Civics_Ch2_homework-1

=**Civics Chapter 2 Homework #1**= Answer the questions on notebook paper

1. The Pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower landed on Plymouth Rock and began their society. What they set up would later influence the Founding Fathers. William Bradford, who would later be the Massachusetts colony governor, realized that not all of the Pilgrims were looking to stay together. Therefore, he looked to develop an agreement to keep all of the Pilgrims working together. He and others realized that they needed some form of government and so they gave their consent to be ruled by a government that they would create. The agreement that the Pilgrims signed on November 21, 1620 was the Mayflower Compact. Some of America's founding ideals were in this document such as setting up a government based on the consent of the governed, or the people, which would be seen in the Declaration of Independence as well as in the Constitution, which begins with the line "We the people." This power of government based on consent of the governed, or the people, is called popular sovereignty. **What did the Pilgrims do that later influenced the framers of the Constitution? They wrote the -- --- which set up a government based on c-- of the g--- which is called p-- s--.**

2. The U.S. Constitution is based on important principles that help ensure government by popular sovereignty (consent of the governed). These principles include three major goals. One is limited government. The king of England had absolute, unlimited power until the Magna Carta in 1215. Our Constitution created a limited government, one with specific limits to what the government can do. Constitutions are meant to control government, not the people. Another important principle is majority rule with minority rights. Majority rule is the principle that in a disagreement, everyone will accept the decision of the majority (most of the people). Yet the Founding Fathers were concerned that a powerful majority could violate the rights of those in the minority of the voting. Therefore, they put in provisions to protect the minority so they can express their views on issues. The third principle is to protect individual rights. Our most cherished rights come from the Bill of Rights. **What are three principles of the Constitution?**

3. The Founding Fathers set up the American government under the Constitution to be a federal system. The reason they gave powers to the national/federal government as well as the states was because the framers wanted a strong, central government but at the same time keep state governments. A federal system is one in which there is a strong, central government, but the subdivisions (states) also have power. They didn't want a system that had an all-powerful central government since they wanted to maintain the self-government principle of the Mayflower Compact, but at the same time the states being independent as it was under the Articles of Confederation was creating a weak nation. **Why did the Constitution give powers to the national/federal government as well as the states?**

4. The Founding Fathers set up a system with the separation of powers. James Madison said "the very definition of tyranny" is when all government power is in the same hands. The framers of the Constitution agreed with Madison. They could have created a central government with all government power concentrated in one group of people. Many people feared such an all-powerful government. As a shield against tyranny, the framers created separate branches of the federal government. One branch would write the laws, one would carry out the laws, and a third would interpret the laws. This structure is called separation of powers. **Why did the Founding Fathers separate government power?**

5. The three branches of government are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Legislative Branch sets up the Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) in Article I of the Constitution and is meant to make laws. In Federalist #51, James Madison wrote that the legislative branch is supreme. The Executive Branch sets up the presidency in Article II and is meant to enforce, or carry out the laws. Today, this branch includes the president, vice president, the cabinet, and all of the bureaus and agencies that are to help enforce the laws. The third branch, the Judicial Branch, sets up the Supreme Court in Article III and is meant to interpret the laws. The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review, which is the power to declare laws of Congress or actions of the executive branch as unconstitutional. **What is the main function of each branch of government?**

6. The framers also set up a system of checks and balances in order to keep any one branch from becoming too powerful and abusing its power. For instance, in the lawmaking process, the Congress makes laws, but the President has the power to veto, or stop the passage, of a bill. The Congress has a check on the President's veto power since the Congress can override a veto with a 2/3 vote. Congress has a check on the power of the President and the Supreme Court since the Congress has the power to impeach and remove a president or Supreme Court judge. The Supreme Court has a check on the power of the other two with the power of Judicial Review, or the power to declare a law of Congress or an action of the President as unconstitutional. **Why is checks and balances important in our government?**

7. The framers knew that as time passed by, changes would be needed for the Constitution. Therefore, the Founding Fathers set up a process to amend, or change the Constitution. Unlike the founding era, today's lawmakers ride in cars and airplanes, talk on cell phones, and get email on small, portable devices. The framers realized that Americans might someday want or need to change the Constitution. Therefore, they included the process to make changes. **What is an area of change in modern times that the founders never could have envisioned?**

8. As mentioned, the Constitution can be changed. The process is called the amendment process. Amendments are written changes to the Constitution. It's a two step process. Amendments have to be proposed and then ratified. An amendment may be proposed in one of two ways - Congress can propose an amendment by 2/3 vote in both chambers or the legislatures of 2/3 of the states can propose one. Amendments, then, have to be ratified, and can be done in one of two ways - approval by 3/4 of the state legislatures or approval by 3/4 of state conventions. **How can the Constitution be changed?**

Use your notes from the web quest to answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about the Constitution.

9. **Who was Father of the Constitution since he took notes and had many opinions on the new government?** J M--

10. **Who was the presiding officer who got the convention started?** G- W-

11. **Who was the peacekeeper due to his age, wisdom, and experience?** B--- F

12. **How did the Great Compromise solve the biggest argument?** It created the H of R based on p- and the S- with - (number) from each state.

13. **What was the original goal of the convention?** F-- the A--- of C

14. **Where was the convention held?** P---

15. **When was it completed (date)?**

16. **Why is the Constitution good (use some of the answers from the first several questions - opinion question)?**

17. **How has the Constitution been able to endure, or last, through the years?** It can be c-- due to the a- process.

Critical Thinking opinion questions:

18. James Madison said "//having all government power in the same hands is the very definition of tyranny//." He meant that if one group could make the laws and that same group also enforced the laws, and said whether or not those laws were fair, then that group could be corrupt. **Why do you think (opinion) it's better that we have these three powers with three different groups?**

19. **How did historic documents influence the Constitution?** The Magna Carta put l- on government power and the Mayflower Compact said government power should be based on the c-- of the g---.

20. Our Federal system is one in which the central government, the federal government, is the authority over the entire nation, but the states also have power. **Why is it good (opinion) that our states have power and that the government in D.C. doesn't make all decisions for all cities?**

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