LET’S PRETEND THAT VERY SOON YOU ARE GOING TO BE TAKING A TEST AS PART OF THE PROCESS OF BECOMING AN AMERICAN
CITIZEN. YOU WILL GO TO THE NEAREST NATURALIZATION OFFICE ARMED WITH A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE – AND YOU
HAVE TO SCORE AT 80% IN ORDER TO PASS. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO STUDY!! CHECK THE CLASS SYLLABUS AND CALENDAR FOR
THE DATE OF YOUR TEST! It will be a paper and pencil test in class.
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Why do we have Constitutions?
Constitutions provide guidelines for our governments and protect our rights as citizens.
What are the first three words of the US Constitution and why are they important?
“We the people” – these words indicate that our government receives its power from
the people.
How many articles does the US Constitution have? 7
How many amendments? 27
Name the five fundamental freedoms that are found in Amendment 1.
Freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion
What are the first 10 Amendments called? The Bill of Rights
What are the three branches of our government?
Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
Which of the three branches “gets most of the attention” in the Constitution?
The Legislative Branch by far – the framers spent most of their time on that branch – it
is really central to our system of government.
What are the 6 principles upon which our Constitution is based? You need to be able to
describe at least 2 of them (look up definitions if unclear!)
Checks and Balances, Popular Sovereignty, Limited Government, Separation of Powers,
Judicial Review, and Federalism
Who makes our laws at the federal level?
The Congress which is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate (two
houses = BICAMERAL)
How many people serve in the US Senate? 100
How many people serve in the US House? 435
Name at least one of your state’s two Senators (as of January 2013)
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat) and Ron Johnson (Republican)
Name your representative in the US House (as of January 2013)
Ron Kind (Democrat) represents the 3rd District.
Why do some states have more representatives in the House than others?
Representation in the House is based on population. Wisconsin has 8 House members,
for example, while California has more than 50.
How often (and when) do we elect our President?
Every 4 years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
Who is the current President of the United States?
Barack Obama (Democrat)
Who is the Commander in Chief of the US Military?
Article II, Section 2 prescribes that the President is the Commander in Chief (civilian
control of the military)
What is the highest Court in the United States? How many justices?
The Supreme Court – there are 9 justices
Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
John Roberts (appointed by President Bush)
Who is the Governor of Wisconsin?
Scott Walker (Republican)
Who is the President of the Ho-Chunk Nation:
Jon Greendeer
23. What is the capital of your state?
The capital of Wisconsin is Madison
24. What are the two major political parties in the United States?
Republican and Democrat
25. There are 4 Amendments to the US Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of
them. (you need to be able to give me the number and the explanation)
Amendments 15, 19, 24, and 26 deal with voting (look them up for specifics!)
26. What is one promise you make when you become a US Citizen?
These promises are made: You give up loyalty to another country, you promise to
defend the Constitution and laws of the US, you promise to obey US laws, you promise
to serve in the military (if needed – this applies to males due to the draft), you promise
to be loyal to the US.
27. Name two ways you can participate the American democracy?
Several possible answers here: voting, helping with a campaign, giving your opinion to
an elected official, running for office, writing letters to the editor, joining a civic
organization of some kind
28. When was the US Constitution written? 1787
29. How many men signed the Constitution? 39
30. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States?
I included this one because it is on the actual citizenship test – obviously you know the
name of one tribe due to where you live. Of course, there are hundreds of others as
well.
THE FOLLOWING RELATE TO OTHER CONSTITUTIONS THAT I HAD YOU EXAMINE AS PART OF THIS EXERCISE.
31. What year was the Ho Chunk Constitution established? (1994)
32. What does it mean to say that the Ho-Chunk people have “sovereignty?”
The word sovereignty simply means that tribal nations have the power to govern
themselves. They have a government to government relationship with the United
States government. The basis for sovereignty is actually traced to the Commerce
Clause of the Constitution (Article I-8-3).
33. The Ho Chunk government has what could be described as a “4th branch” of
government. What is it called?
The General Council – made up of all voting members of the tribe.
34. You examined several PREAMBLES as part of your work here. What similar ideas were
voiced in each of the preambles?
All indicated that the power of their government came from the people and all talked
about promoting the GENERAL WELFARE of their people.
35. What year did Wisconsin adopt its Constitution? 1848 – our statehood year.
36. Why is ARTICLE I of the Wisconsin Constitution important?
This is the portion of the document known as the DECLARATION OF RIGHTS. Our basic
freedoms are guaranteed in this section – it is similar to the Bill of Rights in the US
Constitution.
37. When was the Student Senate Constitution first established at BRFHS?
The Student Senate Constitution was adopted by the student body in October of 2005.
38. Name one of the goals of the Student Senate.
To be a visible forum for students where concerns can be expressed, to foster good
communication, to celebrate achievements by students and staff, to promote academic
excellence at our school, and to develop civic skills (including leadership) among our
students.