Name: ______ Social Studies Seven/PD: _____
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Name: ______Social Studies Seven/PD: _____ Due Date: Friday 3/1/13 HW – Constitutional Systems (Part Two)
Constitutional Systems - Part Two
Background:
The Framers, as mentioned in the first part of this assignment, wished to prevent the creation of a government that would become too powerful or a government that would abuse the rights of the people. The efforts made to prevent this from happening involved measures to limit government power and involved steps to ease the fears of state governments as well as citizens. The Framers understood that the new Constitution would have to be “sold” to the people (win their approval) before it become the law of the land. Therefore, the Framers added systems to the Constitution that were designed to win support for the document when it was presented to the states for ratification (vote to approve/disapprove).
Passage
The Constitution went even further to limit the power of the government by giving each branch the ability to “check” or stop the other branches from abusing or taking too many powers. The system of Checks and Balances allows the government to regulate itself. By giving the three branches powers over each other, the Constitution not only limits the powers of each, but also makes certain that each branch guards and protects its powers from the other branches. Not surprisingly, the Framers did not wish to create a “Chief Executive,” or President, that had the powers of a king. As a result, the Framers limited the power of the President by holding elections every four years in which all eligible voting citizens could participate. If the people were unhappy with the President, then they had a chance to vote him out of office and replace him within four years. The power of the president was further limited by creating an Electoral College or an assembly of delegates from the states that voted for the president at the same time that the people voted. The Electoral College was created to help settle disputes in close elections (when no candidate had a majority) and to prevent the people from making “uninformed decisions.” In recent years, the Electoral College has had a major impact on elections – to the point that citizens feel as if their votes do not count and wish to see the Electoral College abandoned.
The Constitution may also be changed or “amended” by adding items to the Constitution or taking items out of the Constitution. The systems built into the Constitution placed many “checks” or restraints on the power of the Federal Government. The amendment system allows the Constitution to be a flexible document and to change as the needs of the nation changes over time. However, amending the Constitution is very difficult - preventing the destruction of the Constitution through changes that would alter to the point where it no longer functioned effectively. Constitutional Systems - Part Two
Name: ______Period: _____
1. What did the Framers “understand” about the Constitution and what step did they take to win approval with the states and the people?
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2. How does the system of checks and balances prevent the abuse of power?
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3. How was the power of the president limited (what were the people supposed to do if they were not happy with a President)?
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______4. What was the Electoral College designed to do during presidential elections?
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5. How can the Constitution be changed and why has the process been made “very difficult?”
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