Civics Test Review

United States Colonial

History
 Native Americans lived in North
America before Europeans
arrived.
 Africans came to America as
slaves.
 Colonists came to America for
religious freedom.
 The colonists fought the British
because of taxation without
representation.
 The Declaration of Independence
was by Thomas Jefferson and
adopted on July 4, 1776.
United States Early History
 Benjamin Franklin was the oldest
person at the Constitutional
Convention, where the Constitution
was written.
 The Federalist Papers were written
by Madison and Hamilton.
 George Washington was the first
president of the United States.
 In 1803, Thomas Jefferson doubled
the size of the USA with the
Louisiana Purchase.
 The Emancipation Proclamation
freed slaves in most southern
states.
 MLK, Jr fought for civil rights and
equality for all Americans.
 Puerto Rico is a US territory,
acquired in 1898.
 Susan B. Anthony fought for
women’s right to vote.
 WWI – 1914-1918 & WWII – 1939-1945
 Statue of Liberty – NYC
 National Anthem – Star Spangled
Banner
 USA capital – Washington D.C.
 There are 13 stripes on the flag in
referring to the 13 original
colonies
 U.S. Constitution

 The U.S. Constitution was written

in 1787 and ratified in 1789.
 The Constitution establishes the
structure of the United States
Government and is the basis for
how we are governed.
 The constitution is the Supreme
Law of the Land
U.S. Constitution

 The Constitution begins

with the words “We The
People”
 These words establish the
idea that Americans are
self governed.
 Amendments
 The founding fathers realized they
could not create a document that
covered everything society would
face.
 They created a process for
amending (changing) the
constitution.
 There are 27 amendments total, the
first 10 are known as the Bill of
Rights.
 1st Amendment

 The 1st amendment protects

our most basic freedoms,
including:
 Freedom of Speech
 Freedom of Religion
 The Right to Petition
Government
 Freedom of the Press
 Branches of
Government
 Article I Establishes the
Legislative Branch
 Article II Executive Branch
 Article III Judicial Branch
 Separation of Powers and Checks
and Balances ensures that one
branch does not become too
powerful.
 Congress

 The Legislative Branch also known

as Congress, is made up of two
chambers.
 The House of Representatives and
the Senate.
 The main duty of Congress is to
make the laws.
 House of
Representatives
 The House has 435 members.
 Based on population of state.
 Members serve a 2 year term.
 The Speaker of the House is
the highest ranking member of
Congress, and would take over
if something were to happen
to both the President and Vice
President.
 U.S. Senate

 Each state has 2 senator

for a total of 100.
 Senators serve a 6 year
term.
 Executive Branch

 The President of the

United States heads the
executive branch.
 The Presidents main duty
is to enforce the law.
 Presidents can also sign
or veto bills.
 Executive Branch

 Presidents serve a 4 year term

and are limited to serving two
terms.
 ThePresident is the
Commander-in-Chief.
 Presidents are assisted by the
Cabinet, including the
Secretary of State.
 Judicial Branch
 TheJudicial Branch consists of Judges
and Federal Courts.
 Thehighest court in the land is the
Supreme Court.
 TheSupreme Court determines if laws
are constitutional or unconstitutional.
 The Court has 9 justices, led by Chief
Justice John Roberts.
 Political Parties

 America has a two party

system.
 TheDemocrats and the
Republicans.
 Tennessee

 Nashville is the capital.

 Senators– Lamar Alexander
and Marsha Blackburn