Civics End of Course Review

Mr. Webster’s Class

The 3 Ways of Becoming a U.S. Citizen

• Being born in the United States, known as the law of soil

• Having parents who are United States citizens, known as the law of blood

• Going through the process known as naturalization

To become naturalized, one must…

• Be at least 18 years old• Be a permanent resident for at least 5 years• Be a person of good character• Speak English• Pass a civics test • Pass an interview• Take an oath of allegiance to the United States

and our Constitution** People who serve in the U.S. military for at least 1 year can become a citizen sooner as they have demonstrated a commitment to the U.S. **

Common Good, Obligation, Responsibility

• Common good is a belief or action that is seen as a benefit to the larger community rather than individual interests.

• An obligation is a duty or something that a citizen is required to do.

• A responsibility is something that a citizen should do.

Obligations vs. Responsibilities

Obligations• Obeying the Law• Paying Taxes• Jury Duty• Defending the

Nation

Responsibilities• Voting• Petitioning the

Government• Community

Service• Attending Civic

Meetings

Forms of Government

• Autocracy (or Absolute Monarchy) – a form of government where one person has unlimited power. Examples are dictatorships and absolute monarchies

• Communism – a society where there are no social classes, the community owns all property, and wealth is distributed equally

• Direct Democracy – a form of government where everyone gets to vote on all laws

• Monarchy – a form of government where power is held by one person who right to rule is based on birth

Forms of Government Cont.

• Constitutional Monarchy – a type of monarchy where the ruler’s power is strongly limited by a written constitution

• Oligarchy – a form of government ruled by a small group of wealthy people

• Representative Democracy (or Republic) – a form of government where citizens elect representatives to rule on their behalf

• Socialism – a form of government where the government takes an active role in controlling the economy and protecting people so they cannot be taken advantage of by businesses

Systems of Government

• Unitary – a system of government where almost all power is located with the central government (an example is North Korea)

• Federal – a system of government where power is shared between a central government and states (an example is the United States).

• Confederal – a system of government where power is located with the independent states and there is little power in the central government (the European Union and United Nations are examples)

• Parliamentary – a system of government where power lies with the legislative body and the leader of the country is part of the legislature (examples are Great Britain and Canada)

Documents that Influenced the American System of Government

• Magna Carta – a document created in 1215 that limited the power of the king and protected certain rights of the nobles

• Mayflower Compact – an agreement made by the Pilgrims in 1620 to create a government that would serve the common good

• English Bill of Rights – this document from 1689 expanded the rights of the Parliament and the people, while limiting the king’s powers

• Cato’s Letters – newspaper editorials from the 1720s that criticized the king’s heavy-handed rule

• Common Sense – a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine and published in 1776 that explained the argument for independence in a way that was easy for American colonists to understand

John Locke & Baron de Montesquieu

• The writings of John Locke influenced the Declaration of Independence.

• Locke believed in the idea of natural rights and social contract.

• The ideas of Baron de Montesquieu influenced the writing of the U.S. Constitution.

• Montesquieu advocated the concepts of checks and balances and separation of powers.

American Independence Timeline

• 1754 – 1763 – The French and Indian War. The English win the war, but are in debt after the war ends.

• 1765 – The English Parliament passes the Stamp Act, which requires all printed materials to be taxed. Many American colonists protest the act, and eventually it is repealed.

• 1770 – The Boston Massacre occurs when a group of English soldiers fire their guns into a crowd of angry American colonists.

American Independence Timeline Cont.

• 1773 – The Boston Tea Party occurs when a group of colonists dump hundreds of chests of tea into the harbor.

• 1774 – In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passes a series of laws. Colonists call them the Intolerable Acts.

• 1775 –War breaks out between Britain and the American colonies. George Washington is chosen as Commander-in-Chief of the American forces.

• 1776 – The book Common Sense convinces many colonists they should declare independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson is chosen to draft such a declaration, and it is adopted by Congress on July 4.

Declaration of Independence - Facts

• Written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson in the city of Philadelphia.

• Adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776

• Justified the independence of the United States by listing grievances against King George III

• Inspired by the Enlightenment ideas of reason and natural rights

Declaration of Independence Vocabulary

• duty – a tax• import – goods brought into a country• export – goods sent to another country• grievance – a complaint• natural rights – rights that people are born with,

such as the right to life, liberty, and property• quarter- to house• self-evident – obvious• tyrant – a single ruler that abuses his or her

power

Government Foundations Vocabulary

• checks and balances – a principle of the federal government that allows each branch of government the ability to limit the power of the other branches

• Enlightenment – a period in European history when many educated people stressed the importance of learning and reasoning

• separation of powers – the structure of the federal government that sets up three branches with their own distinct powers and responsibilities

• social contract – an implied agreement among the people of an organized society that defines the rights, duties, and limitations of the governed and the government

Articles of Confederation / Shays’s Rebellion

• In 1777, the Articles of Confederation became the first constitution of the United States of America.

• It created a weak central (or national) government, and allowed the states to retain most of their powers.

• Under the AOC, Congress could not tax. This weakness ultimately brought about an armed uprising known as Shays’s Rebellion.

The Constitutional Convention

• Shays’s Rebellion made it clear that the Articles of Confederation was a weak form of government.

• In the spring of 1787, delegates from the states met in Philadelphia to fix the Articles.

• The delegates ultimately decided to create an entirely new plan of government, and the result was the United States Constitution.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

• Those who supported the proposed Constitution and liked the idea of a strong federal government were called Federalists.

• Those who opposed the Constitution and did not like the idea of a strong federal government were called Anti-Federalists.

• Anti-Federalists also complained that the Constitution did not have a bill of rights to protect individual freedoms.

• The Federalists eventually vowed to create a bill of rights if the Constitution was adopted.

• That promise helped win public support for the constitution.

Constitutional Convention Vocabulary

• Virginia Plan – a plan presented by James Madison at the Constitutional Convention that featured a strong, central government.

• Great Compromise – agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation

• Three-Fifths Compromise – agreement providing that enslaved persons would count as 3/5 of other persons in determining representation in Congress

• Electoral College – a group of electors whose function is to elect a president and vice president.

• Bill of Rights – the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which establishes rights and protections for American citizens

• Federalists – people (in the early United States) who supported the Constitution

• Anti-Federalists – people who opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution

Types of Power• The writers of the

Constitution divided the powers of the government into three types.– Enumerated powers are

powers granted directly to the national government.

– Reserved powers are powers that are reserved for the states.

– Concurrent powers are powers that are shared by both the national and state governments.

Parts of the Constitution

• The Constitution has three main parts:

• The Preamble (or introduction)

• The 7 Articles (or main parts)

• The 27 Amendments (or changes)

Review Q & A’s – worth 40 points• For this assignment, you are to create 20 questions

and answers that you feel would make good test questions for the EOC.

• You may use your notes, but your questions should be based only on the information that we have discussed in class this week.

• YOU MAY NOT ASK TRUE OR FALSE QUESTIONS, AND YOU CAN ONLY ASK 10 QUESTIONS RELATED TO VOCABULARY!

• You may put your questions and answers all on the same page.

• Each question is worth 1 point, and each correct answer is also worth 1 point, for a total of 40 points.

Civics EOC Writing Assignment• For this assignment, you are to create a story that

incorporates words from the list of terms that you have been provided. Throughout the story, YOU MUST HIGHLIGHT THE TERMS YOU HAVE USED!

• The story should be coherent, and each term should be used in proper context.

• The assignment is worth 25 points, and I will be grading as follows:

• One point for each properly-used term.• Five points for the coherency and relevance of

story.

U.S. Constitution - Branches of Government

• Article I – Legislative branch– Senate– House of Representatives

• Article II – Executive branch– President and Vice

President– Cabinet, executive

department, and agencies

• Article III – Judicial branch– Supreme Court– Other federal courts

The Preamble• “We the People of the United

States… do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”– 1. To form a more perfect Union– 2. To establish justice– 3. To insure domestic

tranquility– 4. To provide for the common

defense– 5. To promote the general

welfare– 6. To secure the blessings of

liberty to ourselves and our posterity

The Legislative Branch• The legislative branch is the

lawmaking branch of government.

• It is made up of the U.S. Congress.

• The United States Congress has two houses, and they are the Senate and the House of Representatives.

• In the Senate, each state has two representatives.

• In the House of Representatives, the number of members for each state is based on population.

Powers of Congress

Enumerated Powers• Lay and collect taxes• Borrow money• Coin, print, and regulate

money• Regulate trade• Declare war• Raise, support, and regulate

an army and navy• Establish naturalization laws• Govern Washington, D.C.

Implied Powers• Support public schools, welfare

programs, public housing, etc.• Maintain the Federal Reserve

Board• Prohibit discrimination in

restaurants, hotels, and other public venues

• Drafting people into the armed services

• Limiting the number of immigrants to the United States

How a Bill Becomes a Law

• 1. A bill is introduced• 2. The bill is sent to a committee• 3. *The bill is sent to a subcommittee*• 4. The committee marks up and votes on the

bill• 5. The committee reports the bill to the

House• 6. The House debates/votes on the bill• 7. The bill is referred to the other chamber• 8. The bill is sent to a Conference Committee• 9. The president either signs or vetoes the

bill• 10. *A veto can be overridden by a 2/3

majority in both houses*• School House Rock Clip

Executive Branch

• The President of the United States is the head of the Executive Branch.

• The President’s main job is to execute, or carry out, the laws passed by Congress.

• The President is also the Commander in Chief of the armed forces.

• Should something happen to the president and vice president, the Speaker of the House is next in line to become president.

To Become President of the United States…

• One must…– be at least 35

years old– be a native-born

American citizen– have lived in the

U.S. for at least 14 years.

Judicial Branch

• The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.

• The Supreme Court’s main job is to decide arguments over how to interpret the U.S. Constitution.

Bill of Rights• The first ten amendments,

or Bill of Rights, became a part of the Constitution in 1791.

• They guarantee basic freedoms including:– Freedom of religion– Freedom of speech– Freedom of the press– Freedom of assembly – The right to bear arms– The right to trial by jury– The right to be free from

unreasonable searches and seizures by the government

– Freedom from cruel and unusual punishment

The First Amendment

• The First Amendment protects five basic freedoms.

• These are:– Freedom of

religion– Freedom of

speech– Freedom of the

press– Freedom of

assembly– Freedom to

petition the government

The Fifth Amendment

• The Fifth Amendment protects several rights of an accused person.

• It states that no one can be tried for a serious crime without an indictment.

• The Fifth Amendment protects an accused person’s right to remain silent.

• It also prevents putting people on trial more than once for the same crime.

Other Important Amendments

• The Thirteenth Amendment (1865) outlawed slavery.

• The Fourteenth Amendment (1868) defined U.S. citizenship as anyone “born or naturalized in the United States.” This definition included most African Americans.

• The Fifteenth Amendment (1870) stated that no state could deny a person the right to vote because of race.

• The Nineteenth Amendment (1920) granted women the right to vote.

• The Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971) set the voting age at 18 years.

Rule of Law - Vocabulary

• ex post facto law – a law that makes an act a crime after the crime has been committed

• habeas corpus – the principle that keeps the government from holding a citizen indefinitely without showing cause

• independent judiciary – the principle that the judicial branch cannot be pressured by the other branches of government

• public interest – the general good of the public• writ – law• law – a set of rules established by a government to

regulate people‘s conduct• rule of law – the concept that no one is above (or

beneath) the law

Limitations on Rights

• Criteria used to limit freedom of speech and freedom of the press– Clear and Present

Danger– Fighting Words– Libel– Obscene Material– Conflict with Government

Interests

Civil Rights - Vocabulary• civil rights – the rights belonging to citizens; typically

refers to the basic right of being free from unequal treatment

• discrimination – unfair treatment• literacy test – a test used to determine whether or not

someone was eligible to register to vote• poll tax – a fee required to vote• segregation – the separation of people• suffrage – the right to vote• Voting Rights Act of 1965 – a federal law that banned

race discrimination in voting practices• Civil Rights Act of 1964 – a federal law that prohibits

employment discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin

Types of Law - Vocabulary• case law – laws established by the outcome of former cases• civil law – laws involving disputes between people or groups• criminal law – laws that deal with crimes and punishment

associated with those crimes• common law – legal precedence based on customs and prior legal

decisions; used in civil cases• juvenile law – law that deals with the actions and well-being of

minors• military law – laws that apply to those serving in the armed forces

of the U.S.• statutory law – written law enacted by a legislature, as

distinguished from unwritten (or common) law• statutes – laws created by a legislative body• regulation – rules that the executive branch makes to carry out its

job

Criminal Law• Criminal laws are laws

that make certain actions a crime.

• Crimes fall into two categories: felonies (serious crimes) and misdemeanors (less serious crimes).

• Felonies include murder, robbery, and other serious crimes, and they have serious consequences.

• Misdemeanors include lesser offenses, such as vandalism or petty theft.

Civil Law• Civil laws involve

disputes between people, groups, or businesses. An example would be a broken contract.

• A civil case brought before a court is called a lawsuit.

• This is a legal action to seek a remedy for harm that has been done.

• People who think they have been wronged take action by filing a lawsuit.

Steps in a Trial

1.Jury Selection2.Opening

Statements3.Testimony of

Witnesses & Evidence

4.Closing Arguments5.Jury Instructions6.Deliberation 7.VerdictClip

The Court System - Vocabulary

• appeal – a request made after a trial asking a higher court to decide whether that trial was conducted properly

• appellate court – any court that has the power to hear appeals from lower courts

• civil case – a case involving the rights of citizens• criminal case – a case involving someone who is accused of committing an

illegal activity• defendant – the person who answers the legal action of a plaintiff/prosecutor• judge – a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court• jury – a group of citizens sworn to give a true verdict according to the

evidence present in a court of law• plaintiff – the person in a civil case who brings legal action against another

person• prosecution – the government, which starts the legal proceedings against

someone accused of committing a crime• verdict – a judgment

Landmark Supreme Court Cases

• Brown v. Board of Education determined that “separate but equal” segregation was not equal in public education.

• District of Columbia v. Heller upheld that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm.

• Gideon v. Wainwright upheld that the Sixth Amendment right that all defendants must be appointed a lawyer even if they cannot afford one

• Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier determined that the First Amendment does not protect all types of student speech in school.

• Marbury v. Madison established the concept of judicial review.

• Clip

Landmark Supreme Court Cases Cont.

• Miranda v. Arizona upheld the Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination.

• In re Gault determined that juvenile courts must comply with the Fourteenth Amendment.

• Plessy v. Ferguson determined that “separate but equal” segregation was not discrimination.

• Tinker v. Des Moines upheld students’ First Amendment right to engage in symbolic speech in school.

• United States v. Nixon limited executive privilege.• Bush v. Gore determined that states cannot violate the

Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment when undertaking election recounts.

Political Parties & Elections -Vocabulary

• candidate – a person running for office• political party - an organization that seeks to gain political

power by electing members to public office• caucus – a meeting of political party members to conduct

party business• majority – a number that is more than 50 percent of the total• suffrage – the right to vote• polling place – the location where voting is carried out• ballot – the list of candidates for which you cast your vote• popular vote – the votes cast by individual voters in a

presidential election• Electoral College – a group of people named by each state

legislature to select the president and vice president

Democrats & Republicans• The two major political

parties in the United States are the Republican & Democratic parties.

• Democrats tend to advocate social freedom, alleviating poverty, and regulating the economy.

• Republicans tend to advocate traditional values and less government involvement in the economy.

Political Party Functions

• The main purpose of political parties in the United States is to elect candidates to office.

• Political parties also support candidates, communicate with citizens, run the government, link different parts of government, and act as a watchdog over government.

The Right to Vote• In the United States, citizens

have the right to vote for leaders. It is one of our most treasured rights.

• In the early years of our country, suffrage was limited to mostly white male landowners.

• The Fifteenth Amendment (1870) extended suffrage to African-Americans.

• The Nineteenth Amendment (1920) extended suffrage to women .

• The Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age to 18.

Types of Elections• In most states, the first step

in the election process is called a primary election.

• The purpose of the primary election is to choose one candidate from each party to run in the general election. These usually take place in the spring or summer.

• The general election always takes place on the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November.

The Electoral College• Each state has the same

number of electors as it has members of Congress. (For example, Florida has 2 senators and 27 representatives, so we have 29 electors.)

• There are a total of 538 electoral votes. The candidate who wins a majority of those votes (at least 270) is the winner of the election.

• The electoral vote determines the president.

• The purpose of the popular vote is to choose the electors.

Public Opinion• Public opinion refers to

the ideas and attitudes that people hold about an issue or a person.

• Public opinion helps shape the decisions that officials make, and it also shapes how successful a president is in putting his or her plans into action.

• Several factors influence people’s opinions, including one’s background, the mass media, and interest groups.

Public Opinion Vocabulary

• public opinion – the ideas and attitudes that people hold about an issue or a person

• interest group – a group of people who share a point of view about an issue and unite to promote their beliefs

• media – various means of communication, including television, radio, the internet, newspapers, magazines, books, recordings, and movies

• libel – written untruths that are harmful to someone’s reputation

• bias – a preference, opinion, or attitude that favors one way of thinking over another

• propaganda – information that is spread to either help or harm a person, cause, or institution

Global Policy - Vocabulary• domestic policy – a nation’s overall plan for dealing with issues

within its borders• foreign policy – a nation’s overall plan for dealing with other

nations• national security – the ability to keep the country safe from

attack or harm• treaty – a formal agreement between the governments of 2 or

more nations• trade sanction – an effort to punish another nation by imposing

trade barriers• embargo – an agreement among a group of nations that

prohibits them all from trading with a target nation• weapon of mass destruction (WMD) – a weapon that can kill or

harm large numbers of people and destroy or damage a large physical area

Foreign Policy• A nation’s plan for dealing

with other nations is called foreign policy.

• The main goal of American foreign policy is national security, or keeping the country safe.

• Another major goal is to build trade with other nations.

• A third goal is to promote world peace.

• A fourth goal is to advance democracy around the world.

International Organizations• International organizations are

organizations that were formed to address international issues.

• The United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945 to keep peace among nations. The UN also seeks to support social progress, fight poverty, and protect human rights.

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a group of 28 nations in North America and Europe. Its main goals are to keep peace and defend all members in times of war.

Human Rights• Human rights are the

basic freedoms that all people should have simply because they are human.

• Human rights include the right to adequate food, safety, and shelter, and the right to be protected under the law.

• On the whole, democratic nations do a better job of respecting human rights than nations that are not democratic.

Twentieth Century Conflicts

• Throughout the twentieth century, the United States was involved in a number of international wars and conflicts. They are as follows:

• World War I • World War II• Korean War• Vietnam War• Gulf War

Recent Conflicts• During the Cold War, the

U.S. and its allies tried to stop the Soviet Union from expanding its control.

• Following the attacks on 9/11/01, the U.S. government created the Department of Homeland Security and passed the Patriot Act.

• The U.S. also responded to the 9/11 attacks with military force. Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq followed.

Afghanistan & Iraq

• The U.S. went to war with Afghanistan in an effort to dismantle al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban from power.

• In 2003, the U.S. went to war with Iraq over the assumption that the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was concealing weapons of mass destruction.

Federalism Vocabulary

• concurrent powers – powers shared by the national, state, and/or local government

• enumerated powers – powers assigned to the federal government under the U.S. Constitution

• reserved powers – powers that are kept by the states• federal government – the national level of government• federalism – a system of government where power is divided and

shared between national, state, and local government• local government – the government of a municipality (city) or county• state government – the state level of government• supremacy clause – the clause in the Constitution that makes federal

laws prevail over state laws when there is a conflict

Federal Government Powers• The federal, or national,

government has three kinds of power.

• Expressed powers are those listed in the Constitution.

• Implied powers are not listed in the Constitution but can be based on it. For example, the president’s powers as commander-in-chief.

• Inherent powers are powers a government has simply because it is a government.

Reserved & Concurrent Powers

• Reserved powers are powers that are reserved for the states. They come from the Tenth Amendment. It says all powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states.

• Concurrent powers are powers held by both the national and state governments. These powers are not mentioned in the Constitution, but they are needed in order for the government to function.

The Florida Constitution• Each state has its own

constitution.• Florida has had six

constitutions. The most recent one was created in 1968.

• Article I lists the rights guaranteed to citizens. This list is called the Declaration of Rights.

• Article II includes General Provisions and defines state boundaries and the location of the state government. It also states English is the official language.

The Branches of Government – State Level

• The governor is the head of the executive branch at the state level.

• The state legislature is the legislative branch of state government.

• The state supreme court sits at the top of the state’s judicial branch.

Local Government Vocabulary

• incorporate – to receive a state charter officially recognizing the government of a locality

• city charter – a document granting power to a local government

• ordinance – a law, usually of a city or county• suburb – a community that is near a larger city• county – normally the largest territorial and political

subdivision of a state• county seat – a town where the county courthouse is located• town – political unit that is larger than a village and smaller

than a city• town meeting – a gathering of local citizens to discuss and

vote on important issues

Local Government• Local governments are closer to the

people than any other unit of government.

• Local governments provide services such as road maintenance, police and fire protection, and schools.

• The powers of local government are usually set by state constitutions.

• Local governments get money to pay for the services they provide from state and federal grants, taxes on land and buildings, sales tax, and fees and fines for things such as parking and traffic violations.

Forms of Local Government• Most urban areas in the United

States use one of three basic forms of government. These are the mayor-council form, the commission form, and the council-manager form.

• The mayor-council form is based on the separation of powers. Executive power belongs to a mayor. Legislative power belongs to a city council.

• Under the council-manager form, the city council appoints a city manager to administer the city’s day to day affairs.

County Government• A county is a political

and geographic unit within a state.

• Florida has 67 counties.

• The town where a county courthouse is located is called a county seat.

• The sheriff is the county’s chief officer for enforcing the law. It is an elected position.

• A county clerk keeps official government records.