Constitution Scavenger Hunt - Understanding the Legislative Branch

Unit 2: Constitution Scavenger Hunt Legislative Article I- ____________________________ Branch 1. How often are representatives elected? 2. How old must a Representative be to be elected? Representatives are elected every two years Representatives must be 25 years old to be elected 3. How long is the term for a Senator? 4. How were Senators originally chosen? Which amendment changed that? 5. How old does someone have to be to be a senator? 6. Who is the president of the Senate and when may that person vote? 7. Which legislative body has the power of impeachment and which body has the power to try an impeached official? Senator terms last for 6 years Senators were originally chosen by legislature, the 17th amendment made it so the people elect senators The minimum age of a senator is 30 years old. The vice president is in charge of the senate, they can only vote if a vote ever ends in a tie. The house of representatives has the power to impeach a president while the senate is in charge of trying the charged official 8. Who shall officiate when the President is tried for impeachment? The chief justice of the supreme court officiates the president during impeachment. 9. What is the required vote that is necessary to convict someone who has been impeached? A 2/3 vote is required to convict someone who has been impeached. 10. What is the only penalty that can be imposed on someone who is impeached? 11. Who decides the times, places, and manner for holding elections for Congress? Each legislature decides the times, places, and manner for holding elections 12. In what federal body do all bills concerning taxes/revenue originate? All bills concerning taxes originate in the House of Representatives 13. What fraction of both houses must vote to override a veto? 2/3 of the House votes are required to override a presidential veto. 14. What happens when a president does not return a bill in 10 days and what is the exception to that rule? 15. In Section 8, the Constitution lists or enumerates the powers of Congress. List 6 of them. 16. In Section 8, which clause gives Congress the most general, non-specific powers? Clause 18 gives congress the most general powers. 17. In Section 9, there are three limitations on the power of Congress to deny the people rights. What are those three limitations? The 3 limitations are Writ of Habeaus Corpus, Ex Post Facto, and Bill of Attainder 18. When may the writ of habeas corpus be suspended? The Writ of Habeaus Corpus may be suspended during times of war. 19. Name three limits on the powers of the states. Executive Article II-____________________ Branch A person must be 35 years or older to be president 20. How old does someone have to be to be elected President? 21. How is it determined how many electors each state has? The total amount of senators and representatives in each state make up the amount of electors. 22. Name 3 Powers of the President. 3 powers of the president include: make treaties, nominate and appoint ambassadors, and be commander in chief 23. Name the body of Congress that must approve a treaty that the President has negotiated and the fraction of the vote they must approve it by. The senate must approve the treaty imposed by a president by a 2/3 vote 24. Which body of Congress approves nominations by the president? The senate approves nominations by the president. 25. When can the President appoint people without approval by anyone else? The president can only appoint people without approval to fill in vacancies temporarily. 26. What can a President or other officers be impeached for? A president can be impeached for treason, bribery, and misdemeanors Judicial Article III –__________________Branch 27. What is the term of office for Supreme Court justices? When can they be removed? 28. Who gets to decide how many federal courts we have? Congress is responsible for deciding the number of federal courts 29. In which cases does the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction? The supreme court hears cases involving ambassadors and inter-state conflicts 30. What must be necessary to convict someone of treason? Two witnesses are necessary to convict someone of treason Article IV 31. What is the topic of Article IV? Article IV is about relations among states. 32. What does the Constitution say about how one state must regard the laws of another state? States must recognize the laws and court decisions of other states 33. Explain Privileges and Immunities. Privileges and Immunities means that citizens receive equal treatment in other states 34. What limitation is put on admitting new states to the Union? Only congress is able to admit new states to the Union Changing the Constitution Article V- _________________________ 35. What fraction of the houses of Congress is necessary to approve a proposed Amendment? 36. What fraction of states must approve a proposed amendment for it to be ratified? A 3/4 vote is required to ratify an amendment 37. What fraction of the states can ask for a convention to propose new amendments? It takes a 2/3 vote to propose new amendments 38. What is the only limitation in the Constitution as to what can be the basis of an amendment? An amendment that would ban the slave trade could not be added before 1808 Article VI 39. What does the Constitution say about which law shall predominate if there is any conflict between laws? The constitution is the supreme law of the land which means that no other law can conflict 40. What qualification for holding any public office is forbidden? A religious test is forbidden for qualification of public office Article VII 41. How many states had to ratify the Constitution for it to become law? 9 states had to ratify the constitution for it to become law Amendments 42. Name the five basic civil liberties guaranteed in the First Amendment. The 5 basic civil liberties include: freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition 43. Which amdndment extended the vote to 18 year olds? The 26th amendment extended the voting age to 18 44. Which amendment outlaws “cruel and unusal punishments?” The 8th amendment outlaws cruel punishments 45. Which amendment ended slavery? The 13th amendment ended the practice of slavery 46. Put the NINTH Amendment in your own words. The people´s rights are not limited to those mentioned in the constitution 47. Put the TENTH Amendment in your own words. The people retain all powers except those denied 48. Which Amendment prevents a citizen of North Carolina suing the state of Georgia? 49. Which amendment said that states could not prevent people from voting based on their race?The 15 amendment 50. Which amendment said that a person could not be tried twice for the same crime? The 5th amendment 51. When can the government take private property and what must government give the owners? Which Amendment established this? The 5th amendment states property can be taken for public use as long as there is compensation 52. What phrase is repeated both in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments? The phrase ¨due process¨ is repeated 53. Which amendment defined citizenship? The 14th amendment defines citizenship 54. List the rights that the accused has when suspected of a crime. 55. Which amendment prohibited alcohol? Which amendment repealed its prohibition? The 18th and 21st amendments 56. Which amendment gave women the right to vote and in what year was it passed? The 19th amendment in 1920 57. Which amendment decided that a person could only be president for 2 terms? The 22nd amendment 58. On what day does the Constitution state that a new president shall be inaugurated? Which amendment established this? When must the new Congress meet? They meet on Jan. 3rd, the 20th amendment, inauguration is on Jan. 20 59. Which amendment prevents the president and vice president from being inhabitants of the same state? In that same amendment, who should choose the president if no one gets a majority in the Electoral College? And the vice president? 12th amendment 60. Which amendment requires a warrant to search someone’s property? 4th amendment 61. Which amendment gave government the power to impose an income tax? 16th amendment 62. Which Amendment establishes what to do if the president is incapacitated and can’t perform his duties? 25th amendment 63. (NOT IN CONSTITUTION) – DEFINE: a. Plurality- b. Majority the greater number c. Supermajority Extra Credit: 1. Who is known as "father of the Constitution"? James Madison 2. The essays urging ratification during the New York ratification debates were known as what? Federalist Papers 3. Name two Federalists and two Anti-Federalists. Fed. - Madison and Hamilton, Anti - Yates and Clinton 4. How many states were required to ratify the Constitution before it could go into effect? 9 of the 13 colonies 5. Which were the last two states to ratify (after the new government had already begun to function)? Island