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History & Civics?

How the country actually works, minus the shouting. 40 questions and counting.

How do tax brackets actually work?Marginally, which almost everyone misunderstands. Moving into a higher bracket taxes only the income above that threshold at…
How do you register to vote?Register through your state, online in most states, or by mail or in person at DMVs and election offices. Deadlines vary…
How does impeachment actually work?The House impeaches by simple majority, which is an accusation rather than a removal. The Senate then tries the case and…
How does the Electoral College actually work?You vote for electors, not the candidate: 538 total, 270 to win, awarded winner-take-all in 48 states. That math is how a…
How many amendments does the Constitution have?27. The first ten are the Bill of Rights, and the 27th took 202 years to ratify, rescued from oblivion by a college student…
How many Supreme Court justices are there, and why nine?Nine, but the Constitution never specifies a number. Congress sets it by statute and has changed it six times, from six…
What are the three branches of government and what does each do?Legislative writes the laws, executive enforces them, judicial interprets them. Each has tools to check the others, Congress…
What is gerrymandering?Drawing district boundaries to favor one party or group. Two techniques do the work: packing opponents into a few districts…
When should you start taking Social Security?You can claim from 62, but waiting increases the benefit permanently, by roughly 8 percent per year up to age 70. Claiming…
What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?Medicare is federal health coverage based mainly on age, 65 and older, plus certain disabilities. Medicaid is need-based…
What is the national debt, and does it matter?The accumulated total of past deficits, money the federal government borrowed and has not repaid. Economists disagree…
Why do we still have daylight saving time?It started as a WWI fuel-saving measure, the farmers actually opposed it, modern studies find little energy benefit, and…
What is the difference between a senator and a representative?Two senators per state serving six-year terms, versus 435 representatives allocated by population serving two-year terms…
What can a presidential pardon actually do?Forgive federal offenses, before or after conviction, with almost no limits except impeachment. It cannot touch state…
What is the Bill of Rights?The first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791, guaranteeing individual liberties and limiting federal…
What does the Second Amendment actually say and mean?Twenty-seven words linking a well regulated militia to the right of the people to keep and bear arms. The Supreme Court held…
How does a president actually get elected?By winning at least 270 of 538 electoral votes, not the national popular vote. Each state gets electors equal to its House…
How do you file a complaint against a business?Escalate in order: the company in writing, then your state attorney general or consumer protection office, then the relevant…
How do you actually run for local office?Lower barriers than people assume. Most local offices require residency, a filing fee or a modest number of petition…
How does a bill actually become a law?Both chambers must pass identical text, then the president signs or vetoes, with a two-thirds override available. The…
What does the census actually do?It counts everyone living in the country every ten years, as the Constitution requires, and that count determines how many…
What does a state governor actually do?Runs the state's executive branch: proposes and signs budgets, commands the National Guard, appoints agency heads and often…
What does a mayor actually do?It depends enormously on the city's charter. Strong-mayor systems give real executive power over budgets and departments…
What does the Federal Reserve actually do?It is the US central bank, with a dual mandate from Congress: maximum employment and stable prices. Its main lever is…
Is the United States a democracy or a republic?Both, and the framing of the question is usually a rhetorical move. The US is a constitutional republic and a representative…
What is the difference between a recession and a depression?A recession is a significant, widespread decline in economic activity lasting more than a few months. A depression is far…
What happens when federal and state law conflict?Federal law wins where it validly applies, under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause. But states hold broad authority over…
What is the filibuster?A Senate rule letting a minority block most bills unless 60 of 100 senators vote to proceed. It is not in the Constitution…
Who actually wrote the Constitution?No single author: 55 delegates debated it in Philadelphia in 1787, James Madison shaped it enough to earn the Father title…
What is eminent domain, and can the government really take your house?Yes, for public use and with just compensation, which the Fifth Amendment requires. The contested question is what counts as…
How does the Supreme Court decide which cases to hear?It grants review at its discretion through a writ of certiorari, taking roughly 60 to 80 of some 5,000 to 7,000 petitions a…
What is the difference between a primary and a caucus?A primary is a state-run secret-ballot election. A caucus is a party-run meeting where participants gather, discuss, and…
What does FDA approval actually mean?For drugs, that clinical trials showed the benefits outweigh the risks for a specific use. It does not mean safe in every…
What does a school board actually control?The district budget, the superintendent's hiring and firing, school boundaries and closures, calendars, and policies on…
What is judicial review, and where does it come from?The power of courts to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution. It appears nowhere in the constitutional text…
What is executive privilege?A president's claimed authority to withhold certain communications from Congress and the courts. It appears nowhere in the…
How do election recounts actually work?State law governs everything: some states trigger automatic recounts within a narrow margin, others require a candidate…
How do you tell if a district was gerrymandered?Shape alone is weak evidence. The stronger tests compare seat share against vote share, measure how many votes each party…
What does a city council actually do?Passes local ordinances, approves the budget, and controls zoning, which is the power that most shapes housing costs and…
What happens if the Supreme Court ties?The lower court's decision stands, with no national precedent set. Ties happen when a seat is vacant or a justice recuses…