Constitution Notes
American Revolution / Declaration of Independence
-Revolutionary War lasted 6 years
-started because colonists believed they were being unfairly taxed and treated by Britain
-During the war, the Second Continental Congress ran the American government
-They met in 1776 in Philadelphia to write the Declaration of Independence
-Thomas Jefferson was the main writer of the Declaration
-The Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4th, 1776
-It declared the colonies as independent states, no longer a part of Britain
-It also set the founding Principles for the Constitution and lists out our basic rights
-“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Articles of Confederation
-Written a week after the Declaration
-The Articles of Confederation were the 1st constitution for the US
-The Articles of Confederation were weak in power because the colonists did not want a strong central government
-They did not work because they were too weak
-The biggest weaknesses were:
1. National government had no power to tax
2. All changes to the Articles had to be
approved by all 13 states
3. No President
-By the end of the Revolutionary War, the Federal government was in serious trouble
-It was clear to the states that a stronger national government was needed.
Constitutional Convention
-Began in Philadelphia in May of 1787 and finished in September of 1787
-The purpose of the convention was to fix the problems with the Articles of Confederation
-55 delegates (all men) attended
-The building they met at is now called Independence Hall and was the same building the Declaration was signed in.
-George Washington was elected as president of the convention
-It was quickly decided to throw out the Articles of Confederation and replace them with a new constitution
Writing the Constitution
-The first major difficulty was the struggle for power between the large states and small states
-Small states wanted each state to have equal representation in the new government
-Large states wanted representation to be based on population
-They finally compromised and created two separate houses of Congress:
-In the Senate, the states have equal representation
-In the House of Representatives, states were represented based on their population
-Many other compromises were made
-The writers of the Constitution made it very flexible
-They intentionally left many parts vague and open to interpretation
-9 states were needed to ratify or approve the constitution
-People who supported ratifying the Constitution were called Federalists.
-People who opposed were called Anti-Federalists
-In 1788, Nine states ratified the Constitution and it went into affect
-By 1790, all 13 states had adopted the Constitution
How the Constitution is set up
-The Constitution is divided into three parts: preamble (introduction), articles (body), and the amendments (the changes)
-There are SEVEN articles and TWENTY-SEVEN amendments
-The Constitution is categorized as follows:
The Preamble
States the 6 goals of the Constitution
Article I
Legislative Branch
Article II
Executive Branch
Article III
Judicial Branch
Article IV
States and the Union
(How States fit in with the national government)
Article V
How Amendments are made
Article VI
United States Constitution is supreme law of the land
Article VII
How the Constitution would be adopted
Amendments
Changes and additions to the Constitution
Article 1
Legislative Branch (Congress)
-Major duty or job is to make laws
-Congress is made of 2 houses
-Senate has 100 senators (2 from each state)
-House of Representatives has 435 members
(based on population)
-Congress meets in the Capitol Building in 2 different chambers
-The Capitol is the only place that congress can meet to make laws
-Members of Congress can NOT be sued over what they say in Congress
Senate
-100 Senators- 2 from each state
-Currently 53 Republicans, 47 Democrats
-1/3 of the senate is elected every 2 years
-senators serve a 6 year term
-This staggering allows for there to always be experienced senators
-Senators can be reelected an unlimited number of times
-If a vacancy occurs in the senate, the state’s governor selects a replacement until the next election
-Illinois’s current senators : Dick Durbin (Democrat) and Tammy Duckworth (Democrat)
Qualifications Needed to be a Senator
-Must be at least 30 years old
-Must be a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years
-Must live in the state they represent
Officers in the Senate
-U.S. Vice President serves as the presiding officer
-He can not debate and only votes in case of a tie
-Senate elects a President Pro Temp- serves in the absence of the Vice President
-Majority Leader (currently Republican) 53
-Minority Leader (currently Democrat) 47
Main Jobs of the Senate
-Passes Bills (proposed laws)
-Approve all treaties made by the president
-They are the jury in impeachment trials
-The Senate must approve any appointments the President makes
House of Representatives
-435 members (this number has been fixed by law)
-Called Representatives
-Currently there are 232 Democrats and 197 Republicans (6 current vacancies!)
-Each state gets at least 1 representative
-The largest state (population) gets more than 50 members (California)
-The number of representatives each state has is determined by the census every 10 years
-All members are elected every 2 years for 2 year terms
-Representatives can be elected an unlimited number of times
-Illinois has 18 Representatives
-Palos Heights is in IL District 1- Bobby Rush
Qualifications Needed to be a Representative
-Must be at least 25 years old
-Must be a citizen for at least 7 years
-Must live in the state and district they represent
Officers in the House of Representatives
-Speaker of the House is the presiding officer- elected by his/her peers (Currently Democrat
-Majority Leader (Currently a Democrat)
-Minority Leader (Currently a Republican)
Main Jobs of the House of Representatives
-Pass Bills (proposed laws)
-All bills concerning revenue (making money) must start in the House
-Can impeach a federal officer (the Senate then tries the person)
-Select the president in case of a tie
Lawmaking Process
-A proposed law is called a bill
-Bills can start in the House or in the Senate
-Bills concerning money, must start in the House
-After it is introduced, a bill is assigned a number and given to a committee (group of experts)
-In the committee, they research the bill and make changes
-The committee either recommends the bill or ignores it
-The committee reports on the bill to the house
-Then the whole house votes on the bill
-If it passes, the bill is then sent to the other house (Senate or House of Representatives)
-The same procedures happen in the second house
-If it is approved by both houses, the bill is sent to the President
-The President can sign the bill or veto the bill
-If he signs, it the bill becomes a Law
-If he vetoes it, then Congress can override the President by having 2/3 of each house vote for the bill
-If the President does not do anything, it automatically becomes a law after 10 days
After a Bill Becomes a Law
-The Executive Branch must enforce the law
-The Judicial Branch interprets the law
-The Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional
Bill to Law Review (Example of A Revenue Bill)
Article 2
Executive Branch
-Main job is to ENFORCE, or administer, the laws
-There are three main parts of the executive branch:
1. President
2. Vice President
3. cabinet
-There are currently 15 cabinet members
-The President serves a 4 year term and can only be elected 2 times (Total of 8 years)
Qualifications for the President and Vice President
-Must be a Natural Born Citizen
-Must be at least 35 years old
-Must be a resident of the United States for at least 14 years (live in the U.S.)
Vacancy for the President
Order of Succession:
1. Vice President (Mike Pence)
2. Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi)
3. President ProTemp of Senate (Chuck Grassley)
4. Members of the President’s cabinet, starting with the Secretary of State (Mike Pompeo)
Cabinet Positions
Presidential Facts
-Current President- Donald Trump
-President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected 4 times served 12 years
-Presidents Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump were impeached, but none lost their job.
-President Richard Nixon resigned (Watergate Scandal)
-Two recent presidents received less popular votes than their competitor
1. Hillary Clinton had more votes than Trump in 2016
2. Al Gore received more votes than George W. Bush in 2000
Electoral College Notes
-The President is elected by the Electoral College
-There are 538 Electoral votes
-538 = 100 senators + 435 representatives + 3 D.C.
-IL has 20 electoral votes (2 senators + 18 Reps.)
-The winner of a state gets all of the electoral votes from that state.
-270 or more Electoral Votes are needed to be elected president
-If neither candidate gets 270 or more, then the House of Representatives picks the President
Jobs of the President
1. Foreign Affairs
- Treaties, Assign Ambassadors
2. Domestic Administration
- Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces
- Prepares the National Budget
3. Legislation (law making)
- Makes recommendations to Congress
- Vetoes or signs bills into laws
- Can call special sessions of Congress
4. Appointment (Assigns Important Jobs)
- Appoints many judges, cabinet members, advisors, and department heads
5. Pardons
- He may grant pardons for any federal offenses (can free any federal prisoner)
Economic Facts You Need to Know for the Constitution Test
-Gross Domestic Product (GDP)- The total value of all goods and services produced in the U.S. in one year
-National Debt- The total amount of money the government owes. (Currently above 23 Trillion Dollars!)
-Surplus- When the government has extra money at the end of the year. (Make more than we spend)
-Deficit- When the government spends more money then they make. The deficit is how much extra they borrowed.
-The Budget- The government’s plan for spending and making money each year. (Written by the President, approved by Congress)
-The U.S. government makes most of it’s money from income taxes
-The Government spends most of it’s money on...
-paying off the National Debt
-paying Social Security and Medicare
-Defense (Military)
Article 3
Judicial Branch
-Main job is to INTERPRET THE LAWS and administer Justice
-Consists of a system of Federal Courts
-Each federal judge is appointed by the President
-They serve for life
-They can only lose their job through impeachment
-There are no expressed qualifications written in the Constitution
-Judges are approved by the Senate
-There are 3 major types of federal courts- Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and District Courts
The Supreme Court
-Consists of 9 Justices (Judges)
-Decide if State and Federal Laws are constitutional
-Can declare any law to be unconstitutional
-Hears cases of appeals from lower courts
-One of the 9 judges serves as the Chief Justice
Court of Appeals
-13 Courts of Appeals
-Each one has 3 to 9 judges
-They hear cases of appeal from lower courts
-This court was created in 1891 to relieve the burden of appeal cases on the Supreme Court
District Courts
-There are 94 District Courts in the U.S.
-Each one has 1 to 24 judges
-They are the ordinary trial courts in the federal system
-All federal cases are heard here first
American Revolution / Declaration of Independence
-Revolutionary War lasted 6 years
-started because colonists believed they were being unfairly taxed and treated by Britain
-During the war, the Second Continental Congress ran the American government
-They met in 1776 in Philadelphia to write the Declaration of Independence
-Thomas Jefferson was the main writer of the Declaration
-The Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4th, 1776
-It declared the colonies as independent states, no longer a part of Britain
-It also set the founding Principles for the Constitution and lists out our basic rights
-“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Articles of Confederation
-Written a week after the Declaration
-The Articles of Confederation were the 1st constitution for the US
-The Articles of Confederation were weak in power because the colonists did not want a strong central government
-They did not work because they were too weak
-The biggest weaknesses were:
1. National government had no power to tax
2. All changes to the Articles had to be
approved by all 13 states
3. No President
-By the end of the Revolutionary War, the Federal government was in serious trouble
-It was clear to the states that a stronger national government was needed.
Constitutional Convention
-Began in Philadelphia in May of 1787 and finished in September of 1787
-The purpose of the convention was to fix the problems with the Articles of Confederation
-55 delegates (all men) attended
-The building they met at is now called Independence Hall and was the same building the Declaration was signed in.
-George Washington was elected as president of the convention
-It was quickly decided to throw out the Articles of Confederation and replace them with a new constitution
Writing the Constitution
-The first major difficulty was the struggle for power between the large states and small states
-Small states wanted each state to have equal representation in the new government
-Large states wanted representation to be based on population
-They finally compromised and created two separate houses of Congress:
-In the Senate, the states have equal representation
-In the House of Representatives, states were represented based on their population
-Many other compromises were made
-The writers of the Constitution made it very flexible
-They intentionally left many parts vague and open to interpretation
-9 states were needed to ratify or approve the constitution
-People who supported ratifying the Constitution were called Federalists.
-People who opposed were called Anti-Federalists
-In 1788, Nine states ratified the Constitution and it went into affect
-By 1790, all 13 states had adopted the Constitution
How the Constitution is set up
-The Constitution is divided into three parts: preamble (introduction), articles (body), and the amendments (the changes)
-There are SEVEN articles and TWENTY-SEVEN amendments
-The Constitution is categorized as follows:
The Preamble
States the 6 goals of the Constitution
Article I
Legislative Branch
Article II
Executive Branch
Article III
Judicial Branch
Article IV
States and the Union
(How States fit in with the national government)
Article V
How Amendments are made
Article VI
United States Constitution is supreme law of the land
Article VII
How the Constitution would be adopted
Amendments
Changes and additions to the Constitution
Article 1
Legislative Branch (Congress)
-Major duty or job is to make laws
-Congress is made of 2 houses
-Senate has 100 senators (2 from each state)
-House of Representatives has 435 members
(based on population)
-Congress meets in the Capitol Building in 2 different chambers
-The Capitol is the only place that congress can meet to make laws
-Members of Congress can NOT be sued over what they say in Congress
Senate
-100 Senators- 2 from each state
-Currently 53 Republicans, 47 Democrats
-1/3 of the senate is elected every 2 years
-senators serve a 6 year term
-This staggering allows for there to always be experienced senators
-Senators can be reelected an unlimited number of times
-If a vacancy occurs in the senate, the state’s governor selects a replacement until the next election
-Illinois’s current senators : Dick Durbin (Democrat) and Tammy Duckworth (Democrat)
Qualifications Needed to be a Senator
-Must be at least 30 years old
-Must be a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years
-Must live in the state they represent
Officers in the Senate
-U.S. Vice President serves as the presiding officer
-He can not debate and only votes in case of a tie
-Senate elects a President Pro Temp- serves in the absence of the Vice President
-Majority Leader (currently Republican) 53
-Minority Leader (currently Democrat) 47
Main Jobs of the Senate
-Passes Bills (proposed laws)
-Approve all treaties made by the president
-They are the jury in impeachment trials
-The Senate must approve any appointments the President makes
House of Representatives
-435 members (this number has been fixed by law)
-Called Representatives
-Currently there are 232 Democrats and 197 Republicans (6 current vacancies!)
-Each state gets at least 1 representative
-The largest state (population) gets more than 50 members (California)
-The number of representatives each state has is determined by the census every 10 years
-All members are elected every 2 years for 2 year terms
-Representatives can be elected an unlimited number of times
-Illinois has 18 Representatives
-Palos Heights is in IL District 1- Bobby Rush
Qualifications Needed to be a Representative
-Must be at least 25 years old
-Must be a citizen for at least 7 years
-Must live in the state and district they represent
Officers in the House of Representatives
-Speaker of the House is the presiding officer- elected by his/her peers (Currently Democrat
-Majority Leader (Currently a Democrat)
-Minority Leader (Currently a Republican)
Main Jobs of the House of Representatives
-Pass Bills (proposed laws)
-All bills concerning revenue (making money) must start in the House
-Can impeach a federal officer (the Senate then tries the person)
-Select the president in case of a tie
Lawmaking Process
-A proposed law is called a bill
-Bills can start in the House or in the Senate
-Bills concerning money, must start in the House
-After it is introduced, a bill is assigned a number and given to a committee (group of experts)
-In the committee, they research the bill and make changes
-The committee either recommends the bill or ignores it
-The committee reports on the bill to the house
-Then the whole house votes on the bill
-If it passes, the bill is then sent to the other house (Senate or House of Representatives)
-The same procedures happen in the second house
-If it is approved by both houses, the bill is sent to the President
-The President can sign the bill or veto the bill
-If he signs, it the bill becomes a Law
-If he vetoes it, then Congress can override the President by having 2/3 of each house vote for the bill
-If the President does not do anything, it automatically becomes a law after 10 days
After a Bill Becomes a Law
-The Executive Branch must enforce the law
-The Judicial Branch interprets the law
-The Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional
Bill to Law Review (Example of A Revenue Bill)
- Bill is proposed by a congressman
- Bill goes to committee (group of experts) in the House of Reps
- Bill goes to the whole House
- Bill goes to committee in the Senate
- Bill goes to the whole Senate
- Bill goes to the President to sign
Article 2
Executive Branch
-Main job is to ENFORCE, or administer, the laws
-There are three main parts of the executive branch:
1. President
2. Vice President
3. cabinet
-There are currently 15 cabinet members
-The President serves a 4 year term and can only be elected 2 times (Total of 8 years)
Qualifications for the President and Vice President
-Must be a Natural Born Citizen
-Must be at least 35 years old
-Must be a resident of the United States for at least 14 years (live in the U.S.)
Vacancy for the President
Order of Succession:
1. Vice President (Mike Pence)
2. Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi)
3. President ProTemp of Senate (Chuck Grassley)
4. Members of the President’s cabinet, starting with the Secretary of State (Mike Pompeo)
Cabinet Positions
- Secretary of State
- Secretary of Treasury
- Secretary of Defense
- Attorney General
- Secretary of the Interior
- Secretary of Agriculture
- Secretary of Commerce
- Secretary of Labor
- Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- Secretary of Transportation
- Secretary of Energy
- Secretary of Education
- Secretary of Veterans Affairs
- Secretary of Homeland Security
Presidential Facts
-Current President- Donald Trump
-President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected 4 times served 12 years
-Presidents Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump were impeached, but none lost their job.
-President Richard Nixon resigned (Watergate Scandal)
-Two recent presidents received less popular votes than their competitor
1. Hillary Clinton had more votes than Trump in 2016
2. Al Gore received more votes than George W. Bush in 2000
Electoral College Notes
-The President is elected by the Electoral College
-There are 538 Electoral votes
-538 = 100 senators + 435 representatives + 3 D.C.
-IL has 20 electoral votes (2 senators + 18 Reps.)
-The winner of a state gets all of the electoral votes from that state.
-270 or more Electoral Votes are needed to be elected president
-If neither candidate gets 270 or more, then the House of Representatives picks the President
Jobs of the President
1. Foreign Affairs
- Treaties, Assign Ambassadors
2. Domestic Administration
- Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces
- Prepares the National Budget
3. Legislation (law making)
- Makes recommendations to Congress
- Vetoes or signs bills into laws
- Can call special sessions of Congress
4. Appointment (Assigns Important Jobs)
- Appoints many judges, cabinet members, advisors, and department heads
5. Pardons
- He may grant pardons for any federal offenses (can free any federal prisoner)
Economic Facts You Need to Know for the Constitution Test
-Gross Domestic Product (GDP)- The total value of all goods and services produced in the U.S. in one year
-National Debt- The total amount of money the government owes. (Currently above 23 Trillion Dollars!)
-Surplus- When the government has extra money at the end of the year. (Make more than we spend)
-Deficit- When the government spends more money then they make. The deficit is how much extra they borrowed.
-The Budget- The government’s plan for spending and making money each year. (Written by the President, approved by Congress)
-The U.S. government makes most of it’s money from income taxes
-The Government spends most of it’s money on...
-paying off the National Debt
-paying Social Security and Medicare
-Defense (Military)
Article 3
Judicial Branch
-Main job is to INTERPRET THE LAWS and administer Justice
-Consists of a system of Federal Courts
-Each federal judge is appointed by the President
-They serve for life
-They can only lose their job through impeachment
-There are no expressed qualifications written in the Constitution
-Judges are approved by the Senate
-There are 3 major types of federal courts- Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and District Courts
The Supreme Court
-Consists of 9 Justices (Judges)
-Decide if State and Federal Laws are constitutional
-Can declare any law to be unconstitutional
-Hears cases of appeals from lower courts
-One of the 9 judges serves as the Chief Justice
Court of Appeals
-13 Courts of Appeals
-Each one has 3 to 9 judges
-They hear cases of appeal from lower courts
-This court was created in 1891 to relieve the burden of appeal cases on the Supreme Court
District Courts
-There are 94 District Courts in the U.S.
-Each one has 1 to 24 judges
-They are the ordinary trial courts in the federal system
-All federal cases are heard here first