THINGS TO REMEMBER AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

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1 PREMIER CURRICULUM SERIES Based on the Sunshine State Standards for Secondary Education, established by the State of Florida, Department of Education THINGS TO REMEMBER AMERICAN GOVERNMENT Copyright 2009 Revision Date:12/2009

2 Lesson 1 States throughout the world share some essential parts; they are territory, population, and national boundaries. In the Federal system, the powers are divided into national and state. The governmental organization in which citizens are not allowed to vote for local, state and federal members of government is called Communism. In a communist society people cannot vote for their national leaders. The term nation includes a way to describe a group of people with common territory, economic life, culture, and language. The United States Constitution is not a list of characters. The U.S. Constitution was not written to define states. The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution is called The Bill of Rights. The Executive branch includes the President. Payments made to workers who are out of work through no fault of their own are called Unemployment Compensation Lesson 2 The U.S. Constitution is separated into 3 branches. There are 538 electors in the Electoral College. If the president elects not to pass a law then Congress can pass it. The President appoints Supreme Court Justices. When each branch of government has some power over the other, it creates a system of checks and balances. An official change to the Constitution of the United States is called an amendment. The powers delegated to the national government are not resolved. The article that has the ratification of the Constitution is Article VII. Brown vs. Board of Education was a case that did not totally end the abuse of school powers over black children. Express powers are also called enumerated powers. Lesson 3 Jim Crow Laws allowed for segregation. The Plessy vs. Ferguson court case helped in the creation of the separate but equal doctrine. Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of the civil rights movement of the 1950 s and 1960 s The civil rights movement did not eliminate segregation. The rights of citizens are contained within The Constitution, The Bill of Rights and the 14 th Amendment. Knowing about our rights and laws, as well as voting is a citizen s responsibility. To resolve disputes in a democracy, we use a system of majority rule vs. minority rights A political party presents common ideas and platforms. Political parties present common ideas and platforms. Writing down events in a time line allows you to understand the chronology and sequencing of an event or a group of events. 2

3 Lesson 4 Eminent domain explains the government s power to take any property from the public by paying a fair price for it. Roman law placed an accused person guilty until proven innocent. The period of renewed individual knowledge, ethics, and scientific rationality was known as the enlightenment period. Thomas Hobbes introduced the idea of the social contract. Cause and effect process is the concept that one event will happen only if a previous or series of previous events take place. The Internet is not always a true source of information Primary and secondary sources are not reliable Spell Check is part of today s computer programs but Addendum is not part of today s computer programs. To research quickly and efficiently, you need to know more than just how to type Monarchs use the idea of divine right to control people. Lesson 5 Jamestown was the first settlement in English North America. The American Bill of Rights was passed in 1787 with the U.S. Constitution. The Mayflower Compact was first kind of written agreement for any American Government. After independence in 1776, the U.S. governed itself using the Articles of Confederation. The Boston Tea party was a demonstration against taxation without representation. The United States was not part of the Axis Powers in WWII England, France, and Canada fought against the Axis Powers in WWII. The invasion of Poland caused the beginning of WWII. Agreements between nations are not resolutions. September 11th 2001 was not the first time the U.S. was attacked on its own soil Lesson 6 The Adam Smith non-intervention theory calls for no intervention by the government in the economy. The collapse of the stock market actually took place in The FDIC insures bank deposits. The action that established Social Security was passed in A restriction on international trade is a tarrif. The First Amendment includes which the right to freedom of speech. The Nineteenth amendment gave women the right to vote. Social Security and Medicare are Federal sponsored aid. Since we live in the same country (The United States of America), all states and regions are covered by the same Federal Constitution. Medicare was later added to the Social Security program. 3

4 Lesson 7 There are 3 ways to become an American citizen. Naturalizing is a way many foreigners can obtain U.S. Citizenship. The following are requirements to become a citizen; enter the U.S. legally, be of good moral character, and must have basic knowledge of American History and Government Individuals living in the U.S. legally are either citizens or resident aliens. All others are either non-resident aliens or illegal aliens. Deserters of military service may cause a resident to be denied citizenship. The right to get good grades is one of the least important democratic right/freedom given to citizens. In Florida individuals are allowed to vote from home if they can not or do not want to go to a polling office. Individuals do have the right to elect representatives. To have a good understanding of events, you need to know a little about geography, what lead up to the events, and the background issues. Absentee ballots can decide an election at the last minute. 4

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6 Author: Rene Choy Copyright 2009 Revision Date:12/2009