Civics and Government - GED Social Studies

The 19th Amendment is the correct answer. The "Declaration of Rights and Sentiments" was the women's rights analog to the Declaration of Independence. It was read at the Seneca Falls Convention, the first formal agitation of equal rights among the sexes, which eventually leads to the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Although some—many, actually—states granted women the right to vote prior to the 19th Amendment, it took an amendment to force the noncompliant states to allow women to vote. Do you know why that is?

Remember: controlling the franchise (that is, who gets to vote) belongs to the states alone! That’s why it took an amendment to change the laws in the states which did not allow women to vote.

The correct answer is “Some women could . . .” Interestingly, many states west of the Mississippi allowed women to vote, with the Wyoming Territory (later the state) leading the charge. Do you know why this is? The answer is somewhat nuanced (and there are several theories as to why), but one plausible reason is that women were critical in settling the West, so the men “rewarded” them by extending the franchise. In other words, and likely a little more accurately, western women, unlike their eastern counterparts, were not simply homemakers and child-raisers. They actively participated in almost every aspect of life.

The 22nd Amendment limited the number of terms to which a President could be elected to 2. That said, it’s still possible for a President to be President for slightly less than 10 years. We’ll use names to make it easier. Billary Clownton and McDonald Grump are elected President and Vice President respectively. Clownton suffers an embarrassing political debacle halfway through her term, and is impeached and removed from office. Grump becomes President, and serves the remainder of Clownton’s term (a little less than two years). Grump goes on to be elected for two terms (8 years). Grump has been in office for (almost) 10 years, but only elected to 8. Pretty cool stuff!

The 25th Amendment formally sets Presidential succession, and in doing so, makes the VP the official President in the event of a death, resignation, or impeachment. Although that sounds a little goofy, it’s important mainly for somewhat attenuated legal reasons, the majority of which are beyond the scope of your course. Put simply, the 25th Amendment removed any confusion about whether the VP (in the event she needed to step up to the Presidency) was simply the “acting” President, or was actually the president.

The correct answer is 18 years old. The 26th Amendment forced the states to set their voting age no higher than 18. The states are free, however, to lower their voting age to (presumably) whatever they want. Remember: the states control who gets the franchise (bounded, obviously, by voting amendments).

The Department of Treasury has existed from the very beginning of United States political history under the Constitution (1789). The Department of Justice was created in 1870, Transportation in 1967, Education in 1979, Homeland Security in 2002.

The State Department is responsible for advising the President on foreign policy, as well as negotiating foreign treaties and engaging in diplomatic practices.

As part of the American system of checks and balances, the President can override an action of Congress with a Presidential veto; however with a two-thirds vote, Congress can in turn override the Presidential veto.

The English Bill of Rights was signed in 1689, shortly after King William ascended to the throne during the Glorious Revolution. It’s primary intention was to ensure that the King could no longer act without impunity and to ensure the continued liberty and supremacy of the English Parliament. Among its basic tenets were placing limits on the power of the English royalty, the right to petition the Monarch without fear of punishment, the promise of regular elections in parliament, and the guarantee of freedom of speech in parliament. The English Bill of Rights is considered to be the forebear of the later American Bill of Rights. One right that is not included in the English Bill of Rights, but is included in the American, is the protection from the forced quarter of soldiers in the homes of private citizens. This was included in the American Bill of Rights in response to the British colonial policy of quartering soldiers in American houses during and after the French-Indian Wars.

The right to remain silent effectively states that every accused individual has the right not to speak if they choose to do so. This is related to the Fifth Amendment which says that a defendant cannot be forced to be a witness against themselves.

The right to a "speedy and public trial" is guaranteed in the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution. All American citizens have the right to a public trial in order to prevent any corruption or miscarriage of justice that might occur behind closed doors.

Jim Crow Laws were enforced in the South during the decades after the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves. Jim Crow Laws were designed to further segregation in the United States.

Margaret Sanger was an American activist in the early twentieth century. She believed passionately that giving women the ability to control when and if they got pregnant would do a great deal to advance the autonomy of women in society. Throughout her life, Sanger was an active supporter of allowing women to legally use birth-control.

Habeas Corpus is a British legal tradition that has passed into American law. It essentially states that the government cannot detain a citizen for a lengthy period of time without a trial. It ensures no illegal detention, and that every accused individual will be given the opportunity to go to court to be acquitted of any wrongdoing.

In the American two-party system politicians often adopt broad opinions on a wide variety of issues to appeal to the largest number of people as possible. This generally ensures that both political parties are quite moderate when compared to the liberal or conservative parties in countries with a multi-party system.

A realignment election takes place when many votes switch their political-party allegiance. Often, a realignment election sees the rise of a third party or a previously unknown party into the two-party system. Other times it sees voters switching which of the two major parties they support. A realignment election often reflects widespread voter dissatisfaction with one or both of the two major parties.

A presidential candidate must win a majority of the Electoral College in order to become the next President. This is a slightly tricky question. Many people are under the incorrect assumption that a candidate must win a majority of the popular vote in order to become President. In reality, becoming the President requires a majority of the Electoral College-- which does not necessarily require a majority of the popular vote (due to the way that we count votes).

Political patronage is the term used to describe the granting of favors, passing favorable legislation, or making government appointments in exchange for financial support during a campaign. Meritocracy is fairly close to being the opposite, as it is a system whereby only the most qualified and skilled person is able to get a job.

Of these answer choices, only the Liberal-Democrats (a British political party) have never existed in United States political history.