Chapter 3 An Enduring Document
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Transcript Chapter 3 An Enduring Document
Chapter 3
An Enduring Document
Section 3
Informal Changes
Constitutional Terms
1. political party – organized group that seeks to
control government by winning elections
2. nomination – process of naming candidates to
run for public office
3. succession – transfer of authority on the
death of the chief executive
4. Cabinet – the President’s advisory board –
made up of the heads of the executive
departments
FACT or OPINION?
1. The process of formal amendment is
much more important than the process of
informal amendment.
Opinion
FACT or OPINION
Jefferson violated the Constitution when
he decided to buy the Louisiana Territory.
Opinion
FACT or OPINION
3. The elastic clause gives Congress the
freedom to define and extend its powers.
Fact
FACT or OPINION
4. America’s two-party system is almost
certainly unconstitutional.
Opinion
FACT or OPINION
5. The process of informal constitutional
change has had a greater effect on the
Constitution than the formal process of
amending it.
Opinion
Main Ideas
1. How do the broad language and
general principles of the Constitution
affect constitutional change?
Has made it flexible and open to
interpretation – encouraged change
Main Ideas
2. What are some of the ways in which
Congress and the President have made
informal constitutional changes?
Congress – commerce clause
President – treaty making role - to deal
with foreign countries
- commander in chief – sends troops
abroad without a declaration of war
Main Ideas
3. How have customs shaped the practices
of the government?
Two-party political system
Presidential cabinet
Main Ideas
4. What important power does judicial
review give to the Supreme Court?
It allows the Supreme Court to determine
what the words of the Constitution
actually mean.
Critical Thinking
If the Framers had filled the Constitution
with details and specific guidelines, how
would it have affected the process of
informal change?
It would be difficult to interpret the
document on a broad scale
It would be inflexible