98 silly-but-useful acronyms, rhymes, and jingles for the facts the Florida Civic Literacy Exam loves to ask about: the 5 freedoms, the Bill of Rights in order, the 7 Articles, key dates, the Federalist Papers, landmark cases, laws, and executive orders. Each card shows the trick, what it stands for, a one-line explanation, and a link to the lesson.
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"Swap a little freedom for a lot of safety. That's the deal."
Social contract = people agree to give up some freedom to a government that protects their rights
Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau all used the idea. For Locke, a government that breaks the deal can be replaced.
"Lock up your LLP: Life, Liberty, Property."
Locke's Two Treatises of Government (1689) shaped the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson swapped "property" for "the pursuit of Happiness."
"Rousseau = Rule of yoU."
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract (1762): the people are sovereign, and laws should reflect the "general will."
When you see popular sovereignty or the general will, think Rousseau.
"The POP star is the people."
POPular sovereignty = power comes from the people ("We the People")
Government gets its authority from the consent of the governed.
"In a REPublic, you pick REPresentatives."
The United States is a constitutional republic.
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"Please Let Sleepy Cats Find Jelly Inside."
Seven principles, seven sleepy cats. These ideas run through the whole Constitution.
"MontesqUIEU splits the menu: three courses, no single chef."
Montesquieu's The Spirit of the Laws (1748) is the classic source for separation of powers.
"Make it, Take it, Break it down."
Articles I, II, and III, in that order.
"Government rock-paper-scissors: nobody wins every round."
Each branch can limit the others, so no one branch gets too powerful.
"TBC: To Be Continued... by BOTH levels."
Concurrent powers are shared by the national and state governments.
"No one is above the law, not even the people who write it."
Rule of law = the law applies equally to everyone, including leaders
It traces back to the Magna Carta (1215). United States v. Nixon (1974) is a famous example.
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"Due process = DO it PROperly."
Government must follow fair, established procedures (notice, a hearing, a fair trial) before taking life, liberty, or property
The 5th Amendment limits the federal government; the 14th Amendment applies it to the states.
"Obligations are OBLIGATORY. Responsibilities are your RESPONSE-ability."
If skipping it can get you fined or punished, it's an obligation.
"Born here, or Naturalized: both count."
The 14th Amendment (1868): all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and subject to its jurisdiction are citizens.
"The majority picks the pizza, but it can't take away your slice."
Majority rule decides, but the Constitution protects the rights of people in the minority
The Bill of Rights puts some rights beyond the reach of any vote.
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"538 on the plate, 270 to be great."
Each state gets as many electors as it has members of Congress.
"Every ten, count again, so the seats can shift again."
The Constitution requires a census every 10 years; it is used to reapportion the 435 House seats among the states
After each census, states redraw district lines (redistricting).
"15 race, 19 ladies, 24 no fees, 26 eighteen."
The four big amendments that widened the right to vote.
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"Large Elephants Jump Slowly And Shake Ruthlessly."
In order, from Article I to Article VII.
"U Just Took Dad's Wallet, LOL."
Six goals, in order, after "We the People."
"25, 30, 35: each step up adds five candles."
The higher the office, the older you have to be.
"Two for the House, four for the chief, six for the Senate: long, not brief."
Shortest term for the chamber closest to the people.
"Enumerated = Engraved; Implied = Inferred; Reserved = Reserved for the states."
If it's written, it's enumerated; if it's stretched, it's implied.
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"RAPPS."
Five freedoms, one amendment: one hand, five fingers. Count them off on your fingers.
The countdown chant
Ratified in 1791. Say it out loud once; it sticks.
"Two-thirds to propose, three-fourths to close."
That high bar is why there are only 27 amendments.
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"13, 14, 15: Freed, Equal, Vote."
Passed right after the Civil War, in order.
"Sweet 16: the government gets a cut. At 17, voters pick the Senate."
Both are Progressive Era amendments ratified in 1913.
"18 took the drinks away; 21 brought them back the same way."
The only amendment ever repealed.
"In 1920, women's votes were plenty."
19th (1920): the right to vote can't be denied because of sex
The result of decades of work by suffragists such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
"22 = 2 + 2: two terms for you."
22nd (1951): a president can be elected no more than twice
Passed after FDR won four elections.
"23: D.C. gets 3."
23rd (1961): Washington, D.C. gets electors (3) in presidential elections
That's where the 3 in 538 comes from.
"24: no fee at the door."
24th (1964): no poll taxes in federal elections
Poll taxes had been used to keep poor and Black citizens from voting.
"25: keep the presidency alive."
25th (1967): presidential succession and disability; filling a vice presidential vacancy
Used when Gerald Ford became vice president (1973) and then president (1974).
"26: 18 is in the mix."
26th (1971): the voting age is 18
"Old enough to fight, old enough to vote" (during the Vietnam War).
"The slowest homework ever turned in."
27th: a congressional pay raise can't take effect until after the next House election. Proposed in 1789, ratified in 1992
It was one of the 12 amendments Congress sent to the states in 1789.
"The 14th is the Bill of Rights' passport to the states."
Through the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause, the Supreme Court has applied most Bill of Rights protections to state governments, case by case
Examples: Mapp v. Ohio, Gideon v. Wainwright, McDonald v. Chicago.
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"Necessary and Proper = the stretchy waistband of the Constitution."
Congress may make all laws "necessary and proper" for carrying out its listed powers (Article I, Section 8)
The source of implied powers. See McCulloch v. Maryland.
"Federal law is the boss of state law."
Article VI: the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the supreme law of the land
When a valid federal law conflicts with a state law, the federal law wins.
"Commerce keeps Congress FIT."
Congress regulates trade with all three. See Gibbons v. Ogden and Heart of Atlanta Motel.
"Your Florida license still counts in Georgia."
Article IV: states must respect the public acts, records, and court rulings of other states
Examples: driver's licenses, marriages, court judgments.
"Establishment: no official church. Free Exercise: free to practice."
Engel v. Vitale is an Establishment case; Wisconsin v. Yoder is a Free Exercise case.
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"In 1787, the Framers met to write a brand-new plan in Philly's summer heat."
May to September 1787, Philadelphia (Independence Hall). George Washington presided; James Madison took notes and is called the "Father of the Constitution"
They met to fix the Articles of Confederation and ended up writing a whole new Constitution.
"Virginia wants Volume, New Jersey wants No difference, Connecticut Connects them."
That's why Congress has two houses (bicameral).
"Federalists were FOR the Federal plan; Anti-Feds were ANTI too much central power."
The Anti-Federalists lost the ratification fight but won the Bill of Rights.
"Nine to sign it in; New Hampshire made it win (1788)."
Article VII required 9 of 13 states. New Hampshire became the 9th on June 21, 1788
The new government started in 1789.
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"In 1215, King John got told: the king's not above the law, so the barons were bold."
Magna Carta, forced on King John by English barons, limited the king's power and protected rights such as due process ("the law of the land")
The start of the rule of law and limited government.
"In 1620, on the Mayflower, self-government took its first hour."
The Pilgrims agreed to form a "civil body politic" and make fair and equal laws for the general good
An early example of self-government and the social contract in America.
"In 1689, Parliament drew the line."
Limited the monarch's power and strengthened Parliament. It protected the right to petition and banned cruel and unusual punishment and excessive bail
Several of its ideas reappear in the U.S. Bill of Rights (look at the 8th Amendment).
Rhyme the dates
Put them in order and the story tells itself: limit the king, govern yourselves, break away, try, fix, protect rights.
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"Paine made it plain: an island shouldn't rule a continent."
Thomas Paine's pamphlet (January 1776) argued in plain language for independence and against rule by a king
A bestseller that turned many colonists toward independence.
"People Really Get Riled."
Adopted July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson was the main author.
"The 4 T's: Taxes, Troops, Trials, Trade."
Also: dissolving colonial legislatures. Many grievances are answered later in the Bill of Rights (3rd, 6th, 7th Amendments).
"Live, Love, be Happy."
"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"
Jefferson's version of Locke's "life, liberty, and property."
"George MASON laid the bricks for the Bill of Rights."
George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights (June 1776) listed rights such as freedom of the press and trial by jury
It influenced both the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.
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"A team with no captain, no wallet, and no referee."
Took effect in 1781. Shays' Rebellion (1786 to 1787) showed how weak it was.
"Northwest = New states, No slavery, kNowledge."
The Articles government's biggest success.
"John ADAMS ADDED the oldest one still running."
Written mainly by John Adams; it's the oldest written constitution still in use in the world
Its separation of powers and bill of rights influenced the U.S. Constitution.
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"Hamilton Made Jokes." (Most to least)
85 essays, all signed "Publius," written to win ratification in New York.
"Factions at 10, Angels at 51, Judges at 78."
These three come up again and again.
"Ambition must be made to counteract ambition: let the branches play tug-of-war."
Madison: give each branch the means and motives to resist the others (checks and balances), because people are not angels
If it mentions angels, it's No. 51.
"No sword, no wallet, just judgment."
Hamilton: the courts have "neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgment," so they are the least dangerous branch. Judges serve during "good behaviour"
Also defends judicial review, later established in Marbury v. Madison.
"Et tu, Brutus? Too big a republic!"
Anti-Federalist essay (probably by Robert Yates): a huge republic would be too powerful and too distant from the people
The opposite of Federalist No. 10's argument.
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"September 17: sign the scene."
39 delegates signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787 (now Constitution Day)
Then it went to the states for ratification.
"Madison sent 12, the states kept 10."
Madison drafted the amendments; Congress sent 12 to the states in 1789, and 10 were ratified on December 15, 1791
One of the leftover two finally passed in 1992 as the 27th Amendment.
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"MarBURY: the Court can BURY unconstitutional laws."
Established judicial review: courts can strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution
Chief Justice John Marshall struck down part of the Judiciary Act of 1789.
"Mc-BANK: the federal bank is okay, and Maryland can't tax it away."
Upheld the national bank under implied powers (Necessary and Proper Clause); a state can't tax the federal government
"The power to tax involves the power to destroy."
"Gibbons Got the boats."
Congress's power over interstate commerce includes navigation; a federal license beat New York's steamboat monopoly
An early big win for the Commerce Clause.
"A DREADful ruling, fixed by 13 and 14."
Said Black Americans could not be citizens and Congress could not ban slavery in the territories
Overturned by the 13th and 14th Amendments.
"Plessy said 'separate'; Brown said 'separate is never equal.'"
Brown overturned Plessy in public education. 58 years apart.
"Speech isn't free if it's a clear and present danger."
Upheld a conviction for opposing the WWI draft; speech creating a "clear and present danger" can be limited
Holmes: free speech would not protect "falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic."
"No MAP to illegal evidence."
Evidence from an illegal search can't be used in state courts (the exclusionary rule, 4th Amendment)
Applied the exclusionary rule to the states.
"Gideon got a lawyer with a pencil and paper."
States must provide a lawyer to defendants charged with felonies who can't afford one (6th Amendment)
Clarence Earl Gideon was a Florida prisoner who wrote his own handwritten petition to the Supreme Court.
"Before they grill, read the drill: you have the right to remain silent..."
Police must tell suspects in custody about their rights (to remain silent, to a lawyer) before questioning
Protects the 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination.
"Tinker's armbands: rights don't stop at the schoolhouse gate."
Students could wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam War; schools can limit speech only if it substantially disrupts
Compare Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988), which allowed schools to edit school-sponsored newspapers.
"Roe in '73, Dobbs in '22: Dobbs sent the issue back to the states."
Know both years and what each decided.
"Hand over the tapes: no escapes."
Executive privilege is not absolute; President Nixon had to turn over the Watergate tapes
Nixon resigned soon after. No one is above the law.
"Florida's recount hit pause."
The Court stopped Florida's presidential recount, citing equal protection, so George W. Bush won Florida's electoral votes
A Florida case with national stakes.
"Spending is speaking."
The government can't ban independent political spending by corporations and unions (1st Amendment)
Led to the rise of super PACs.
"Shelby SHELVED the formula."
Struck down the Voting Rights Act's coverage formula, so the preclearance requirement no longer applies unless Congress writes a new formula
Compare the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
"Heller at Home, McDonald for the Many states."
Heller came from D.C. (federal); McDonald brought it to the states through the 14th Amendment.
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"Missouri slave, Maine free, and a line at 36°30'."
Missouri entered as a slave state and Maine as a free state; slavery was banned north of 36°30' in the rest of the Louisiana Territory
Repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) and declared unconstitutional in Dred Scott.
"Let the settlers decide, and the compromise died."
Let settlers in Kansas and Nebraska decide on slavery by popular sovereignty, repealing the Missouri Compromise line
Led to violence ("Bleeding Kansas").
"Sixty-FOUR: at the store (and on the job). Sixty-FIVE: the vote's alive."
Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Selma marches (1965) pushed the VRA forward.
"Really Cool Rules Stop Nastiness."
Title VII bans job discrimination on these five grounds.
"Title Nine: fair play down the line."
No sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal money
Best known for opening school sports to girls and women.
"ADA: Access Doors for All."
Bans discrimination against people with disabilities in jobs, public places, and transportation
Why buildings have ramps and accessible entrances.
"Watch out for A-I-C: Aliens, Indians, Chinese."
These are examples of laws that limited rights or liberties.
"48 to tell, 60 to stay, and 30 to get away."
Passed over President Nixon's veto after the Vietnam War.
"FDR's New Deal: a safety net for real."
Created old-age pensions and unemployment insurance
Part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal during the Great Depression.
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"New Year's Day '63: rebel states' enslaved people declared free."
Lincoln's order (January 1, 1863) declared enslaved people free in Confederate states in rebellion, not in the loyal border states
The 13th Amendment (1865) ended slavery everywhere.
"8802: defense jobs open to you."
FDR banned racial discrimination in the defense industry
Issued after A. Philip Randolph planned a March on Washington.
"9066: a wrong order in '42."
FDR's order led to the forced removal and incarceration of about 120,000 Japanese Americans
Upheld in Korematsu v. United States (1944). In 1988, Congress apologized and paid reparations.
"9981 ends in 1: one military, everyone."
Truman ordered equal treatment in the armed forces, which ended segregation in the military
Don't mix up 9066 (1942, internment) and 9981 (1948, desegregation).
"Monroe says 'NO' to Europe in our hemisphere."
President Monroe warned European powers not to set up new colonies in the Western Hemisphere
Later expanded by the Roosevelt Corollary (1904).
"1803: Jefferson's deal with France doubled the land, you see."
Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France for about $15 million, roughly doubling the size of the country
Jefferson worried the Constitution didn't clearly allow it, but he did it anyway.
"Ike sent the 101st for the Nine."
President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne to enforce desegregation at Central High School for the Little Rock Nine
The President enforcing Brown v. Board.
"TRUE-man helps Greece and Turkey stay free."
Truman pledged U.S. support for countries resisting communism, starting with aid to Greece and Turkey
The beginning of the Cold War policy of containment.
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RAPPS lists the five freedoms of which amendment?
Religion, Assembly, Press, Petition, Speech: all in the 1st Amendment.
"Large Elephants Jump Slowly And Shake Ruthlessly." What is Article V (the word "And")?
Article V explains how to amend the Constitution.
"13, 14, 15: Freed, Equal, ___." What goes in the blank?
The 15th Amendment (1870) bars denying the vote because of race.
"Nine: rights not listed are still ___."
The 9th Amendment: listing some rights doesn't deny others the people keep.
"Factions at 10, Angels at ___."
Federalist No. 51: "If men were angels, no government would be necessary."
"MarBURY: the Court can BURY unconstitutional laws." What power did Marbury v. Madison establish?
Marbury v. Madison (1803) established judicial review.
"Gideon got a lawyer with a pencil and paper." Which right is this?
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963): states must provide a lawyer in felony cases.
"Sixty-FIVE: the vote's alive." Which law is this?
The Voting Rights Act of 1965.
"9981 ends in 1: one military, everyone." Which president issued it?
Truman issued Executive Order 9981 in 1948.
"In 1689, Parliament drew the line." Which document is that?
The English Bill of Rights (1689).
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