Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test

Adults aged 18 through 21 are granted the right to vote by the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.

The Fifteenth Amendment granted the right to vote to former slaves and people of color. The Nineteenth Amendment gave the vote to women, while the Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth, and Twenty-sixth amendments gave representation to the District of Columbia, forbid poll taxes, and lowered the voting age to 18, respectively.

1996–2008: Twenty-eight US states changed their laws on felon voting rights, mostly to restore rights or to simplify the process of restoration.

1964: Poll Tax payment prohibited from being used as a condition for voting in federal elections by the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

1870: The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prevents states from denying the right to vote on grounds of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

1920: Women are guaranteed the right to vote by the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In practice, the same restrictions that hindered the ability of non-white men to vote now also applied to non-white women.

Article II of the Constitution specified that a president is in charge of the executive branch and must be elected to a term of four years.

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates

The judicial branch is a system of courts that applies the laws. Both the federal government and each of the 5 states have individual judicial branches which all serve this purpose. The federal judicial system reviews any cases or controversies that arise from laws put into effect by Congress or by the Constitution.

The president has veto power. This means that the president can reject a bill passed by Congress. If the president vetoes a bill, he prevents it from becoming a law. The president can send the bill back to Congress unsigned. Often he will list reasons why he rejects it. The president has 10 days to evaluate the bill. If the president does not sign the bill after 10 days and Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes a law. If the president does nothing with the bill and Congress adjourns within the 10-day period, the bill does not become law—this is called a “pocket veto.” If two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate vote to pass the bill again, the bill becomes a law, even though the president did not sign it. This process is called “overriding the president’s veto.”

The United States Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Proposed following the often bitter 1787–88 debate over the ratification of the Constitution, and written to address the objections raised by Anti-Federalists, the Bill of Rights amendments add to the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations on the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and explicit declarations that all powers not specifically granted to the U.S. Congress by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people. Today, there are thirty three such amendments.

A Senator represents the people of his or her State and represents the interests of the Republic as a whole. Senators are also influenced by the political party that they are a member of.

The Emancipation Proclamation, or Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, during the Civil War. It changed the legal status under federal law of more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the secessionist Confederate states from slave to free. As soon as a slave escaped the control of the Confederate government, either by running away across Union lines or through the advance of federal troops, the slave was permanently free. Ultimately, the Union victory brought the proclamation into effect in all of the former Confederacy. The remaining slaves, those in the areas not in revolt, were freed by state action during the war, or by the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in December 1865.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The April 15 tax deadline does not refer to when the IRS receives your tax return. Instead, it refers to the date that the tax return is postmarked. So if you mail out your tax return on April 15 by U.S. mail and the IRS receives your tax return after that date, your return won’t be considered late. The same rule applies for e-filing your taxes.

The government may extend this date if there are special circumstances and hardships.

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates

Only citizens of the United States and non-citizen nationals can apply for a U.S. passport. Green card holders cannot obtain a United States passport unless they first become citizens. Green card holders can travel throughout the United States and U.S. territories without a passport.

Non-U.S. citizens who are in the United States for any reason and need to renew a passport can usually apply through the embassy or consulate general of the country of which they are citizens. Most, but not all, embassies and consulates accept the submission of passport renewal applications and either process the request or forward them to a processing center.

The Senate is composed of senators, each of whom represents a single state in its entirety. Each state, regardless of its population size, is equally represented by two senators who serve staggered terms of six years. There being at present 50 states in the Union, there are currently 100 senators.

The United States Declaration of Independence is the pronouncement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1776. The Declaration explained why the Thirteen Colonies at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain regarded themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule. With the Declaration, these new states took a collective first step toward forming the United States of America. The declaration was signed by representatives from New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Almost all males living in the United States, between the ages of 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service. It's important to know that even though he is registered, a man will not automatically be inducted into the military. In a crisis requiring a draft, men would be called in sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth. Then, they would be examined for mental, physical, and moral fitness by the military before being inducted into the Armed Forces, or deferred or exempted from military service.

There are many political parties in the United States. However, the Democratic and Republican parties are the two largest. You can find a full list of parties by clicking on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_the_United_States

A president is elected for four years and is limited to two under the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which reads in part: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.". Presidential terms are four years each, meaning the most any president can serve in the White House is eight years.

The President’s Cabinet is composed of the principal appointed officers of departments of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. The Cabinet meets weekly to advise the President on matters relating to the duties of their respective departments.

The Cabinet traditionally includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice (the Attorney General), Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.

There are still 435 members of the House of Representatives a century later because of the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, which  permanently set that number. The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 was the result of a disagreement between rural and urban areas of the United States following the 1920 Census.

The Legislative Branch is also called the Congress. There are two parts that make up Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The Legislative Branch is the part of the government that writes up and votes on laws, also called legislation. Other powers of the Congress include declaring war, confirming Presidential appointments for groups like the Supreme Court and the Cabinet, and investigating power.

John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States

Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice

Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice

Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice

Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice

Elena Kagan, Associate Justice

Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice

Brett M. Kavanaugh, Associate Justice

The Senate is composed of senators, each of whom represents a single state in its entirety. Each state, regardless of its population size, is equally represented by two senators who serve staggered terms of six years. There being at present 50 states in the Union, there are currently 100 senators.

Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom to change one's religion or beliefs and to be absent of any religious beliefs.

The main reason why some states have more representatives than others in Congress is because they have bigger populations. This does not change the number of Senators. While the total number of representatives remains fixed at 435, they are apportioned by population and have boundaries adjusted periodically to provide equal representation.

Members of the House of Representatives -- called representatives, congressmen, congresswomen or members of Congress -- are elected to two year terms. The length of representatives' terms is stipulated by Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution.

Signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 39 delegates  representing 12 states (all but Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates), representing a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.

The executive branch carries out and enforces laws. It includes the president, vice president, the Cabinet, executive departments, independent agencies, and other boards, commissions, and committees. American citizens have the right to vote for the president and vice president through free, confidential ballots.

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States

The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane 'Sale of Louisiana') was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from France in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or approximately eighteen dollars per square mile or 3 cents per acre, the United States nominally acquired a total of 828,000 sq mi (2,140,000 km ; 530,000,000 acres).

The formal or informal system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government or other institutions.

The system of checks and balances is designed to keep any one branch of the U.S. government from becoming too powerful. It gives each branch specific ways to counter actions of the others, ensuring that no single section ever has complete control. The three branches of the U.S. government are the executive branch (the president), the legislative branch (Congress) and the judicial branch (the Supreme Court).

The separation of powers is a representation for the governance of a state. Under this model, a state's government is divided into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities so that powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches.

The law applies to everyone, citizen and non-citizen, including those who visit our country — NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. Laws must be applied the same regardless of race, gender, status or any other consideration. In 1776, the notion that no one is above the law was a principle established as part of the laws of the United States.

Freedom to express yourself.
Freedom to worship as you wish.
Right to a prompt, fair trial by jury.
Right to vote in elections for public officials.
Right to apply for federal employment requiring U.S. citizenship.
Right to run for elected office.
Freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates

Patriots' Day has been formalized as several state holidays, commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and the Battle of Menotomy, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. However, it is not a National Holiday.

The United States presidential line of succession is the order in which officials of the United States federal government assume the powers and duties of the office of president of the United States if the incumbent president becomes incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. The order of succession specifies that the office passes to the vice president; if the vice presidency is simultaneously vacant, or if the vice president also incapacitated, the powers and duties of the presidency pass to the speaker of the House of Representatives, president pro tempore of the Senate, and then Cabinet secretaries, depending on eligibility.

Presidential succession is referred to multiple times in the U.S. Constitution – Article II, Section 1, Clause 6, as well as the 12th Amendment, 20th Amendment, and 25th Amendment. The vice president is designated as first in the presidential line of succession by the Article II succession clause, which also authorizes Congress to provide for a line of succession beyond the vice president; it has done so on three occasions. The current Presidential Succession Act was adopted in 1947, and last revised in 2006. The 25th Amendment also establishes procedures for filling an intra-term vacancy in the office of the vice president.

Your eligibility is determined both by state and federal laws. Federal law requires that you be a US citizen, by birth or by naturalization, and 18 years old at the time the election is held. State laws vary, so you need to check with your local officials to determine your eligibility status.

The US economic system of free enterprise operates according to five main principles: the freedom to choose our businesses, the right to private property, the profit motive, competition, and consumer sovereignty. The US economy depends on the rule of law, political stability and vibrant trading partners.

The process of altering or amending a law or document (such as a constitution) by parliamentary or constitutional procedure leading to an alteration of rights that were granted by the Constitution.

Martin Luther King Jr. Jump to navigation Jump to search. U.S. civil rights movement leader. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.

Susan B. Anthony (February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to social equality, she collected anti-slavery petitions at the age of 17. In 1856, she became the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government and makes laws for the nation. Congress has two legislative bodies or chambers: the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Anyone elected to either body can propose a new law. A bill is a proposal for a new law.

Declaration of Independence, in U.S. history, document that was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and that announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. It explained why the Congress on July 2 “unanimously” by the votes of 12 colonies (with New York abstaining) had resolved that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.” Accordingly, the day on which final separation was officially voted was July 2, although the 4th, the day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted, has always been celebrated in the United States as the great national holiday—the Fourth of July, or Independence Day.

The United States Supreme Court is rightfully called the “highest court in the land” due to its jurisdiction over all other courts.

John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States,
was born in Buffalo, New York, January 27, 1955. He married Jane Marie Sullivan in 1996 and they have two children - Josephine and Jack. He received an A.B. from Harvard College in 1976 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1979. He served as a law clerk for Judge Henry J. Friendly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1979–1980 and as a law clerk for then-Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1980 Term. He was Special Assistant to the Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice from 1981–1982, Associate Counsel to President Ronald Reagan, White House Counsel’s Office from 1982–1986, and Principal Deputy Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice from 1989–1993. From 1986–1989 and 1993–2003, he practiced law in Washington, D.C. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2003. President George W. Bush nominated him as Chief Justice of the United States, and he took his seat September 29, 2005.

https://www.ncsl.org/research/state-tribal-institute/list-of-federal-and-state-recognized-tribes.aspx

The President’s Cabinet is composed of the principal appointed officers of departments of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. The Cabinet meets weekly to advise the President on matters relating to the duties of their respective departments.

The Cabinet traditionally includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice (the Attorney General), Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.

Other officials also hold Cabinet-rank, including the White House Chief of Staff; the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers; the Administrator of the Small Business Administration; and the U.S. Trade Representative.

Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war in the world, and we know that God is not neutral between them. The rights and privileges' enjoyed by U.S. Citizens and its visitors have been won and defended throughout history.

The Constitution was written during the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 55 delegates to a Constitutional Convention that was called ostensibly to amend the Articles of Confederation (1781–89), the country’s first written constitution.

The United States Constitution was adopted on September 7, 1878 by the Constitutional Convention; the document was ratified by conventions in each U.S. state in the name “of the people of the United States.”

Although the declaration is not officially divided into sections, it is commonly referred to in five distinct parts; the Introduction, the Preamble, the Indictment of King George III, the Denunciation of the British people, and the Conclusion.

The Introduction

The Introduction of the Declaration of Independence refers to the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitling the people to assume any type of political independence. The introduction also acknowledges that the reason for independence must be of reasonable terms. The Declaration therefore must be concise and explained thoroughly.

The Preamble

The Preamble contains probably the most famous lines of the Declaration, “we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.”? The Preamble states that there are certain unalienable rights that government should never violate. Those rights include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Should those rights be violated and the government fails to protect them, the people have the right to protect those rights themselves by overthrowing the government.

The Indictment

The Indictment begins by stating the suffering of the American colonies and the feeling of absolute constraint in forming a new system of government. The Indictment also refers to the numerous and repeated injuries that King George III placed upon the colonies and then go on to include factual information as to the many things that King George III had committed.

The King is accused of twenty seven specific abuses; interfering with colonists’ rights to self government and a fair judicial system; instituting legislation that affected colonies without their consent, increasing taxes on colonists; requirement to quarter British soldiers; right to trial by jury; preventing them from trading freely, for example. Also, the King had refused to protect the borders of the colonies thus resulting in the destruction of American life and property. These are among the twenty seven accusations the colonists made in direct relation with King George the III in the Indictment portion of the Declaration of Independence.

The Denunciation

The Denunciation portion of the Declaration of Independence basically covers and finishes their case for separating from England in the hopes for a peaceful resolution, but with the clear understanding that war is almost inevitable. This section of the Declaration also notes the attempts that had been made to peacefully work things out as many of the Americans still felt that England was their brother and had appealed to more prominent people among the British. Still to their utter disappointment and their requests the colonies remained ignored and unsuccessful.

The Conclusion

In conclusion, the representatives of the United States of America and the people of the colonies had seen existent conditions that required a change in government structure and policy. The conclusion states that “these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown.”? The conclusion of the Declaration also contains the core of Lee’s Resolution that had been passed on July 2.

The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents the government from making laws which regulate an establishment of religion, prohibit the free exercise of religion, or abridge the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.

Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war in the world, and we know that God is not neutral between them. The rights and privileges' enjoyed by U.S. Citizens and its visitors have been won and defended throughout history.

If both the president and vice president cannot serve, the next person in line is the speaker of the House of Representatives. This has not always been the procedure. Soon after the country was founded, a law was passed that made the Senate president pro tempore the next in line after the president and vice president. The president pro tempore presides over the Senate when the vice president is not there. Later in U.S. history, the secretary of state was third in line. With the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, Congress returned to the original idea of having a congressional leader next in line. In 1967, the 25th Amendment was ratified. It established procedures for presidential and vice presidential succession.

The September 11 attacks (often referred to as 9/11) were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

The attacks resulted in 2,977 fatalities, over 25,000 injuries, and substantial long-term health consequences, in addition to at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage. 9/11 is the single deadliest terrorist attack in human history and the single deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers in the history of the United States, with 343 and 72 killed, respectively.

The President of the United States is the Commander in Chief, who is responsible for all final decisions. The Secretary of the Department of Defense (DoD) has control over the military and each branch -- except the Coast Guard, which is under the Dept. of Homeland Security.

The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents the government from making laws which regulate an establishment of religion, prohibit the free exercise of religion, or abridge the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.

The United States Declaration of Independence is the pronouncement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1776. The Declaration explained why the Thirteen Colonies at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain regarded themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule. With the Declaration, these new states took a collective first step toward forming the United States of America. The declaration was signed by representatives from New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The formal or informal system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government or other institutions.

The US economic system of free enterprise operates according to five main principles: the freedom to choose our businesses, the right to private property, the profit motive, competition, and consumer sovereignty. The US economy depends on the rule of law, political stability and vibrant trading partners.

Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom to change one's religion or beliefs and to be absent of any religious beliefs.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The process of altering or amending a law or document (such as a constitution) by parliamentary or constitutional procedure leading to an alteration of rights that were granted by the Constitution.

Signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 39 delegates  representing 12 states (all but Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates), representing a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.

The United States Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Proposed following the often bitter 1787–88 debate over the ratification of the Constitution, and written to address the objections raised by Anti-Federalists, the Bill of Rights amendments add to the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations on the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and explicit declarations that all powers not specifically granted to the U.S. Congress by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people. Today, there are thirty three such amendments.

Although the declaration is not officially divided into sections, it is commonly referred to in five distinct parts; the Introduction, the Preamble, the Indictment of King George III, the Denunciation of the British people, and the Conclusion.

The Introduction

The Introduction of the Declaration of Independence refers to the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitling the people to assume any type of political independence. The introduction also acknowledges that the reason for independence must be of reasonable terms. The Declaration therefore must be concise and explained thoroughly.

The Preamble

The Preamble contains probably the most famous lines of the Declaration, “we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.”? The Preamble states that there are certain unalienable rights that government should never violate. Those rights include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Should those rights be violated and the government fails to protect them, the people have the right to protect those rights themselves by overthrowing the government.

The Indictment

The Indictment begins by stating the suffering of the American colonies and the feeling of absolute constraint in forming a new system of government. The Indictment also refers to the numerous and repeated injuries that King George III placed upon the colonies and then go on to include factual information as to the many things that King George III had committed.

The King is accused of twenty seven specific abuses; interfering with colonists’ rights to self government and a fair judicial system; instituting legislation that affected colonies without their consent, increasing taxes on colonists; requirement to quarter British soldiers; right to trial by jury; preventing them from trading freely, for example. Also, the King had refused to protect the borders of the colonies thus resulting in the destruction of American life and property. These are among the twenty seven accusations the colonists made in direct relation with King George the III in the Indictment portion of the Declaration of Independence.

The Denunciation

The Denunciation portion of the Declaration of Independence basically covers and finishes their case for separating from England in the hopes for a peaceful resolution, but with the clear understanding that war is almost inevitable. This section of the Declaration also notes the attempts that had been made to peacefully work things out as many of the Americans still felt that England was their brother and had appealed to more prominent people among the British. Still to their utter disappointment and their requests the colonies remained ignored and unsuccessful.

The Conclusion

In conclusion, the representatives of the United States of America and the people of the colonies had seen existent conditions that required a change in government structure and policy. The conclusion states that “these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown.”? The conclusion of the Declaration also contains the core of Lee’s Resolution that had been passed on July 2.

The law applies to everyone, citizen and non-citizen, including those who visit our country — NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. Laws must be applied the same regardless of race, gender, status or any other consideration. In 1776, the notion that no one is above the law was a principle established as part of the laws of the United States.

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States

A Senator represents the people of his or her State and represents the interests of the Republic as a whole. Senators are also influenced by the political party that they are a member of.

A president is elected for four years and is limited to two under the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which reads in part: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.". Presidential terms are four years each, meaning the most any president can serve in the White House is eight years.

Members of the House of Representatives -- called representatives, congressmen, congresswomen or members of Congress -- are elected to two year terms. The length of representatives' terms is stipulated by Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution.

The executive branch carries out and enforces laws. It includes the president, vice president, the Cabinet, executive departments, independent agencies, and other boards, commissions, and committees. American citizens have the right to vote for the president and vice president through free, confidential ballots.

There are still 435 members of the House of Representatives a century later because of the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, which  permanently set that number. The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 was the result of a disagreement between rural and urban areas of the United States following the 1920 Census.

The main reason why some states have more representatives than others in Congress is because they have bigger populations. This does not change the number of Senators. While the total number of representatives remains fixed at 435, they are apportioned by population and have boundaries adjusted periodically to provide equal representation.

The system of checks and balances is designed to keep any one branch of the U.S. government from becoming too powerful. It gives each branch specific ways to counter actions of the others, ensuring that no single section ever has complete control. The three branches of the U.S. government are the executive branch (the president), the legislative branch (Congress) and the judicial branch (the Supreme Court).

The separation of powers is a representation for the governance of a state. Under this model, a state's government is divided into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities so that powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches.

There are many political parties in the United States. However, the Democratic and Republican parties are the two largest. You can find a full list of parties by clicking on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_the_United_States

The president has veto power. This means that the president can reject a bill passed by Congress. If the president vetoes a bill, he prevents it from becoming a law. The president can send the bill back to Congress unsigned. Often he will list reasons why he rejects it. The president has 10 days to evaluate the bill. If the president does not sign the bill after 10 days and Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes a law. If the president does nothing with the bill and Congress adjourns within the 10-day period, the bill does not become law—this is called a “pocket veto.” If two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate vote to pass the bill again, the bill becomes a law, even though the president did not sign it. This process is called “overriding the president’s veto.”

The Legislative Branch is also called the Congress. There are two parts that make up Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The Legislative Branch is the part of the government that writes up and votes on laws, also called legislation. Other powers of the Congress include declaring war, confirming Presidential appointments for groups like the Supreme Court and the Cabinet, and investigating power.

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates

Article II of the Constitution specified that a president is in charge of the executive branch and must be elected to a term of four years.

The Senate is composed of senators, each of whom represents a single state in its entirety. Each state, regardless of its population size, is equally represented by two senators who serve staggered terms of six years. There being at present 50 states in the Union, there are currently 100 senators.

The United States presidential line of succession is the order in which officials of the United States federal government assume the powers and duties of the office of president of the United States if the incumbent president becomes incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. The order of succession specifies that the office passes to the vice president; if the vice presidency is simultaneously vacant, or if the vice president also incapacitated, the powers and duties of the presidency pass to the speaker of the House of Representatives, president pro tempore of the Senate, and then Cabinet secretaries, depending on eligibility.

Presidential succession is referred to multiple times in the U.S. Constitution – Article II, Section 1, Clause 6, as well as the 12th Amendment, 20th Amendment, and 25th Amendment. The vice president is designated as first in the presidential line of succession by the Article II succession clause, which also authorizes Congress to provide for a line of succession beyond the vice president; it has done so on three occasions. The current Presidential Succession Act was adopted in 1947, and last revised in 2006. The 25th Amendment also establishes procedures for filling an intra-term vacancy in the office of the vice president.

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates

The Senate is composed of senators, each of whom represents a single state in its entirety. Each state, regardless of its population size, is equally represented by two senators who serve staggered terms of six years. There being at present 50 states in the Union, there are currently 100 senators.

The President’s Cabinet is composed of the principal appointed officers of departments of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. The Cabinet meets weekly to advise the President on matters relating to the duties of their respective departments.

The Cabinet traditionally includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice (the Attorney General), Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.

Other officials also hold Cabinet-rank, including the White House Chief of Staff; the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers; the Administrator of the Small Business Administration; and the U.S. Trade Representative.

John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States,
was born in Buffalo, New York, January 27, 1955. He married Jane Marie Sullivan in 1996 and they have two children - Josephine and Jack. He received an A.B. from Harvard College in 1976 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1979. He served as a law clerk for Judge Henry J. Friendly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1979–1980 and as a law clerk for then-Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1980 Term. He was Special Assistant to the Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice from 1981–1982, Associate Counsel to President Ronald Reagan, White House Counsel’s Office from 1982–1986, and Principal Deputy Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice from 1989–1993. From 1986–1989 and 1993–2003, he practiced law in Washington, D.C. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2003. President George W. Bush nominated him as Chief Justice of the United States, and he took his seat September 29, 2005.

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates

The United States Supreme Court is rightfully called the “highest court in the land” due to its jurisdiction over all other courts.

The judicial branch is a system of courts that applies the laws. Both the federal government and each of the 5 states have individual judicial branches which all serve this purpose. The federal judicial system reviews any cases or controversies that arise from laws put into effect by Congress or by the Constitution.

The President of the United States is the Commander in Chief, who is responsible for all final decisions. The Secretary of the Department of Defense (DoD) has control over the military and each branch -- except the Coast Guard, which is under the Dept. of Homeland Security.

John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States

Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice

Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice

Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice

Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice

Elena Kagan, Associate Justice

Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice

Brett M. Kavanaugh, Associate Justice

The President’s Cabinet is composed of the principal appointed officers of departments of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. The Cabinet meets weekly to advise the President on matters relating to the duties of their respective departments.

The Cabinet traditionally includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice (the Attorney General), Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.

If both the president and vice president cannot serve, the next person in line is the speaker of the House of Representatives. This has not always been the procedure. Soon after the country was founded, a law was passed that made the Senate president pro tempore the next in line after the president and vice president. The president pro tempore presides over the Senate when the vice president is not there. Later in U.S. history, the secretary of state was third in line. With the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, Congress returned to the original idea of having a congressional leader next in line. In 1967, the 25th Amendment was ratified. It established procedures for presidential and vice presidential succession.

Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government and makes laws for the nation. Congress has two legislative bodies or chambers: the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Anyone elected to either body can propose a new law. A bill is a proposal for a new law.

Only citizens of the United States and non-citizen nationals can apply for a U.S. passport. Green card holders cannot obtain a United States passport unless they first become citizens. Green card holders can travel throughout the United States and U.S. territories without a passport.

Non-U.S. citizens who are in the United States for any reason and need to renew a passport can usually apply through the embassy or consulate general of the country of which they are citizens. Most, but not all, embassies and consulates accept the submission of passport renewal applications and either process the request or forward them to a processing center.

Adults aged 18 through 21 are granted the right to vote by the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.

The Fifteenth Amendment granted the right to vote to former slaves and people of color. The Nineteenth Amendment gave the vote to women, while the Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth, and Twenty-sixth amendments gave representation to the District of Columbia, forbid poll taxes, and lowered the voting age to 18, respectively.

1996–2008: Twenty-eight US states changed their laws on felon voting rights, mostly to restore rights or to simplify the process of restoration.

1964: Poll Tax payment prohibited from being used as a condition for voting in federal elections by the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

1870: The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prevents states from denying the right to vote on grounds of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

1920: Women are guaranteed the right to vote by the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In practice, the same restrictions that hindered the ability of non-white men to vote now also applied to non-white women.

Almost all males living in the United States, between the ages of 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service. It's important to know that even though he is registered, a man will not automatically be inducted into the military. In a crisis requiring a draft, men would be called in sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth. Then, they would be examined for mental, physical, and moral fitness by the military before being inducted into the Armed Forces, or deferred or exempted from military service.

The April 15 tax deadline does not refer to when the IRS receives your tax return. Instead, it refers to the date that the tax return is postmarked. So if you mail out your tax return on April 15 by U.S. mail and the IRS receives your tax return after that date, your return won’t be considered late. The same rule applies for e-filing your taxes.

The government may extend this date if there are special circumstances and hardships.

Freedom to express yourself.
Freedom to worship as you wish.
Right to a prompt, fair trial by jury.
Right to vote in elections for public officials.
Right to apply for federal employment requiring U.S. citizenship.
Right to run for elected office.
Freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Your eligibility is determined both by state and federal laws. Federal law requires that you be a US citizen, by birth or by naturalization, and 18 years old at the time the election is held. State laws vary, so you need to check with your local officials to determine your eligibility status.

Declaration of Independence, in U.S. history, document that was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and that announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. It explained why the Congress on July 2 “unanimously” by the votes of 12 colonies (with New York abstaining) had resolved that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.” Accordingly, the day on which final separation was officially voted was July 2, although the 4th, the day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted, has always been celebrated in the United States as the great national holiday—the Fourth of July, or Independence Day.

The Constitution was written during the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 55 delegates to a Constitutional Convention that was called ostensibly to amend the Articles of Confederation (1781–89), the country’s first written constitution.

The United States Constitution was adopted on September 7, 1878 by the Constitutional Convention; the document was ratified by conventions in each U.S. state in the name “of the people of the United States.”

The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane 'Sale of Louisiana') was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from France in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or approximately eighteen dollars per square mile or 3 cents per acre, the United States nominally acquired a total of 828,000 sq mi (2,140,000 km ; 530,000,000 acres).

Susan B. Anthony (February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to social equality, she collected anti-slavery petitions at the age of 17. In 1856, she became the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war in the world, and we know that God is not neutral between them. The rights and privileges' enjoyed by U.S. Citizens and its visitors have been won and defended throughout history.

The Emancipation Proclamation, or Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, during the Civil War. It changed the legal status under federal law of more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the secessionist Confederate states from slave to free. As soon as a slave escaped the control of the Confederate government, either by running away across Union lines or through the advance of federal troops, the slave was permanently free. Ultimately, the Union victory brought the proclamation into effect in all of the former Confederacy. The remaining slaves, those in the areas not in revolt, were freed by state action during the war, or by the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in December 1865.

https://www.ncsl.org/research/state-tribal-institute/list-of-federal-and-state-recognized-tribes.aspx

Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war in the world, and we know that God is not neutral between them. The rights and privileges' enjoyed by U.S. Citizens and its visitors have been won and defended throughout history.