | Atlantic Ocean |
Name one US territory. | Puerto Rico; US Virgin Islands; American Samoa; Northern Mariana Islands; Guam |
Name one state that borders Canada. | Maine; New Hampshire; Vermont; New York; Pennsylvania; Ohio; Michigan; Minnesota; North Dakota; Montana; Idaho; Washington; Alaska |
Name one state the borders Mexico. | California; Arizona; New Mexico; Texas |
What is the capital of the United States? | Washington D.C. |
Where is the Statue of Liberty? | New York (Harbor); Liberty Island |
Why does the flag have 13 stripes? | because there were 13 original colonies; because the stripes represent the original colonies |
Why does the flag have 50 stars? | because there is one star for each state; because each star represent a state; because there are 50 states |
What is the name of the National Anthem? | The Star-Spangled Banner |
When do we celebrate Independence Day? | July 4 |
Name two national US holidays. | New Year's Day; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; President's Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving; Christmas |