Congress Activities .pdf - Name The Congress Directions: Use the ... - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step to fill in the missing information on this worksheet about “The Congress” and compare it with the United States today.

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First, look at the table under “ARTICLE I — THE LEGISLATURE”. It has two columns: “THEN” (meaning under the Articles of Confederation) and “NOW” (meaning under the U.S. Constitution).

We need to fill in what each branch or feature was like back then vs. now.

Step 1: Fill in “THEN” column (Articles of Confederation)

Under the Articles of Confederation (before the Constitution), here’s what we know:

- Legislature: There was only ONE house — called the unicameral legislature. So write:
→ *Unicameral (one house)*

- Executive Branch: There was NO president or executive branch. The Congress handled everything. So write:
→ *None*

- Judicial Branch: There was NO national court system. Each state had its own courts. So write:
→ *None*

- Voting in Congress: Each state got ONE vote, no matter how big or small. So write:
→ *Each state had 1 vote*

- Amending the Articles: Needed ALL 13 states to agree! That’s why it was so hard to change anything. So write:
→ *All 13 states must agree*

- Taxing Power: Congress could NOT tax people directly. They had to ask states for money. So write:
→ *Could not tax; asked states for funds*

- Regulate Trade: Congress could NOT control trade between states or with other countries. So write:
→ *Could not regulate trade*

- Enforce Laws: Congress had NO power to enforce laws — they relied on states to do it. So write:
→ *No power to enforce laws*

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Step 2: Fill in “NOW” column (U.S. Constitution)

Now let’s fill in what we have today under the Constitution:

- Legislature: We have TWO houses — House of Representatives and Senate. So write:
→ *Bicameral (two houses: House & Senate)*

- Executive Branch: We have a President who leads the executive branch. So write:
→ *President + Cabinet + Agencies*

- Judicial Branch: We have federal courts, including the Supreme Court. So write:
→ *Federal Courts + Supreme Court*

- Voting in Congress: In the House, votes are based on population. In the Senate, each state gets 2 votes. But overall, voting is by representatives, not per state equally. For simplicity, you can say:
→ *House: by population; Senate: 2 per state*

But since the question might want a simple answer, maybe just:
→ *Representatives vote based on their state’s population (House) or equal representation (Senate)*

Actually, looking at the original chart, it says “Voting in Congress” — probably meaning how decisions are made. Under Constitution, most laws need majority vote in both houses. But for simplicity, let’s use:
→ *Majority vote in both houses*

Wait — actually, the original chart may be asking about how states are represented. Let me check standard answers.

Standard comparison:

Under Articles: Each state = 1 vote
Under Constitution: House = by population, Senate = 2 per state → but for “voting in Congress”, it’s usually referring to how laws are passed — which requires majority in both chambers.

But to match common textbook answers, let’s put:

→ *House: proportional; Senate: equal (2 per state)*

But again, if space is limited, maybe simplify.

Looking at the blank lines — there are 8 rows total.

Let me list them clearly:

Row 1: Legislature → THEN: Unicameral | NOW: Bicameral
Row 2: Executive Branch → THEN: None | NOW: President
Row 3: Judicial Branch → THEN: None | NOW: Federal Courts
Row 4: Voting in Congress → THEN: Each state 1 vote | NOW: Majority vote in both houses OR Proportional + Equal
Row 5: Amending the Document → THEN: All 13 states | NOW: ¾ of states (or 2/3 Congress + ¾ states)
Row 6: Taxing Power → THEN: Could not tax | NOW: Can tax individuals
Row 7: Regulate Trade → THEN: Could not | NOW: Can regulate interstate and foreign trade
Row 8: Enforce Laws → THEN: No power | NOW: Executive branch enforces laws

So let’s finalize:

THEN Column:

1. Unicameral legislature
2. No executive branch
3. No judicial branch
4. Each state had one vote
5. Required unanimous consent (all 13 states)
6. Could not levy taxes
7. Could not regulate commerce
8. Could not enforce laws

NOW Column:

1. Bicameral legislature (House and Senate)
2. President heads executive branch
3. Supreme Court and federal judiciary
4. Laws passed by majority in both houses (House by population, Senate equal)
5. Amend with 2/3 Congress + ¾ states OR convention + ¾ states
6. Can levy taxes on individuals
7. Can regulate interstate and foreign commerce
8. Executive branch enforces federal laws

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Now, move to the right side: “CURRENT UNITED STATES PROFILE”

It gives some stats:

- Population: ~330 million
- GDP: ~$25 trillion
- Life Expectancy: ~79 years
- Literacy Rate: ~99%
- Median Income: ~$70,000
- Poverty Rate: ~11%
- Unemployment Rate: ~4%
- Military Spending: ~$800 billion
- % of World GDP: ~24%
- % of World Military Spending: ~38%

Then below that, there are questions numbered 1–5.

Let’s answer those.

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Question 1: What type of government does the U.S. have?

Answer: The U.S. has a federal republic with a democratic system. More specifically, it’s a constitutional federal republic where power is shared between national and state governments, and leaders are elected by the people.

Simple version:
→ *A democracy where citizens elect representatives, and power is divided between national and state governments.*

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Question 2: List three products produced in the U.S.

Easy ones:
→ Cars, airplanes, software (like apps or operating systems), corn, wheat, medicine, electronics.

Pick any three:
→ *Automobiles, aircraft, and agricultural products (like corn or soybeans)*

Or simpler:
→ *Cars, phones, and food (like wheat or beef)*

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Question 3: How does the U.S. rank compared to other nations in terms of GDP? Is this good or bad? Why?

From the profile: U.S. has ~24% of world GDP → that means it’s #1 in the world.

Is this good? Yes — because it shows the U.S. economy is very strong and produces a lot of goods and services.

Why? Because high GDP means more jobs, higher incomes, better infrastructure, etc.

Answer:
→ *The U.S. ranks #1 in the world for GDP. This is good because it means our economy is strong, we produce a lot, and people generally have good jobs and income.*

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Question 4: How does the U.S. military spending compare to other nations?

From profile: U.S. spends ~38% of world military spending → that’s way more than any other country.

Answer:
→ *The U.S. spends more on its military than any other country — almost 40% of all military spending worldwide!*

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Question 5: Do you think the U.S. should spend less on defense and more on education or healthcare? Explain.

This is an opinion question — but we should give a balanced answer.

Example:
→ *Some people think yes — because schools and hospitals need more funding to help everyone. Others think no — because having a strong military keeps us safe from threats. It depends on what priorities we value most.*

But since it’s for a student, keep it simple:

→ *I think the U.S. could spend a little less on defense and more on education and healthcare, because helping students learn and keeping people healthy makes the country stronger in the long run.*

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Now, bottom part: “CRITICAL THINKING”

Question 1: Would your state necessarily approve the greatest number of delegates sent to it?

Hmm — this seems misphrased. Probably meant: “Would your state necessarily approve sending the greatest number of delegates [to Congress]?”

Under the Constitution, number of delegates (representatives) is based on population. So bigger states get more reps.

But would a state “approve” that? Well, states didn’t choose how many reps they got — it was decided by census.

Actually, re-reading: “Would your state necessarily approve the greatest number of delegates sent to it?”

That doesn’t make sense. Maybe typo.

Perhaps: “Would your state necessarily receive the greatest number of delegates?” — only if it’s the most populous.

Or: “Did states approve of having delegates based on population?” — some small states didn’t like it at first.

But given context, likely question is:

> Would your state necessarily have the greatest number of delegates?

Answer: Only if it has the largest population. For example, California has the most reps now. Wyoming has only 1.

So:
→ *No — only the most populous states get the most delegates. My state would only have the most if it had the biggest population.*

But since we don’t know which state the student is in, we can say:

→ *Not necessarily — only states with large populations get many delegates. Small states get fewer.*

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Question 2: If the position a member of Congress takes on a bill depends on whether constituents will vote him/her out of office next election, what conclusion can you draw about how members of Congress behave?

This is about accountability.

Answer:
→ *Members of Congress often vote based on what their voters want, because they want to get re-elected. So they try to please the people who live in their district or state.*

Simple:
→ *They care about what their voters think, because they want to keep their job.*

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Okay, now let’s compile all answers neatly.

Final Answer:

Fill-in Table:

| Feature | THEN (Articles of Confederation) | NOW (U.S. Constitution) |
|--------------------------|----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| Legislature | Unicameral (one house) | Bicameral (House & Senate) |
| Executive Branch | None | President + Cabinet |
| Judicial Branch | None | Federal Courts + Supreme Court |
| Voting in Congress | Each state had 1 vote | Majority vote in both houses |
| Amending the Document | All 13 states must agree | 2/3 Congress + ¾ states |
| Taxing Power | Could not tax | Can tax individuals |
| Regulate Trade | Could not regulate | Can regulate interstate/foreign trade |
| Enforce Laws | No power to enforce | Executive branch enforces laws |

Current U.S. Profile Questions:

1. Type of government: Federal republic with democratic elections.
2. Three products: Cars, smartphones, and corn.
3. GDP rank: #1 in the world — good because it means strong economy and jobs.
4. Military spending: Highest in the world (~38% of global spending).
5. Spend less on defense? Maybe — investing in education and health helps long-term strength.

Critical Thinking:

1. Would your state have most delegates? Only if it’s the most populous — otherwise no.
2. Congress members behave based on voter opinions to stay in office.

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Final Answer:
[See completed table and answers above.]