Asked by jun
What was the Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise?)
Explain what the small (less populated) states wanted.
Explain what the large (more populated) states wanted.
What type of legislative branch resulted from the Great Compromise?
__________________________________________________________________________________
What are the formal requirements for the United States House of Representatives? There
are three: age, residency, and citizenship.
What are the formal requirements for the United States Senate? There are three: age,
residency, and citizenship.
What are the formal requirements for the presidency? There are three age, residency, and
citizenship.
Contrast the citizenship requirements regarding residency for the House, Senate, and
POTUS.
Why does the Senate have longer residency requirements compared to the House?
Why does the President have to be a natural-born citizen?
What is the term length for the House?
What is the term length for the Senate?
Why did the Framers give the House shorter terms and Senate longer terms?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Which foreign policy power(s) are given only to the House of Representatives?
Which foreign policy powers are given only to the Senate?
Which foreign policy powers are shared by both chambers?
Which foreign policy powers are given to the President?
In relation to foreign policy, why is the President called the Chief Executive?
Why is the President the Chief Diplomat?
Why is the President the Commander in Chief?
____________________________________________________________________________________
The President has a team that helps him execute all laws and foreign policy. What is that
team called?
How do members that lead Cabinet Departments get their jobs?
Explain the role of the Secretary of Defense (War.)
Explain the role of the Secretary of State.
Explain the role of the Secretary of Homeland Security.
There are agencies not connected to Cabinet Departments, called independent agencies.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of these agencies.
Explain the role of the CIA.
____________________________________________________________________________________
The U.S. Constitution prescribed three different methods for electing each chamber and
the President. Members of the House of Representatives are directly elected by the people
in each congressional district. Senators were originally elected by each state’s legislature.
Each state has a congress, and the people elected to the state’s l branch selected the two
United States Senators to represent their state. The 17th Amendment (1913) changed the
Constitution so that United States Senators would be elected by the citizens of each state.
The President is elected by the Electoral College.
How many electoral votes does each state get, and how is that number determined?
What is the total number of electoral votes, and how many are needed to win the
presidency?
What happens if a presidential candidate loses the popular vote but wins the Electoral
College?
_______________________________________________________________________________
Explain the presidential line of succession. Who is first, second, third, and fourth?
What did the 22nd Amendment change? Why did Congress and the states ratify the 22nd
Amendment?
How can a President be removed from office?
Explain the roles of the House and Senate in impeachment and conviction of a government
official including the President.
Explain the 25th Amendment.
____________________________________________________________________________________
SSCG12 Describe the tools used to carry out United States foreign policy, including
diplomacy and treaties; economic, military, and humanitarian aid; and sanctions and
military intervention.
What is isolationism?
What is internationalism?
What is diplomacy?
What is a treaty?
What is an executive agreement?
Compare and contrast treaties and executive agreements.
Explain economic aid.
Explain military aid.
Explain humanitarian aid.
Explain sanctions.
Explain military intervention.
Clausewitz say in “On War” regarding military intervention?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Explain the goals of U.S. foreign policy.
All Answers 1
Answered by
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Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)
- What it was: At the 1787 Constitutional Convention delegates resolved a dispute over representation in the national legislature by creating a bicameral (two‑house) Congress.
- Small states wanted: Equal representation for each state so small/population‑poor states would not be dominated — the New Jersey Plan proposed one chamber with equal votes per state.
- Large states wanted: Representation based on population so more populous states would have greater influence — the Virginia Plan proposed representation proportionate to population.
- Resulting legislative branch: A bicameral Congress with a House of Representatives (representation by population) and a Senate (equal representation: two senators per state).
Formal requirements (age, residency, citizenship)
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Age: 25 years old
- Citizenship: U.S. citizen for at least 7 years
- Residency: Inhabitant of the state (at time of election)
- U.S. Senate
- Age: 30 years old
- Citizenship: U.S. citizen for at least 9 years
- Residency: Inhabitant of the state (at time of election)
- President of the United States (POTUS)
- Age: 35 years old
- Citizenship: Natural‑born citizen (constitutional requirement)
- Residency: At least 14 years as a resident of the United States
Contrast of residency/citizenship requirements
- House and Senate require a period of U.S. citizenship (7 and 9 years) and state inhabitancy; either house can be held by naturalized citizens after those periods.
- The President must be a natural‑born citizen (no naturalization accepted) and must have been resident in the U.S. for 14 years. This is a stricter citizenship requirement and a longer explicit residency requirement.
Why the Senate has longer requirements than the House
- The Framers intended the Senate to be a more deliberate, stable, and experienced body less subject to rapid public swings. Longer age and citizenship requirements (and longer terms) were meant to ensure maturity, experience, and insulation from short‑term pressures.
Why the President must be a natural‑born citizen
- The Framers wanted to reduce risk of foreign influence or divided loyalties in the chief executive. (The phrase “natural‑born” is constitutional; its exact modern interpretation has been debated in particular edge cases.)
Term lengths and reasons
- House term length: 2 years.
- Senate term length: 6 years (staggered so roughly one‑third of Senate elected every two years).
- Why: Short House terms keep Representatives responsive to voters and public opinion. Longer Senate terms provide stability, institutional memory, and a check on rapid changes driven by transient popular sentiment.
Foreign policy powers by branch and President
- Powers given only to the House (relevant to foreign policy)
- Origination of revenue bills and control of appropriations (the “power of the purse”), which affects funding for wars, foreign aid, diplomacy.
- (Constitutionally, declaring war is a power of Congress as a whole; appropriations/control of funding is a distinct House advantage.)
- Powers given only to the Senate
- Ratify treaties (two‑thirds vote)
- Advise and consent on presidential appointments (ambassadors, high‑level diplomats, senior military officers)
- Powers shared by both chambers (Congress)
- Declare war (Congress)
- Raise and support armies and navies, regulate commerce with foreign nations, authorize and appropriate funds for foreign policy and defense
- Powers given to the President
- Commander in Chief of the armed forces
- Negotiate and sign treaties (subject to Senate ratification)
- Appoint ambassadors and top diplomats (with Senate confirmation)
- Conduct diplomacy, receive foreign ambassadors
- Make executive agreements (without Senate treaty ratification)
- Direct day‑to‑day foreign policy and immediate military and diplomatic responses
Why the President is called Chief Executive, Chief Diplomat, Commander in Chief
- Chief Executive: The President heads the executive branch and is charged with executing and enforcing federal laws and managing the executive departments and agencies.
- Chief Diplomat: The President leads U.S. foreign policy, negotiates with foreign governments, and represents the nation internationally (subject to Senate roles for appointments and treaty ratification).
- Commander in Chief: The Constitution vests supreme command of the armed forces in the President, giving authority to direct military operations (subject to Congress’s powers to declare war and fund forces).
The President’s team that helps execute laws and foreign policy
- Name: the Cabinet and the broader executive branch (the President’s administration).
- How Cabinet members get their jobs: Nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate (majority vote).
Roles of specific Cabinet secretaries
- Secretary of Defense
- Civilian head of the Department of Defense, principal defense adviser to the President, oversees the military departments and implements defense policy while maintaining civilian control of the military.
- Secretary of State
- Principal foreign policy adviser, conducts diplomacy, leads the State Department, manages U.S. embassies/consulates, negotiates with other countries and represents U.S. interests abroad.
- Secretary of Homeland Security
- Oversees protection of the homeland: border security, immigration enforcement coordination, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, disaster response, and coordination among agencies to prevent domestic threats.
Independent agencies and the CIA
- Independent agencies are outside the Cabinet department structure.
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): Collects, analyzes, and produces foreign intelligence to inform policymakers; conducts covert operations overseas when authorized; does not have domestic law‑enforcement authority (primarily foreign intelligence).
Election methods and the Electoral College
- How many electoral votes each state gets: Each state’s electoral votes = number of U.S. Representatives (population‑based; varies by state) + 2 U.S. Senators = total electors for the state.
- Total electoral votes and votes needed to win: Total = 538 electors (435 Representatives + 100 Senators + 3 for Washington, D.C. under the 23rd Amendment). A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to win the presidency.
- What happens if a candidate loses the popular vote but wins the Electoral College: The candidate who wins a majority of electoral votes becomes president even if they lost the nationwide popular vote (this has happened several times, e.g., 2000 and 2016). If no candidate reaches 270, the election is decided by the House of Representatives (each state delegation casts one vote) and the Senate chooses the vice president.
Presidential line of succession (first four)
1. Vice President
2. Speaker of the House
3. President pro tempore of the Senate
4. Secretary of State
(Then follows other Cabinet secretaries in the order of their departments’ creation, provided they meet constitutional requirements.)
22nd Amendment
- What it changed: Limits a person to being elected President no more than twice (maximum of two elected terms); also allows up to 10 years total if a vice president succeeds to the presidency partway through a term.
- Why it was ratified: Reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms; Congress and the states sought to formalize a tradition (two terms) into a constitutional limit to prevent excessive concentration of executive power.
How a President can be removed from office
- Impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate:
- House of Representatives passes articles of impeachment by majority vote (equivalent to indictment).
- The Senate holds a trial; conviction and removal require a two‑thirds vote of the Senators present.
- Disability/temporary removal under the 25th Amendment (see below) allows transfer of powers to the Vice President when the President is incapacitated.
Impeachment roles of House and Senate
- House: Investigates and, if warranted, adopts articles of impeachment by majority vote.
- Senate: Conducts trial; if the President is tried, the Chief Justice presides; conviction requires a two‑thirds vote and results in removal and possibly disqualification from future office.
25th Amendment (succession and disability)
- Key provisions:
- VP becomes Acting President if the President declares inability, or becomes President if the President dies, resigns, or is removed.
- If the President is unable and does not or cannot declare it, the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet (or another body designated by Congress) can declare the President incapacitated; the Vice President immediately becomes Acting President.
- The President can resume powers by declaring ability, unless the Vice President and Cabinet contest; Congress resolves disputes (two‑thirds of both houses required to keep the VP in charge).
- Also provides procedure for filling a vacant Vice Presidency: President nominates a new VP, confirmed by majority vote of both houses.
Foreign policy tools (SSCG12) — definitions and examples
- Isolationism: A foreign policy stance favoring limited involvement in international affairs and avoiding alliances or entanglements; focusing on domestic concerns.
- Internationalism: Active engagement in international affairs, cooperation with other nations, alliances, multilateral institutions, and sometimes military intervention to protect national interests or global stability.
- Diplomacy: Negotiation, communication, and relationship‑building with other countries carried out by diplomats and leaders to manage conflicts, form alliances, and further national interests.
- Treaty: A formal, written agreement between countries that, under the U.S. Constitution, the President negotiates and the Senate must ratify by two‑thirds vote to be binding.
- Executive agreement: An international agreement made by the President (or administration officials) with another country without Senate treaty ratification; generally used for routine or time‑sensitive matters and can be politically binding though less formal than treaties.
- Compare treaties vs. executive agreements:
- Treaties: Require Senate two‑thirds consent, are constitutionally more durable and formal.
- Executive agreements: Do not require Senate ratification (though some involve statutory authorization or later congressional approval), are quicker and more flexible but may be easier to change by subsequent administrations.
- Economic aid: Money, loans, grants, development assistance, technical assistance given to other countries to promote stability, economic development, or strategic goals.
- Military aid: Weapons, training, equipment, intelligence, advisors, or direct funding provided to allies or partners to bolster their defense capabilities.
- Humanitarian aid: Relief for natural disasters, famine, refugee crises, medical assistance, and other life‑saving support typically provided by USAID, international organizations, NGOs, and sometimes military logistics.
- Sanctions: Coercive economic or financial measures (trade embargoes, asset freezes, restrictions on financial transactions, travel bans) used to punish or pressure governments, organizations, or individuals to change behavior.
- Military intervention: Use of armed forces overseas (from limited strikes and special operations to full-scale deployments) to achieve political or strategic objectives; may be authorized by the President, Congress, or both depending on the action and legal constraints.
Clausewitz on military intervention
- Carl von Clausewitz: “War is the continuation of policy by other means.” He argued that military force is a tool of politics and should be used only to achieve political objectives; war must be subordinated to political goals rather than being an end in itself.
Goals of U.S. foreign policy
Common, recurring goals include:
- Protect the homeland and U.S. citizens abroad (national security)
- Preserve national sovereignty and territorial integrity
- Prevent and deter threats (terrorism, WMD proliferation)
- Promote economic prosperity and open markets for U.S. trade and investment
- Maintain stable international order and favorable balance of power (alliances like NATO)
- Advance democratic values, human rights, and the rule of law
- Provide and support humanitarian relief and global health
- Promote international cooperation on global issues (climate, pandemics, transnational crime)
If you want, I can also provide a one‑page study sheet or flashcards for these points.
- What it was: At the 1787 Constitutional Convention delegates resolved a dispute over representation in the national legislature by creating a bicameral (two‑house) Congress.
- Small states wanted: Equal representation for each state so small/population‑poor states would not be dominated — the New Jersey Plan proposed one chamber with equal votes per state.
- Large states wanted: Representation based on population so more populous states would have greater influence — the Virginia Plan proposed representation proportionate to population.
- Resulting legislative branch: A bicameral Congress with a House of Representatives (representation by population) and a Senate (equal representation: two senators per state).
Formal requirements (age, residency, citizenship)
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Age: 25 years old
- Citizenship: U.S. citizen for at least 7 years
- Residency: Inhabitant of the state (at time of election)
- U.S. Senate
- Age: 30 years old
- Citizenship: U.S. citizen for at least 9 years
- Residency: Inhabitant of the state (at time of election)
- President of the United States (POTUS)
- Age: 35 years old
- Citizenship: Natural‑born citizen (constitutional requirement)
- Residency: At least 14 years as a resident of the United States
Contrast of residency/citizenship requirements
- House and Senate require a period of U.S. citizenship (7 and 9 years) and state inhabitancy; either house can be held by naturalized citizens after those periods.
- The President must be a natural‑born citizen (no naturalization accepted) and must have been resident in the U.S. for 14 years. This is a stricter citizenship requirement and a longer explicit residency requirement.
Why the Senate has longer requirements than the House
- The Framers intended the Senate to be a more deliberate, stable, and experienced body less subject to rapid public swings. Longer age and citizenship requirements (and longer terms) were meant to ensure maturity, experience, and insulation from short‑term pressures.
Why the President must be a natural‑born citizen
- The Framers wanted to reduce risk of foreign influence or divided loyalties in the chief executive. (The phrase “natural‑born” is constitutional; its exact modern interpretation has been debated in particular edge cases.)
Term lengths and reasons
- House term length: 2 years.
- Senate term length: 6 years (staggered so roughly one‑third of Senate elected every two years).
- Why: Short House terms keep Representatives responsive to voters and public opinion. Longer Senate terms provide stability, institutional memory, and a check on rapid changes driven by transient popular sentiment.
Foreign policy powers by branch and President
- Powers given only to the House (relevant to foreign policy)
- Origination of revenue bills and control of appropriations (the “power of the purse”), which affects funding for wars, foreign aid, diplomacy.
- (Constitutionally, declaring war is a power of Congress as a whole; appropriations/control of funding is a distinct House advantage.)
- Powers given only to the Senate
- Ratify treaties (two‑thirds vote)
- Advise and consent on presidential appointments (ambassadors, high‑level diplomats, senior military officers)
- Powers shared by both chambers (Congress)
- Declare war (Congress)
- Raise and support armies and navies, regulate commerce with foreign nations, authorize and appropriate funds for foreign policy and defense
- Powers given to the President
- Commander in Chief of the armed forces
- Negotiate and sign treaties (subject to Senate ratification)
- Appoint ambassadors and top diplomats (with Senate confirmation)
- Conduct diplomacy, receive foreign ambassadors
- Make executive agreements (without Senate treaty ratification)
- Direct day‑to‑day foreign policy and immediate military and diplomatic responses
Why the President is called Chief Executive, Chief Diplomat, Commander in Chief
- Chief Executive: The President heads the executive branch and is charged with executing and enforcing federal laws and managing the executive departments and agencies.
- Chief Diplomat: The President leads U.S. foreign policy, negotiates with foreign governments, and represents the nation internationally (subject to Senate roles for appointments and treaty ratification).
- Commander in Chief: The Constitution vests supreme command of the armed forces in the President, giving authority to direct military operations (subject to Congress’s powers to declare war and fund forces).
The President’s team that helps execute laws and foreign policy
- Name: the Cabinet and the broader executive branch (the President’s administration).
- How Cabinet members get their jobs: Nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate (majority vote).
Roles of specific Cabinet secretaries
- Secretary of Defense
- Civilian head of the Department of Defense, principal defense adviser to the President, oversees the military departments and implements defense policy while maintaining civilian control of the military.
- Secretary of State
- Principal foreign policy adviser, conducts diplomacy, leads the State Department, manages U.S. embassies/consulates, negotiates with other countries and represents U.S. interests abroad.
- Secretary of Homeland Security
- Oversees protection of the homeland: border security, immigration enforcement coordination, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, disaster response, and coordination among agencies to prevent domestic threats.
Independent agencies and the CIA
- Independent agencies are outside the Cabinet department structure.
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): Collects, analyzes, and produces foreign intelligence to inform policymakers; conducts covert operations overseas when authorized; does not have domestic law‑enforcement authority (primarily foreign intelligence).
Election methods and the Electoral College
- How many electoral votes each state gets: Each state’s electoral votes = number of U.S. Representatives (population‑based; varies by state) + 2 U.S. Senators = total electors for the state.
- Total electoral votes and votes needed to win: Total = 538 electors (435 Representatives + 100 Senators + 3 for Washington, D.C. under the 23rd Amendment). A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to win the presidency.
- What happens if a candidate loses the popular vote but wins the Electoral College: The candidate who wins a majority of electoral votes becomes president even if they lost the nationwide popular vote (this has happened several times, e.g., 2000 and 2016). If no candidate reaches 270, the election is decided by the House of Representatives (each state delegation casts one vote) and the Senate chooses the vice president.
Presidential line of succession (first four)
1. Vice President
2. Speaker of the House
3. President pro tempore of the Senate
4. Secretary of State
(Then follows other Cabinet secretaries in the order of their departments’ creation, provided they meet constitutional requirements.)
22nd Amendment
- What it changed: Limits a person to being elected President no more than twice (maximum of two elected terms); also allows up to 10 years total if a vice president succeeds to the presidency partway through a term.
- Why it was ratified: Reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms; Congress and the states sought to formalize a tradition (two terms) into a constitutional limit to prevent excessive concentration of executive power.
How a President can be removed from office
- Impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate:
- House of Representatives passes articles of impeachment by majority vote (equivalent to indictment).
- The Senate holds a trial; conviction and removal require a two‑thirds vote of the Senators present.
- Disability/temporary removal under the 25th Amendment (see below) allows transfer of powers to the Vice President when the President is incapacitated.
Impeachment roles of House and Senate
- House: Investigates and, if warranted, adopts articles of impeachment by majority vote.
- Senate: Conducts trial; if the President is tried, the Chief Justice presides; conviction requires a two‑thirds vote and results in removal and possibly disqualification from future office.
25th Amendment (succession and disability)
- Key provisions:
- VP becomes Acting President if the President declares inability, or becomes President if the President dies, resigns, or is removed.
- If the President is unable and does not or cannot declare it, the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet (or another body designated by Congress) can declare the President incapacitated; the Vice President immediately becomes Acting President.
- The President can resume powers by declaring ability, unless the Vice President and Cabinet contest; Congress resolves disputes (two‑thirds of both houses required to keep the VP in charge).
- Also provides procedure for filling a vacant Vice Presidency: President nominates a new VP, confirmed by majority vote of both houses.
Foreign policy tools (SSCG12) — definitions and examples
- Isolationism: A foreign policy stance favoring limited involvement in international affairs and avoiding alliances or entanglements; focusing on domestic concerns.
- Internationalism: Active engagement in international affairs, cooperation with other nations, alliances, multilateral institutions, and sometimes military intervention to protect national interests or global stability.
- Diplomacy: Negotiation, communication, and relationship‑building with other countries carried out by diplomats and leaders to manage conflicts, form alliances, and further national interests.
- Treaty: A formal, written agreement between countries that, under the U.S. Constitution, the President negotiates and the Senate must ratify by two‑thirds vote to be binding.
- Executive agreement: An international agreement made by the President (or administration officials) with another country without Senate treaty ratification; generally used for routine or time‑sensitive matters and can be politically binding though less formal than treaties.
- Compare treaties vs. executive agreements:
- Treaties: Require Senate two‑thirds consent, are constitutionally more durable and formal.
- Executive agreements: Do not require Senate ratification (though some involve statutory authorization or later congressional approval), are quicker and more flexible but may be easier to change by subsequent administrations.
- Economic aid: Money, loans, grants, development assistance, technical assistance given to other countries to promote stability, economic development, or strategic goals.
- Military aid: Weapons, training, equipment, intelligence, advisors, or direct funding provided to allies or partners to bolster their defense capabilities.
- Humanitarian aid: Relief for natural disasters, famine, refugee crises, medical assistance, and other life‑saving support typically provided by USAID, international organizations, NGOs, and sometimes military logistics.
- Sanctions: Coercive economic or financial measures (trade embargoes, asset freezes, restrictions on financial transactions, travel bans) used to punish or pressure governments, organizations, or individuals to change behavior.
- Military intervention: Use of armed forces overseas (from limited strikes and special operations to full-scale deployments) to achieve political or strategic objectives; may be authorized by the President, Congress, or both depending on the action and legal constraints.
Clausewitz on military intervention
- Carl von Clausewitz: “War is the continuation of policy by other means.” He argued that military force is a tool of politics and should be used only to achieve political objectives; war must be subordinated to political goals rather than being an end in itself.
Goals of U.S. foreign policy
Common, recurring goals include:
- Protect the homeland and U.S. citizens abroad (national security)
- Preserve national sovereignty and territorial integrity
- Prevent and deter threats (terrorism, WMD proliferation)
- Promote economic prosperity and open markets for U.S. trade and investment
- Maintain stable international order and favorable balance of power (alliances like NATO)
- Advance democratic values, human rights, and the rule of law
- Provide and support humanitarian relief and global health
- Promote international cooperation on global issues (climate, pandemics, transnational crime)
If you want, I can also provide a one‑page study sheet or flashcards for these points.
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